Abstract
In this essay, I chose and critically analyzed a single example for how that example is driven by language ideologies (i.e., attitudes, beliefs, assumptions, and/or myths about language). The purpose of this essay is to uncover any language attitudes/beliefs/assumptions that seem to be embedded within the example I examined and whatever social consequences that follow. The analysis in this essay will try to attend carefully to the “so what?” question.
Essay
Have you been the recipient of unjust treatment in your life? Specifically, have you been mistreated based on the characteristics of your speech? If your answer is yes, then you are one of millions of people who are victims of language discrimination, or the unjust treatment of a person based on how the individual speaks. Language discrimination is a topic that is not discussed about often because it is an underlying issue in our society today. This type of discrimination must be addressed because it affects the emotional state of many people. In this essay, I will convey and support the fact that language discrimination has no place in our society, using the example of the white man threatening to deport Spanish-speaking workers by calling ICE.
In 2018, a video of a white man confronting Spanish-speaking workers went viral. The confrontation took place in a restaurant called Fresh Kitchen in New York City. When the man heard the restaurant workers speak Spanish to the customers, he was immediately offended and called the restaurant manager over to him, explaining that this was America and that in this country, English is the only language that should be spoken. As he was exiting the restaurant, he said that his “next call will be to ICE and will have each one of those workers deported out of the country.” (Robbins) This situation is a brief example of language discrimination and is essential in building the argument that language discrimination shouldn’t be present in our society. In the video, the white man made derogatory remarks, was seen as a nuisance in front of the people in the restaurant, and stirred up a lot of anger in customers at the restaurant. From the installation of the Fourteenth Amendment, which insures equal protection of the law for all citizens, (14th Amendment) to the establishment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which “banned discrimination based on race, religion, or national origin” (History.com), the United States is a country that has come so far in creating an environment that accepts and encourages diversity of all sorts. Yet, people like the man in the video still exist, trying to break apart unity between people in our society. Based on this example, language discrimination stifles cultural and racial diversity, some of the things that our country thrives on.
In my opinion, I believe that what the man in the video did was absolutely unacceptable and that it is completely fine to speak a native tongue with a customer who knows that tongue. In her essay Mother Tongue, the author Amy Tan supports the point that it doesn’t matter how the language is said, but rather if our thoughts and our feelings will be expressed to others (Tan 44). I think that speaking with one another in the native tongue makes communication faster and a lot easier. I feel that communicating in the native tongue allows, in the particular example I used, workers to bond more with their customers, an ability that managers and owners are looking for in their employees. Language discrimination shouldn’t be present in our society when all of these advantages of utilizing the native tongue are present. In The Black Eyed Peas song, “Where is the Love?”, the singer will.i.am says “but if you only have love for your own race, then you only leave space to discriminate.” (Adams and Timberlake). These lyrics were powerful words that are meaningful and truthful. If we don’t have a mindset to accept other cultures, we are susceptible to criticizing other cultures. The white man’s actions were representative of a term that the writer and activist Gloria Anzualdua coined: “linguistic terrorism”. Language discrimination instills terror in the hearts of many who came into this country from other places. This type of discrimination makes certain people feel excluded from the rest of society. Our country is known as the melting pot. We bring together cultures and mix all of them together. Therefore, this discrimination should cease to exist.
Language discrimination can be huge in tearing apart of the foundations of our society. Though it is a type of language discrimination that is not particularly well-known, it still does as much damage as any of the other types of discrimination. This type of discrimination destroys the coalition between people in our society and goes against the word in our country’s name: united. So, to prevent this type of terrorism and discrimination from occurring, let’s develop an open mind and be acceptive and appreciative of diversity. If that doesn’t stop it, the only course of action is by changing the law to prohibit this type of discrimination. By protesting on busy streets and voting for the right representatives, we can get our voices heard and surely prevent this type of terrorism from being present in our society.
Citations
Adams, William James, and Justin Timberlake. “The Black Eyed Peas (Ft. Justin Timberlake) – Where Is the Love?” Genius, 16 June 2003, genius.com/The-black-eyed-peas-where-is-the-love-lyrics.
History.com Editors. “Civil Rights Act of 1964.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 4 Jan. 2010, www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-act.
Robbins, Liz. “Man Threatens Spanish-Speaking Workers: ‘My Next Call Will Be to ICE’.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 May 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/nyregion/man-threatens-spanish-language-video.html.
Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” Dreams and Inward Journeys: A Rhetoric and Reader for Writers, edited by Marjorie Ford and Jon Ford, 7th ed., Pearson, 2010, pp. 34-44.
“14th Amendment.” Legal Information Institute, Legal Information Institute, www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv#.
Cover Letter
Through writing this assignment, I learned how to be myself and to express my thoughts in writing. In this essay, I was able to express how I feel about language discrimination. I was able to incorporate emotions into the words of my paper. I was also able to propose solutions to get rid of language discrimination in our society. I feel that during this phase, I was able to incorporate the example that I chose from the list into my argument. I also learned to find evidence in sources that would support my argument.
One of the concepts that impacted my writing practices during this phase was pathos, or the use of emotions in one’s writing. I felt that I incorporated a bit of pathos in this essay in expressing my point of view on language discrimination, in order to allow my audience to agree with my argument. This is the first essay I have written in college in which I can briefly express my viewpoint. I made a call to action to the audience when I said at the end of my paper that we should protest on the streets.
One of the course learning goals that this phase’s assignment helped me to achieve was locating research sources easier. I was able to locate sources easier because of this essay for the reason that I knew what to talk about and analyze in my paper. I also learned to critically analyze to make my argument better, clear, and more coherent.
