nguesoffireweareculturallycrucified.Racially,culturallyandlinguisticallysomoshu^rfanos^^e:speakanorphantongue.

Someofthelanguageswespeakare:1.StandardEnglish2.WorkingclassandslangEnglish3.StandardSpanish4.StandardMexicanSpanish5.NorthMexicanSpanishdialect6.ChicanoSpanish(Texas,NewMexico,ArizonaandCaliforniahaveregionalvariations)7.Tex-Mex8.Pacbuco(calledc«/(5

cara

getridofouraccents

Whoistosaythatrobbingapeopleofitslanguageislessviolentthanwar?

trainittobequiet,

stubborn,

roots.

motherlode

themetalfrommymouth

dentist

tongu

HowtoTameaWildTongue

“It’sbeenabadyearforcorn,”mybrother,Nune,says.Ashetalks,Iremembermyfatherscanningtheskyforarainthatwouldendthedrought,lookingupintothesky,dayafterday,whilethecornwitheredonitsstalk.Myfatherhasbeendeadfor29years,havingworkedhimselftodeath.ThelifespanofaMexicanfarmlaboreris56—helivedtobe38.ItshocksmethatIamolderthanhe.I,too,searchtheskyforrain.Liketheancients,Iworshiptheraingodandthemaizegoddess,butunlikemyfatherIhaverecoveredtheirnames.Nowforrain(irri-gation)oneoffersnotasacrificeofblood,butofmoney."Farmingisinabadway,”mybrothersays.“Twotothreethousandsmallandbigformerswentbankruptinthiscountrylastyear.Sixyearsagothepriceofcornwas$8.00perhundredpounds,”hegoeson."Thisyearitis$3-90perhundredpounds."And,Ithinktomyself,aftertakinginflationintoaccount,notplantinganythingputsyouahead

Tantotiemposinvertecasam(a,micuna,mihondonidodelahuerta.—”Soledad“

Individually,butalsoasaracialentity,weneedtovoiceourneeds.Weneedtosaytowhitesociety:WeneedyoutoacceptthefactthatChicanosaredifferent,toacknowledgeyourrejec-tionandnegationofus.Weneedyoutoownthefactthatyoulookeduponusaslessthanhuman,thatyoustoleourlands,ou

Asombrapensarquebemos,comofemenistasylesbianas,cerradonuestroscorazdnesalosbom-bres,anuestroshermanoslosjotos,desheredadosymarginalescomonosotros

defective

ndigenouslikecorn,likecorn

SucuerpoesunobocacoUe.Lamestizohasgonefrombeingthesacrificialgoattobecomingtheofficiatingpriestessatthecrossroads

Beingtricultural,monolingual,bilingual,ormultilingual,speak-ingapatois,andinastateofperpetualtransition

“alien"

progeny

cosmic

envisaged

Consciousness

mestiza

hicanosandotherpeopleofcolorsuffereconomicallyfornotacculturating.

Dimeconquienandasytedir4quieneres.(Tellme whoyourfriendsareandI’lltellyouwhoyouare.)

BeingMexican isastate ofsoul

Identityistheessentialcoreofwhoweareasindividuals,theconsciousexperienceoftheselfinside.

code

nicidentityis twinskintolinguisticidentity—Iam mylanguage.UntilIcantakeprideinmylanguage,Icannottakeprideinmyself.

estimationofme.

orphantongue

Weneededalanguagewithwhichwecouldcommunicatewithourselves,asecretlanguage

cara

ogetridofouraccents.

train it tobequiet

stubborn,

roots

tongue

motherlode

metalfrommymouth

dentis

“Whoistosaythatrobbinga peopleofitslanguageislessviolent thanwar?"

HowtoTameaWildTongue

The U.S. Founding Fathers considered the dispersion of immigrants essential to their assimilation

n the 1990s, Mexicans composed more than half of the new Latin American immigrants to the United States

culture and creed

hen, in the 18th century, they also had to define America ideologically to justify independence from their home country, which was also white, British, and Protestant

The Hispanic Challenge

peril.

assimilated

He deplored the “identity politics” of Chi-cano studies programs. He believed that the children of Mexican immigrants lacked an interest in becoming part of U.S. society, which led to their dropping out of school, becoming gang members, and causing problems. Compounding the problem, as Hanson saw it, was that Mexican immigrant families adhered to a culture that stressed having many children.

“vanishing border” statement, it was Mexico that was intruding on America, slowly taking it over or obliterating it.

They attributed the increase in negative rhetoric to politi-cians, who discovered the advantages of raising fears about Latino immigrants and illegal immigration, and to the media’s realization of how much could be gained through continued use of verbal and visual images of the border under siege

The heretical idea that U.S.-born Chicanos were steeped in U.S. culture and spoke English was not a part of the scenario—otherwise where would be the threat?

Like conquistadors of centuries past, they come in quest of fabled cities of gold. America’s riches are pulling people all along the continent’s His-panic horn on a great migration to the place they call El Norte

This belief still has currency in contemporary debates over allowing undocumented immigrants access to driver’s licenses and publicly funded education, medical care, and housing.23 To some, such rights and privileges appear as rewards for illegal entry. Rather than rewarding “illegals,” public opinion often declares that they should be punished and removed from the country. Thus, for some, universal access to these rights and privileges blurs the line between citizen and noncitizen and thus cheapens citizenship

Samuel P. Huntington

Mexicans and other Latinos h

The events of September 11, 2001, heightened a public discourse on the dangers the United States faces in the contemporary world. President George W. Bush developed a general strategy for the national security of the United States while critics focused on the dangers inherent in forging an empire in the modern world.

despite ronald reagan’s plea

We always live with the mark indicating that whether or not we belong in this country is always in question

the latino threat narrative

Apache

Apache squaw

Latino History as United States History

Southwestagribusinessmen“imported”Mexicanworkersto filltheneedforcheaplaboi^andthisinfluxsignaledthebeginningof evengreaterAnglomanipulationofMexicansettlementsorcolonias.

oppressed

Americanizethem

Mexicansarestilldeniedpoliticalandeconomicdeterminationandarestillthevictimsofracialstereotypesandracialslurspromulgatedbythosewhofeeltheyaresuperior.

mothercountry

alien

colonization

privileged

172RODOLFOACURA

Occupied

UnMundoenel"Border"deA/luchosMundos

ItwasalsointendedtolimitthepoliticalroleoftheUnitedStates inthisregion.

@

capitalizethesenamesor uselowercase

existentialreality

rose?

othername

passionandanger

sweet

wecall