Watch your Language!

Tue Feb 10 14:51:48 UTC 2004

I confess. I am a first class mangler of my native
language, Yiddish. In fact, I recently discovered
that I may never have spoken it "properly" at all.
BUT I'm determined to keep using it.

Even politicians should be allowed to have an
interlanguage. While it is true that politicians can
be manipulative, if they are doing so in a language
other than English, right now the medium may be an
important part of the message.

On the tex-mex, spanglish question: I think this is
a different issue. Too many speakers of alternative
varieties experience rejection associated with the
language spoken by their communities.

Contact varieties of languages are not the same as
interlanguage despite the apparently pidginized
forms and borrowed vocabulary they may have. We need
tolerance and acceptance for such alternative
varieties. If we then want to encourage speakers to
add an academic variety of their heritage language
and/or a variety spoken in their family's country of
origin, bravo.

Miriam Eisenstein Ebsworth, Ph.D.
<MEE1 at nyu.edu>
Director of Doctoral Programs in Multilingual
Multicultural Studies
New York University,635 East Building
239 Greene St., New York, NY 10003

----- Original Message -----
From: Stan & Sandy Anonby <stan-sandy_anonby at sil.org>
Date: Monday, February 9, 2004 1:58 pm
Subject: Re: Watch your Language!

> I think it's commendable for folks, including
politicians, to try
> out other
> languages.  It's a boost for languages other than
English, even if
> mistakesare made.  I believe it's wrong to have
the attitude that
> you've got to say
> something perfectly, or say it in English.  Fact
is, most of us
> who speak
> Spanish, or another second language, will always
make mistakes.
> Any coward
> can sound really cool in their own native
language, and it's a
> cheap gift to
> ridicule those who have the courage to speak in a
second language -
> especially in public.
>
> Stan Anonby
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Felicia Briscoe" <FBriscoe at utsa.edu>
> To: <lgpolicy-list at ccat.sas.upenn.edu>
> Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2004 6:43 PM
> Subject: RE: Watch your Language!
>
>
> > I agree with you in terms of public speaking
done by
> politicians.  And
> what
> > politicians are doing is indeed pandering and at
the same time
> patronizing!
> > But I would hate people to generalize from this.
> >
> > In private, I think for those who speak sub- or
non-Berlitz in any
> language
> > should be encouraged to speak so as to improve
their ability to
> communicate
> > in that language, which of course isn't the goal
of politician.
> Whatabout
> > Chicanas who speak Spanglish or Tex Mex.  Should
they be
> discouraged from
> > speaking.  Anyway who made Berlitz the
arbitrator of "proper"
> Spanish.That
> > being said, I agree totally with you about the
Politicians and
> their use
> of
> > Spanish.  Did this all start with Kennedy and
his "Ich bin
> Berlinner?">
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Harold F. Schiffman
[haroldfs at ccat.sas.upenn.edu]
> > Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2004 12:17 PM
> > To: Language Policy-List
> > Subject: Watch your Language!
> >
> >
> > >From the Philadelphia Enquirer,  Posted on Sat,
Feb. 07, 2004
> >
> > Unconventional Wisdom | Watch your language!
> >
> > In trying to wrangle Latino votes, presidential
candidates often
> mangle> Spanish.
> >
> > By Tanya Barrientos
> > Inquirer Columnist
> >
> > I don't know who decided that the men who would
be president
> couldn't get
> > to the White House without speaking Spanish.
Somehow, bumbling
> through> phrases en espanol has become standard
political
> procedure, like kissing
> > babies and slapping backs at the local diner.
This week, the
> Democrats> descended on Arizona and New Mexico con
ganas of
> impressing the local
> > Latino population.
> >
> > Ay caramba! The things they did to the language
of my ancestors!
> Former> Vermont Gov. Howard Dean addressed a crowd
in Albuquerque,
> N.M., calling
> > them "mis amigos y mis amistades," which
translates to "my
> friends and my
> > friendships." "Nosotros juntos!" cheered Ohio
Rep. Dennis Kucinich,
> > thinking he was paraphrasing the very American
phrase "all of us
> > together." But in Spanish, what he said simply
translates into a
> > grammatical car wreck.
> >
> > Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry leaned on his
wife, Teresa Heinz
> Kerry, to
> > do his Spanish speaking. She is fluent in five
languages. And
> retired Gen.
> > Wesley Clark pulled out the few palabras he
learned during his
> time in the
> > military. To be fair, this flirtation is
bipartisan. President
> Bush is
> > prone to pepper some sound bites with his own
Tex-Mex favorites.
> >
> > It's hardly the first time that politicians
eager to show
> they're down
> > with minority issues have waded into treacherous
linguistic
> waters. Many
> > years ago, when I was a reporter in Dallas, I
heard a City Council
> > candidate tell a group of Mexican American
voters, "Necesito su
> pollo."> Which means he needed their chicken.
> >
> > What he meant to say was that he needed their
apoyo - which means
> > "support." In various parts of the country,
candidates could
> attempt their
> > slogans in Chinese, Polish or Yiddish. But
Spanish seems to be
> the ethnic
> > language du jour, and every flag-waving wannabe
is trying it on
> for size.
> > Hey, I know running for office is all about
putting on a show.
> Donning the
> > hard hat in front of the Teamsters. Eating the
gumbo in New Orleans.
> > Standing beside the fighter jet at the Air Force
base.
> >
> > So be it.
> >
> > But please tell me which pundit determined that
Latinos would
> think better
> > of a given candidate if he spoke bad Spanish?
Imagine what
> American Idol
> > judge Simon Cowell would say if the candidates
performed their
> rickety> Spanish acts in front of him: "If the
future of
> international trade
> > depended on your performance, we'd never drink
tequila again!"
> >
> > Come to think of it, that probably would get
more viewership
> than a dry
> > debate. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad Latinos
wield political
> clout. I'm
> > glad the candidates are making an effort, and I
have nothing
> against them
> > producing Web sites and campaign literature in
Spanish.
> >
> > But here's the thing.
> >
> > Using sub-Berlitz espanol to connect with us as
a group is
> condescending> at worst, and ridiculous at best.
Here's my advice.
> Go ahead and eat the
> > taco. Whack the pinata at the rally. We'll enjoy
the show. But for
> > goodness sake, after you slip on that sombrero,
just address the
> issues in
> > English and move along.
> >
> > Por favor!
> >
> >
> >
-----------------------------------------------------------------
> ---------
> --
> > ----
> > Contact columnist Tanya Barrientos at
215-854-5729 or
> > tbarrientos at phillynews.com.
> >
>
>