The Critical Analysis Essay
In this essay, I was able to put in good use of my knowledge on Language & Literacy, as well as the skills for describing, summarizing, and taking a stance to gain the skill of critical analysis. I chose a real life example for the ideology of Standard Language. As supporting evidence I used “Standard Language Ideology” by Lippi-Green and a visual example of Uncle Sam.
Myths and Ideologies
There can be many miscommunications due to language differences. Native English speakers believe that English is the only language that has to be spoken in America. Is it a crime for me to speak and write in my native language? I don’t think so. Last time I checked, English isn’t the only language that is spoken here, and Americans set an ideology of dominant language in many cases. Lippi Green speaks about an ideology that goes out to those people who think that their language is more superior. Standard Language ideology has existed through bias people that are ignorant with the language structure of the U.S has grown throughout the years by being introduced by many languages and they should be respected by everyone.
The incident of “Customer goes on racist rant about Spanish words on Mexican restaurant menu”, by Aris Folley, can occur to mostly immigrants in our country because it is “America”. There was a video posted in an informational online newspaper, published this year in May, that caught the incident. At a Mexican restaurant in California, Palapas Tacos, an unknown white, American man caused chaos by yelling and insulting the staff over the bilingual menu that he did not understand. He wasn’t able to understand the special menu board because it was written in Spanish. He started making threats on calling the immigration authorities and then made an exit to his car. This unknown man was disrespecting the Spanish language because he felt that he was more superior, and he took out his rage upon the Spanish menu and staff. There were also customers who backed off because the man’s aggressive attitude. After the man angrily walked out to his car, Juan Del Rio, the Palapas Tacos’s owner, followed him outside to try to talk to him. The man continued making threats, so Del Rio took out his cellphone recorded the white man, of how he said he was going to call immigration on them because him and the staff are “not legal”. Del Rio explains that it is hurtful to see that in the United States, there are people who think that they are superior than everyone else because they are American.
Common language attitudes can lead to problematic actions and consequences. In the video of “Customer goes on racist rant about Spanish words on Mexican restaurant menu” is an example of someone who believes that they are superior than other identities in the U.S. At a Mexican restaurant in California, Palapas Tacos, an American, white male, was confused on the special menu. The unfair treatment with the staff as well as with the customers was not necessary for him to make a big scandal. The fact that he was threatening the owner that he was going to call immigration doesn’t solve the problem. There are many languages that make up this country and one language isn’t superior than another because they are all the same. Being discriminated from those who think that they are superior, people who come and have different backgrounds feel like they don’t belong. Writing and speaking in a different language other than English, is a way that other people can communicate in our daily lives. Superiority of the English language in the U.S can be common, and in this case, for example, it shows how someone looks at the Spanish language as inferior to English. His discriminatory actions on how he approached the issue was wrong, but it revealed how he really felt towards others in the Spanish community. Cases like these have been talked about throughout many years and in many different social platforms. The author Lippi Green talks about the Standard Language ideology and how there are many opinions on how someone uses language and focused on bias. In “Accent, standard language ideology, and discriminatory pretext in the courts”, Lippi Green says, “SL ideology is part of a greater power construct, a set of social practices on which people depend without close analysis of underlying assumptions” (166). Lippi Green describes an ideology that can be experienced and defines how people believe in hierarchy in society. Standard Language ideology takes place in bias people who think that English only language. The topic of this ideology is not present enough in social platforms until someone randomly cuts us off because we are supposed to be speaking English This connects to the example of the video because the man was saying “It says it in Mexican. We are not in Mexico. We’re in America”. “Mexican” is not technically a language, but he used it in order to seem like the Spanish language cannot be used within this country.
There are many visuals that show the use of a dominant language. In this example, we see that Uncle Sam says, “I WANT YOU TO SPEAK ENGLISH”. Uncle Sam is one of the many symbols that represent the U.S. and a popular figure. With his saying, he is stating that in America, the only language that can be spoken is English. The other tongues are not considered to be American. English is seen as the hierarchy and the only language that can be spoken. Standard Language ideology exist in bias people and have anxiety that many different languages are making up this country and create visuals to persuade communities.
Dominant language ideology exists in many people’s minds. Many non-native English speakers feel like they are discriminated because they can’t even speak or write in their native language. The example of the racist customer is one of many cases that can happen. He acted in a way that Americans and the English language were the only ones allowed in this country and disrespected that Mexican and Spanish restaurant. He believed that that his language was more dominant and caused a big deal over a taco. Things would have gone differently if he was nicer to the staff and have them explain the special. Standard Language ideology can affect non-native English speakers by other’s actions.
Works Cited
