Three Ways Of Speaking English And Suzanne Talhouk Speech

Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue” connects to many of us whose English is their second language specially if one’s coming from a different country than the USA. Amy Tan connects to us in such a personal level in which one starts to relate to her. Coming from a background in where language plays an important role in my life, I indeed started to relate to her in every way. Like Amy Tan, language defines the type of person we are and how it affects our lifestyle on our everyday lives. Although we come to this country and learn an English that is not perfect or “Imperfect English”, doesn’t make one less intelligent nor different from others.

Language is a way of communication and it is constantly changing. For those whose first language isn’t English, there will definitely be challenges in learning it; yet there is still criticism in how non-native speakers use the language. In Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” she writes about how language can influence life experiences and describes the true purpose of language as more than correct grammar and complex terms. Within my own experiences, I can relate to the message in Tan’s writing in the ways of regret, lack of respect, and often being the one who explained/translated for my family.

Language is a beautiful tool that can be used to unify or divide. Language brings people together but it can also tear them apart. In “Mute in an English Only World”, Chang-Rae Lee writes about how his mother was impaired from doing simple tasks such as going to the store alone because she could not speak English. Second, in “Lingua Franchise”, by Charles Foran, he shows how English is unifying people across the globe.

The rhetorical situation of Gloria Anzaldua’s, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” from her book Borderlands/La Frontera, is the most important piece to her argument. A writer’s rhetorical situation is the use of the elements of the rhetor, audience, text, medium, context and exigence. Through the correct use of these pieces, a writer is able to greatly strengthen their argument and persuasive abilities. In her passage, Gloria Anzaldua is speaking to the unfair and unjust treatment of Spanish speaking children growing up in the United States educational system. These are not just kids who have moved here from a Spanish speaking country, but even those born in the United States that grew up speaking Spanish because of their family’s culture. Through her writing she wants to bring this into light to induce change and help children of the future be able to learn in an environment where they are also able to comfortable speak their own language. She is not looking for them to be able to speak their own language in an American school just because she wants to be difficult. In her eyes, your language is part of your identity of self. And without your language, you are also losing part of yourself. Again, she expresses and increases the persuasiveness of these ideas through the use of her rhetorical situation, which includes the rhetor, audience, text, medium, context and exigence.

Language is an integral part of human existence. It is not only a crucial tool in which we use to convey meaning to others, but also a cultural construct passed down from previous generations that helps to define who we are and how we relate to others. Ultimately language defines our relationships with others, the way we use language is shaped by our own socio- cultural background and also that of whoever we may be communicating with. Self awareness of how our own use of language has been shaped by our background and an understanding of what shapes others use of language leads to better communication, understanding and empathy.

In his essay "Bilingual education outdated and unrealistic" Richard Rodriguez, one uses many rhetorical strategies. Rodriguez uses ethos in order to make you decide if it is right or not. He uses appeals to the audience’s emotions and finally gives his personal testimony in the examples. Rodriguez does not use personal examples, but when he does he uses a lot of imagery and emotion to create an example that is perfected. His position is based on the two sides of his childhood: his public language and his private language. Overall, His public language of a very rough English was used in the classroom at school and when he was on the streets of town. One’s private language of Spanish was used at home and bringing him a sense of safety when using it.

Introduction Public speaking is not for the faint of heart, it is a nerve-wracking experience full of anxiety and fear of public judgment. These are some common thoughts among students enrolled in RCM 401 – Oral Rhetoric. With the application of theory, continued practice, and constructive feedback from peers, these opinions are likely to change as they increase their knowledge of oral rhetoric and look for ways to sharpen their public speaking skills. Todd Thorn is a strong example of a peer of oral rhetoric that has worked on improving his public speaking through the application of theory and constructive feedback from fellow peers. The following is an analysis of Todd’s improvement over the 2018 Winter Semester in RCM 401.

Through the effective use of rhetorical devices and the mindful organization of this essay, Amy Tan persuades the audience to keep an open mind about the topic. The audience that Amy Tan is trying to reach with her message in the essay includes many types of people. One group that this essay addresses is those that speak “broken” English like her mother. They are the people that are looked down upon intellectually in the community. Another group of people that is being addressed consists of people that do not sympathize with or have misunderstanding of non-native English speakers. Also those that are like Amy Tan, who help the “broken” English speakers resolve any

Sedaris argues that language skills come in many way by stating, “Understanding doesn’t mean that you can suddenly speak the language. Far from it. It’s a small step, nothing more, yet its rewards are intoxicating and deceptive.” Sedaris argues that vocal language is not the defining factor when learning a language but it is important because he understands that to communicate successfully one needs to fake proper language skills. Proper language skills that Tan’s mother does not fully possess, “Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” English. But I wince when I say that… as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness” (292). Her mother’s form of English opens doors for judgement because of her choice of words this judgement also opens way for problems to arise from the people judging her. “She said she had spoken very good English her best English, no mistakes. Still, she said, the hospital did not apologize when they said they had lost the CAT scan and she had come for nothing.” (Tan 292). Tan brings up this huge issue of respect in this quote explaining that the biases and expectations of people are so high that they cannot even show forms of respect to those who do not speak their language as well. In such a serious scenario these professionals could not look past the language “issue” causing a detriment to the patient and degrading her form of language. This degrading of language is also explained by Anzaldua, “‘Pocho’, cultural traitor, you’re speaking the oppressor’s language by speaking English, you’re ruining the Spanish language,’ I have been accused by various Latinos and Latinas”’ (2948). By speaking both languages she is isolated and oppressed but her argument is

Speaking is tough for some people who have had a rough past and do not want to deal with anyone. In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda goes from being caught in a snare to feeling freedom. At the start of the story, she is extremely afraid and anxious because of what happened at the senior party at the end of summer. Melinda is scared because she has no one to be with on her first day of high school. Everyone blames her for what happened at the party. Nobody knows that she was raped which makes everything more challenging. In the end, she is able to defend herself against the person who raped her, Andy Evans. At first, Melinda feels like an outsider because of the incident that happened at the party in August which caused

Rhetoric language plays an important role in how politicians relay their message to the people. When one talks in rhetoric, it resonates with the common people. It allows the average person to stay focused and gives them a better understanding of the topic. President Barack Obama In the State of the Union Address employs similar rhetoric language as Senator George McGovern in the 1972 ad “This Time” in order to promote their political views and persuade the common people to value their ideas.

Language is defined as a system for the expression of thoughts and feelings by the use of spoken words (dictionary.com). We hear our first language before we are born. We enter the world with the ability to be comforted by the sounds we came to understand before we came out of our mother’s womb. As we grow, we use our words to express who we are becoming as an individual. We may use the same words as others, but the style of speaking we use is one that we develop over time, and is specific to us. Our language is a part of who we are and can separate us as individuals. It is a part of our personal identity. Knowing who we are also means knowing where we come from and having a connection to our heritage. In the first chapter of Richard Rodriguez’s Hunger of Memory, he begins to tell the story of his decision to give up his native tongue of Spanish and begin to assimilate to American culture, with the belief he can be more successful speaking English. He argues that it is best for the student in the long run to be fully immersed with the English language, and does not believe that bilingual education, in which non-English speaking students are taught English language courses together with other subjects in their native language, is beneficial.

Language plays an important role in communication by bringing people together and enriching their relationships. Language can also alienate those who do not speak it properly, or at all, from those who do. The essays, Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan, best known for her book, The Joy Luck Club, and Se Habla Espanol, by Tanya Barrientos, delve into the many powers that language holds. These essays reflect how by not speaking a language in proper form and by not speaking a language at all, affects the lives of the subjects of the stories.

We should study spoken language as it is truly unique and we can see the effect and beauty of spoken language in works of great orators and writers. Spoken language is truly an art, which involves many techniques to perfect and master it. One of the techniques is rhetoric. Rhetoric is the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing. The ancient Greeks first developed public speaking. Under Roman, influence public speaking developed further. This was heavily under the influence of Cicero and Aristotle. The speeches I have chosen to study are the closing speech of Atticus Fitch in the novel to “Kill a Mockingbird” and the “Battle of Falkirk” by William Wallace in the movie “Brave heart.”

In the world, there are about 6909 different languages being spoken. Millions of people are speaking those languages all around the globe, but how many of them are actually speaking? Language is not just about communication with words. Toni Morrison elaborates more on that idea in her speech the Nobel Lecture. Toni’s writing illustrates her beliefs about language and the deeper meaning of it. She explains that language should “Permit new knowledge or encourage the mutual exchange of ideas” (Morrison). She believes that America is not achieving those ideas for language but in fact is doing the opposite. American people do not know the meaning and effect of language and because of that, true language is dying. In the speech, the Nobel Lecture, by Toni Morrison, the author narrates repetition and connotation in order to emphasize and elaborate ideas and purposes of language , ultimately exposing her beliefs about language.