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Accents and Cultural Identity Formation
By Mari D. González
“I have traveled more than anyone else, and I have noticed that even the angels speak English with an accent” ~Mark Twain
I love accents. I find them intriguing. They tell me that the speaker is bilingual. Accents define people socioculturally and correlate to their upbringing and ethnic, national, or group identity. Some accents are difficult to understand, some are melodious, and some take time to get used to. Our evaluations are subjective and relative to our personal opinions.
I am accustomed to accents. In California, there are immigrants in different professions including medical. I have interpreted for doctors from China and India who are not understood by patients with good second-language English fluency. Such difficulty is due to the patients’ lack of familiarity with people from those countries or perhaps they simply are not as intrigued as I am.
I came across an article written by a Peruvian author who spoke about the need to diminish one’s accent because “having a Spanish accent is seen as a minus.” None of my non-English-dominant colleagues have ever discussed accent reduction. This isolated “accent” perspective does not reflect the overall Latino/Hispanic concern.
Some immigrants demonstrate a greater desire to assimilate than Mexicans. It indicates a desire to fitting in instead of integrating. Mexican-American have a different perception of assimilation and actually oppose it. This opposition might be in response to U.S.-Mexican-specific historical factors.
The background of the current state of Latinos/Hispanics in the U.S. is the Chicano Movement. Whether we agree with it or not, the Chicano Movement is a point in history that precedes where we are now as a cultural group. It defines the second developmental stage of group identity formation called “Conflict.”
The first developmental stage of group identity formation is called “Identification with the dominant culture.” It is a desire to eliminate what makes one different from members of the dominant culture or assimilation. The author’s desire to reduce his accent implies being at this first developmental stage described as having a preference for an Anglo Orientation according to the research by Vasti Torres.
Reading Latino writers such as Rodolfo Acuña, Gloria Anzaldua, Hayes-Bautista, researcher, professor Amado Padilla, and journalist, Gregory Rodriguez help us understand the past and present context of Latino identity in the U.S. and why some people have a desire to assimilate and others to integrate.
European, Indigenous, and African in Mexico
By Mari D. González
I love personal stories and to see how they are part of the bigger picture. I have always been fascinated by the history of the borderlands. I majored in Business Management and Communications, but was allowed to do my senior research project on Chicano and Mexican-American Literature.
As a lighter-skin Mexican who had grown up believing the myth of having mostly European ancestry, this project was a real eye opening. The more I learned about who I considered the “other,” the more I felt connected with my indigenous side.
Culturally, Mexicans are more indigenous than we are ready to admit yet, “hay una directriz que nos separa,” there is fine line that separates us by color as a result of century-old-colonialist socialization.
To reconcile our true history, we must embrace our Indigenous, and our African ancestry along with our European. These three make up the Mexican culture and who we are. By seeing them as part of our broader culture, Mexicans will have acquired a broader ethnic identity.
* Image by Rajiv Perera
“Latino” Preferred in California
By Mari D. González
The term Latino/a is preferred in California because it is associated with a sense of self-power, “for more educated Californians, ‘Latino’ is the new Chicano in that it evokes their indigenous roots, a shared history of struggle and the colonization of the people in Latin American countries.” Alcoff, L. M. (2005). Latino vs. Hispanic: The politics of ethnic names. Philosophy & Social Criticism, 31(4), 395-407.
What Makes Latinos, Hispanic?
By Mari D. González
What Makes Latinos, Hispanic?
It is their pride of their culture of origin, their personal stories before coming to the U.S. and the similar challenges faced once here.
PR Newswire’s meet the media (Photo credit: robinhamman)
And, PR Newswire knows it. Their invitation for Hispanicize 2013 conference participants to showcase their national flag along with “Thier Historia,” is a great example of cultural relevance that promotes conversation in the conference and on social media.
Here is their call to action: “PR Newswire, a long-time sponsor of Hispanicize, invites Hispanicize
2013 attendees to stop by booth #8 to collect a Latin American flag sticker they can attach to their PRN “Share Your Historia” pin. PR Newswire also invites everyone to “Share Your Historia” via Twitter, hashtag: #shareyourhistoria, telling us why they retain a strong affinity to Hispanic culture.”
Note that the post does not say “collect your Hispanic flag,” but Latin American flag. Thus, when we talk about Hispanics, in reality we are talking about Latinos or people with origins in Latin America.
Mexicans: The More Segregation, the Less Assimilation.
By Mari D. González
The less segregation, the more assimilation. It is a give and take situation.
~Altar de Muertos~ (Photo credit: uteart)
The highest level of education a Latin American immigrant has, the more willing he/she is to assimilate. Yet, he/she gives up his cultural origins. In terms of their level of integration in the U.S., there are implications for both the Mexicans and the more assimilated Latin American groups in the U.S. While the later might enjoy greater economical benefits than Mexicans, Mexicans is the only ethnic group that has kept its cultural roots generation after generation at the expense of not enjoying such economical benefits.
While Mexicans have refused to assimilate, they have influenced the U.S. culture in every way. A couple hundred years from now, the only culture alive in the U.S. will be the Mexican (Dia de los Muertos, piñatas, mariachi, tacos, etc.). The rest will be passing technology, brands, and disposable things. Mexicans have the ability to layer several cultures without renouncing their own. I’m very proud of every single bilingual and bicultural Mexican-American in the U.S.
IXMATI 