Presentation Type
Critical Analysis
Release Option
Event
Description
The application of interlingualism and code-switching within a text can be an effective means of expressing hybrid identity, but the specific ways in which these linguistic techniques are applied can make very different statements about an author’s objective. The hybridity of identity that results from colonial influence is examined through the lens of language and community in Ana Castillo’s novel So Far From God. With a heavy dose of magical realism and telenovela-esque drama, Castillo’s novel provides a criticism of the lingering effects of colonialism on the American Southwest. The eradication of indigenous cultural practices, language, and religious beliefs has facilitated the continued exploitation of Mexican-American communities, as represented in Castillo’s depiction of Tome, New Mexico. This paper considers the novel’s use of interlingualism and code-switching by exploring various techniques for incorporating a minority language into a text and how these stylistic choices might favor certain audiences. Castillo chooses to employ the techniques that best serve her Chicana/o audience, and she strategically uses her inclusion of the Spanish language to signal her characters’ connection to or loss of their cultural roots. Her novel dispels the idea of code-switching as a communication crutch and instead positions this linguistic component as an intentional political statement.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Amanda Konkle
Department of Primary Presenter's Major
Department of Literature
Primary Presenter's Major(s)
Literature
Location
Virtual Symposium
Symposium Year
2021
Reclaiming Identity: The Power of Code-Switching in So Far From God
Virtual Symposium
