The question of identity and strategy of code switching in the narrative of Ch icana literature There has been a long

history of Mexican presence in the USA. Prior to 1848 a la rge portion of land, now a part of the USA, was a part of Mexico. With the signi ng of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the Mexican-American War ended. Mexico agreed to sell California, Nevada, Utah and parts of Wyoming and Colorado to the USA. Included in this treaty was a guarantee that the Mexicans living in these areas would have the same rights and privileges as U S citizens. This however pr oved not to be the case and is clearly documented in Chicana literature. Chicano s are people living in the USA whose ancestry can be traced to Mexico. Most Chic anos live in the south-west of the United States. In this paper the use of the t erm Chicano is synonymous with Mexican-American. Chicana literature can be defin ed as the literature written since 1848 by Americans of Mexican descent or Mexic ans in the USA who write about the Mexican-American experience. Chicana literat ure is in a constant state of flux because it draws from the people living here and the migration of others from across the border. The question of identity is an integral part of Chicana literature. There is the realization by the writers that they are no longer Mexican and that they are no t accepted as true Americans. Therefore their identity is established somewhere between both cultures. In fact, the Chicano is rejected and treated as inferior by both groups. This desire to create a unique identity by ta ing parts of both cultures has led to the creation of a literature that reflects a distinct Chica no culture. Chicana literatures are written in combination of English and Spanish language. The groups of people living in the border area are also people who have a peculi ar expression and this is not only reflected in their habits but also in their l anguage. By using both English and Spanish in her writing, Gloria anzaldua demonstrates that the Chicana literature cannot be expressed in only one language. She even r eferences eight of the other borderland languages which she nows. By emerging b eyond the limits of either American or Mexican culture, Chicana literature provi des a voice to the people of the borderlands. Chicana Border literature details the trials and tribulations of Chicana life at the borderlands of the United States and Mexico. In particular it focuses on di fferent challenges Chicana women face at the Borderlands. Anzalda states that the borderlands are a mixture of two cultures that form into one. Whether you come from Mexico or live in the United States, it is a culture that ta es the best an d worst from both worlds. It is a constant struggle with the old and the new. Ma ny feel that they are no de aqu or de all. Many Chicanas are confronting issues in these borderlands that eep them from being successful and which result in the loss of identity. Language is another borderland struggle; it is a way identity is questioned. Lan guage is an essential part of the Chicana culture, whether they spea English, S panish or both. Chicana writers use both languages in their literature. Anzalda a lso discusses the value of language in the Chicana way of life and culture, and I quote A language which they can connect their identity to, one capable of commu nicating the realities and values true to themselves-a language with terms that are neither espaol ni ingles or both(77). Chicano/as need to find an identity and by spea ing Chicano Spanish, which most now by Spanglish, they are able to conn ect with both cultures by using both languages in the same sentences. This give Chicano/as their own culture and able to communicate among each other. Spanglish is seen in Sandra cisneross novel and also explores some of the nuances surrounding language. She does this because it allows her to capture the culture and values traditionally associated with Spanish. Using Spanish, cisneros shows the biling ual facet of her Chicana identity. the weighted choice of Spanish or English or S panglish in chicana novels evo es the tensions of living in two languages and tw o cultures. The importance of using both English and Spanish in chicana writing

is because it is a way that Chicanas can maintain themselves in between borderl ands while still able to find their identity. Language is a borderland that also intersects with intergenerational differences . The older generation often feels that the United States corrupts the younger g eneration. The novel Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros explores the relationship and g enerational gaps between Celaya, her grandmother and her father. Representing th e older generation, celayas grandmother spea s Spanish, while Celaya understands Spanish but spea s only English. Her grandmother resents her lac of Spanish proficiency. Many elders, li e her g randmother feel that English is not the correct language. Her grandmother attac s her for not spea ing Spanish. And says that :my daughter in law have given bir th to a mon eys. It is not unusual for those raised in the United States to spea to their elders in English; it is a part of who they are. Many first and secon d-generation Mexican-Americans adapt to the new culture by learning English. Ove rtime, either by choice or by the fact that they are surrounded by English, Span ish becomes mixed or lost. So constant battle with self and with the society tha t who they are i.e. they are Americans or Mexicans creates a desire to ma e a ne w identity and thus they assert their new identity by using Spanglish in writing and in their conversation also. By using Spanglish they say that they belong to both cultures. Emergence of Spanglish in Chicana literature is seen in Latin America itself. Th e border land people have showed and use the language Spanglish with a particula r aim and as part of their strategy as discussed to draw attention of the schola rs worldwide over the ind of exploitation and violence that the indigenous peop le were facing in borderlands of United State and Mexico. I have been focusing on the wor s of Chicana author Sandra Cisneros .Readers are able to see the poi nts of views of Chicanas and how they perceive different borderlands, such as ra cism, generational gaps, language, religion, and cultural values. Sandra Cisneros is the most powerful representative of the group of young Chican a writers who emerged in the 1980s. She has a great ability to capture a multitu de of voices in her fiction. My interest in her wor sprang from her mixing two languages, Sometimes using the syntax of one language with the vocabulary of ano ther, at other times translating literally Spanish phrases or words into English , or even including Spanish words in the English text. This fudging of the roles of writer and translator reflects the world she describes in her novels where b asic questions of identity and reality are explored. Nevertheless, if there is something characteristic in caramelo and her other nov els, and as well as in many other chicana wor s, it is phenomenon nown as code s witching or combination of English and Spanish language within the text. This te chnique is used to express ambivalence of both languages in linguistic context. Code switching has become mar of difference for chicana people. Indeed there ar e examples of this phenomenon throughout the novel. Spanish is frequently used i n certain context without translating into English for example, to assert chican a Mexicans side: we Mexican puro coraje (courage,brave,mad) y passion (caramelo:274 ); in verbal fights : callate, vieja, you ma e me nervous.( p.6). !largate ( ic out, to ditch)! you disgust me, me das asco, you cochino(filthy ,lier)(p.11). Or just the opposite, in an emotional or sentimental context: !mi vida! ! ya tenemos casa! Father says. (299) etc. In this category, different types of expressive sp eech acts can be found: expressions of gratitude or greeting someone and wishing good luc although in an ironical sense. E.g.: Wait, Aunty. Ill get us a box of Kleenex. Gracias, mija. But I was telling you, I went to live with my husband, right? () (p 271, caramelo) But in addition to standard expressive, there are hundreds of examples in Caramelo to reinforce affective appellations or insults to the addressee. For ex ample, (Celaya) Lalas cousin Antonieta Araceli switches to Spanish to insult Lala (mentir osa and mocosa(brat) b). On the other hand, Inocencio, Lalas father, very often swit ches to Spanish to appeal affectively to his daughter Lala (Celaya). Mentirosa! It wasnt me! You just li e to invent stories, mocosa. You

believe me, dont you, Mami? (p.61, caramelo) Dont you cry, corazn. (p.81, caramelo) Most of the switching of languages is due to a strategic reason on the part of the spea er, that is, the spea er uses Spanish in order to get something from th e addressee. For example, , Lala uses Spanish because she is tal ing to her gran dmother and, although the grandma can understand English, using Spanish is a goo d strategy to get closer to her and convince her not to punish her for not eatin g her mole. Celaya, you didnt even touch your mole. I cant eat it, Grandmother. Pica. It ma es little needles on my tongue. (p. 55, Caramelo) A part from this protagonist in Cisneross novels usually switches to Spanish when dealing with topics such as family or religion which are such important values in Mexican culture and society. --because were raza, Mars says, shrugging. Know what Im tal ing about? Because were familia. And familia, li e it or not, for richer or poorer, familia always gots to stic together, bro. (p .281, Caramelo) cisneros often incorporates Spanish into her English writing, substituting Spani sh words for English ones where she feels that Spanish better conveys the meanin g or improves the rhythm of the passage. However, where possible she constructs sentences so that non-Spanish spea ers can infer the meaning of Spanish words fr om their context. In Woman Hollering Cree and Other Stories Cisneros writes: "L a Gritona. Such a funny name for such a lovely arroyo. But that s what they call ed the cree that ran behind the house." Even if the English-spea ing reader doe s not initially now that arroyo means cree , Cisneros soon translates it in a w ay that does not interrupt the flow of the text. She enjoys manipulating the two languages, creating new expressions in English by literally translating Spanish phrases for example Celaya says: It is the hour of the nap (Es la hora de la sie sta) instead of Its naptime (39). In woman hollering cree Cisneros writes: "And at the next full moon, I gave light, Ta Chucha holding up our handsome, strong-lung ed boy." Previous sentences inform the reader that a baby is being born, but onl y a Spanish spea er will notice that "I gave light" is a literal translation of the Spanish "di la luz" which means "I gave birth." For Cisneros, Spanish brings to her wor not only colourful expressions, but also a distinctive rhythm and a ttitude.