Speaking in Tongues Questions

1. Zadie Smith claims, "voice adaption is still the original British sin" (Smith 180). She devotes her entire essay to discussing the loss of many groups of people losing their native dialects, but why does she choose to start with the British? Why is voice adaption a British sin, and not a sin of every minority group in America? Or does Smith simply want to use the British as her first example of a group that often loses their dialect?

2. The essay Speaking in Tongues includes a few examples from other author's books or essays. On page 181, Smith documents the different voice of a girl who lost herself while losing her original voice. Does Smith mean to categorize everyone who loses their original dialect in the same category as this girl who ultimately loses her self? Or is this example meant to prove a point, that the possibility exists?

3. Smith spends much time using President Obama as an example throughout her essay. She took the time to record how Obama spoke when he was just 17 (as documented by himself) simply to make a stronger argument (Smith182-3). She seems to want her reader to relate to Obama, but over the last few years of his presidency, Obama has had a relatively low support rate.Why do you think Smith chose to use Barack Obama as a main example? Does she feel many people can relate with the leader of our country, or do you think that she wanted to use someone who is widely known?

4. Zadie spends time in her essay mentioning her ethnicity, and how she feels she can relate to President Obama. Many people mistake Obama as the first 'black' president, when in fact he is biracial, like Smith (Smith 187). Why do you think Smith took the time to ensure that her reader understood her racial background when discussing dialect? Regardless of skin color, anyone can talk in a non-traditional tongue. Does Smith really care about Obama's skin color, or more about the fact that he has changed the way in which he speaks over his lifetime?

5. Zadie notes the difference in American expectations for politicians versus artists. She claims that the American people "look for the many-colored voice, the multiple sensibility"  when selecting our favorite artists (Smith 189). For a politician to be successful, he or she must have a strong, powerful voice. Why do Americans have different expectations for artists and politicians? Do we view one group above another? In society today, is it still viewed negatively if an American speaks in a different nations dialect?

6. Smith ends her essay with an example of a German man who called her from Harlem speaking with a stereotypical German accent (Smith 193-4). Does Smith believe that Americans view all whites as so-called American speakers, and only racial minorities have different dialects? Or does Smith mention this as simply a reminder, because she spends a majority of her essay discussing the differences between black and white dialects?