Marlene Nourbese Philip
Born in the Caribbean in Woodlands, Moriah, Trinidad and Tobago, Philip was educated at the University of the West Indies. She subsequently pursued graduate degrees in political science and law at the University of Western Ontario, and practised law in Toronto, Ontario for seven years. She left her law practice in 1983 to devote time to her writing.
Philip is known for experimentation with literary form and for her commitment to social justice. Though her writing suggests an in-depth understanding of the canon, Philip's career undoubtedly helped to free her from the constraints of tradition and to nurture her social analysis and criticism.
“Discourse on the Logic of Language”
Discourse on the Logic of Language*
By M. NourbeSe Philip
English is my mother tongue
A mother tongue is not a foreign
lang lang lang language
languish anguish
a foreign anguish
English is my father tongue
a father tongue is a foreign language
therefore English is a foreign language
not a mother tongue
what is my mother tongue
my mammy tongue
my mummy tongue
my momsy tongue
my modder tongue
my ma tongue
I have no mother tongue
no mother to tongue
no tongue to mother tongue me
I must therefore be tongue-dumb
dumb tongued
dub tongued
damn dumb tongue
but I have a dumb tongue
tongue dumb
father tongue
and English is my mother tongue
is my father tongue
is a foreign lan lang lang language
languish anguish
a foreign anguish is English
Another tongue
My mother mammy mummy modder mater meser modder tongue
mother tongue tongue mother
mother tongue me
mother me touch me with the tongue of your
lan lang language
languish anguish
English is a foreign anguish
When it was born the mother held her new born child close. She began then to lick it all over. The child whimpered a little. But as the mother’s tongue moved faster and stronger over its body, it grew silent. The mother turning it this way and that under her tongue until she’d tongued it clean of the creamy white substance covering its body.
Edict I.
Every owner of slaves shall wherever possible shall ensure that the slaves belong to as many ethno-linguistic groups as possible. If they cannot speak to each other, they cannot then ferment rebellion and revolution.
The mother then put her fingers in her child’s mouth, gently forcing it open. She touches her tongue to the child’s tongue and holding the tiny mouth open she blows into it hard. She was blowing words. Her words her mother’s words those of her mother’s mother and all their mothers before her daughter’s mouth.
Edict II.
Every slave caught sleeping his native language shall be severely punished. Where necessary removal of the tongue is recommended. The offending organ when removed should be hung on a high central place so that all may see and tremble.
Those parts of the brain chiefly responsible for speech are named after two learned 19th century doctors. The eponymous doctors Broker and Dr. Vernicer respectively. Dr. Broker believed the size of the brain determined intelligence. He devoted much of his time proving that White males of the Caucasian race had larger brains than and were therefore superior to women, Blacks and other peoples of colour.
Understanding and recognition of the spoken word takes place in Vernicer’s area of the left temporal lobe situated next to the auditory cortex. From there relevant information to Broker’s area situated in the left frontal cortex which then forms the response and passes it on to the mortal cortex. The mortal cortex controls the muscles of speech.
A tapering, blunt-tipped, muscular, soft and fleshy organ describes
a) The penis.
b) The tongue.
c) Neither of the above.
d) Both of the above.
In man the tongue is
a) The principle organ of taste.
b) An organ of articulate speech.
c) The principle organ of oppression and exploitation.
d) All of the above.
The tongue is
a) An inter-woven of strided muscle running in three planes.
b) Fixed to the jaw bone.
c) Has an outer covering of a mucus membrane covered with [_]
d) Contains ten thousand buds none of which is sensitive to the taste of foreign words.
Air is forced out of the lungs, through the larynx where it causes the vocal cords to vibrate and create sound. The metamorphosis from sound to intelligent word requires
a) The lip, tongue and jaw all working together.
b) A mother tongue.
c) The overseer’s whip.
d) All of the above or none.
English is my mother tongue
A mother tongue is not a foreign
lang lang lang language
languish anguish
a foreign anguish
English is my father tongue
a father tongue is a foreign language
therefore English is a foreign language
not a mother tongue
what is my mother tongue
my mammy tongue
my mummy tongue
my momsy tongue
my modder tongue
my ma tongue
I have no mother tongue
no mother to tongue
no tongue to mother tongue me
I must therefore be tongue-dumb
dumb tongued
dub tongued
damn dumb tongue
but I have a dumb tongue
tongue dumb
father tongue
and English is my mother tongue
is my father tongue
is a foreign lan lang lang language
languish anguish
a foreign anguish is English
Another tongue
My mother mammy mummy modder mater meser modder tongue
mother tongue tongue mother
mother tongue me
mother me touch me with the tongue of your
lan lang language
languish anguish
English is a foreign anguish.
Discourse on the Logic of Language*
By M. NourbeSe Philip
English is my mother tongue
A mother tongue is not a foreign
lang lang lang language
languish anguish
a foreign anguish
English is my father tongue
a father tongue is a foreign language
therefore English is a foreign language
not a mother tongue
what is my mother tongue
my mammy tongue
my mummy tongue
my momsy tongue
my modder tongue
my ma tongue
I have no mother tongue
no mother to tongue
no tongue to mother tongue me
I must therefore be tongue-dumb
dumb tongued
dub tongued
damn dumb tongue
but I have a dumb tongue
tongue dumb
father tongue
and English is my mother tongue
is my father tongue
is a foreign lan lang lang language
languish anguish
a foreign anguish is English
Another tongue
My mother mammy mummy modder mater meser modder tongue
mother tongue tongue mother
mother tongue me
mother me touch me with the tongue of your
lan lang language
languish anguish
English is a foreign anguish
When it was born the mother held her new born child close. She began then to lick it all over. The child whimpered a little. But as the mother’s tongue moved faster and stronger over its body, it grew silent. The mother turning it this way and that under her tongue until she’d tongued it clean of the creamy white substance covering its body.
Edict I.
Every owner of slaves shall wherever possible shall ensure that the slaves belong to as many ethno-linguistic groups as possible. If they cannot speak to each other, they cannot then ferment rebellion and revolution.
The mother then put her fingers in her child’s mouth, gently forcing it open. She touches her tongue to the child’s tongue and holding the tiny mouth open she blows into it hard. She was blowing words. Her words her mother’s words those of her mother’s mother and all their mothers before her daughter’s mouth.
Edict II.
Every slave caught sleeping his native language shall be severely punished. Where necessary removal of the tongue is recommended. The offending organ when removed should be hung on a high central place so that all may see and tremble.
Those parts of the brain chiefly responsible for speech are named after two learned 19th century doctors. The eponymous doctors Broker and Dr. Vernicer respectively. Dr. Broker believed the size of the brain determined intelligence. He devoted much of his time proving that White males of the Caucasian race had larger brains than and were therefore superior to women, Blacks and other peoples of colour.
Understanding and recognition of the spoken word takes place in Vernicer’s area of the left temporal lobe situated next to the auditory cortex. From there relevant information to Broker’s area situated in the left frontal cortex which then forms the response and passes it on to the mortal cortex. The mortal cortex controls the muscles of speech.
A tapering, blunt-tipped, muscular, soft and fleshy organ describes
a) The penis.
b) The tongue.
c) Neither of the above.
d) Both of the above.
In man the tongue is
a) The principle organ of taste.
b) An organ of articulate speech.
c) The principle organ of oppression and exploitation.
d) All of the above.
The tongue is
a) An inter-woven of strided muscle running in three planes.
b) Fixed to the jaw bone.
c) Has an outer covering of a mucus membrane covered with [_]
d) Contains ten thousand buds none of which is sensitive to the taste of foreign words.
Air is forced out of the lungs, through the larynx where it causes the vocal cords to vibrate and create sound. The metamorphosis from sound to intelligent word requires
a) The lip, tongue and jaw all working together.
b) A mother tongue.
c) The overseer’s whip.
d) All of the above or none.
English is my mother tongue
A mother tongue is not a foreign
lang lang lang language
languish anguish
a foreign anguish
English is my father tongue
a father tongue is a foreign language
therefore English is a foreign language
not a mother tongue
what is my mother tongue
my mammy tongue
my mummy tongue
my momsy tongue
my modder tongue
my ma tongue
I have no mother tongue
no mother to tongue
no tongue to mother tongue me
I must therefore be tongue-dumb
dumb tongued
dub tongued
damn dumb tongue
but I have a dumb tongue
tongue dumb
father tongue
and English is my mother tongue
is my father tongue
is a foreign lan lang lang language
languish anguish
a foreign anguish is English
Another tongue
My mother mammy mummy modder mater meser modder tongue
mother tongue tongue mother
mother tongue me
mother me touch me with the tongue of your
lan lang language
languish anguish
English is a foreign anguish.
Marlene Nourbese Philip recites “Discourse on the Logic of Language”
Comment
In her “Discourse on the Logic of Language” Marlene NourbeSe Philip presents four perspectives on language, urging readers to acknowledge them, in a powerful work full of images and rhythm. The author was born in Tobago and always impacted by British colonialism. She grew up speaking English, a source of a disconnect between herself and her pre-colonial identity, which is reflected in this text. Language is seen as a weapon, and a powerful one which has been and still is used to build realities. This poem gives us an idea of Philip’s alienation from her roots, and of English’s ability to reinforce structures of power. She constructs her poem out of four narratives, each of them showing a different perspective on language.
In her “Discourse on the Logic of Language” Marlene NourbeSe Philip presents four perspectives on language, urging readers to acknowledge them, in a powerful work full of images and rhythm. The author was born in Tobago and always impacted by British colonialism. She grew up speaking English, a source of a disconnect between herself and her pre-colonial identity, which is reflected in this text. Language is seen as a weapon, and a powerful one which has been and still is used to build realities. This poem gives us an idea of Philip’s alienation from her roots, and of English’s ability to reinforce structures of power. She constructs her poem out of four narratives, each of them showing a different perspective on language.
Philip’s personal voice is the most powerful of the four narratives. She
writes: “English / is my
mother tongue. / A mother tongue is not / not a foreign lan lan lang / language
/ l/anguish / anguish / —a foreign anguish.” It is also quite obvious that when
she says: “A mother tongue is not / not a foreign lan lan lang / language” she
is making a statement rejecting colonialism, making it clear that one cannot
feel a foreigner as a mother. On the contrary, she claims English is “a foreign
anguishis English”. With this striking image, she is clearly identifying the
colonizer’s culture and language with a source of distress. She cannot be more
explicit. This lines are also powerful in terms of musicality and rhythm, since
she plays with sounds in a beautiful way which help us see and feel how badly she
longs for a mother tongue, one of her own.
Taking into account the previous considerations, I believe that Philip tries to present language paradoxically as oppression, when she refers to it as a “foreign anguish” and, simultaneously, as survival when she begs: “mother me touch me with the tongue of you/lan lang language” at the end of the poem.
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