Evolving Language À La Carte

AsianWeek - May 19, 2006

By Andy Marra

At least once a month, I visit my favorite Korean restaurants and fill myself with generous helpings of mandu, kimchee and bulgogi.

Indulging myself though, comes at a cost. Every time a waiter or waitress approaches me, they proceed to take my order in Korean. I dread these moments.

As a Korean American adoptee who doesn't speak a word of the language, I find myself in an uncomfortable situation. When I explain that I'm adopted, a look of discomfort appears on their face and they hurry away to the kitchen.

It's common for Koreans to hold on to the belief that adoptees are shameful. The taboo revolves around bloodlines and also encompasses embarrassment from a mother having a child out of wedlock. So it isn't surprising that the Korean word for adoptee is ibjang, meaning "a very bad person."

Asian Pacific Island (API) languages and dialects encompass many words to describe people by conjuring images, but some groups are beginning to grapple with the challenge of either finding existing words that accurately describe current issues and events or applying new ones that can be incorporated into the language.

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population in the API community has had trouble finding words that paint a fair, accurate and inclusive picture of who they are.

The API media also struggles to accurately capture the identity of an API LGBT person. Due to the lack of better words, images and stories of gay Asians have fallen off the radar in the media and, as a result, their lives often are rendered invisible.

The LGBT Korean community refers to themselves as iban. This slang word is related to a Chinese character for "different people." In the LGBT Chinese community, tongzhi has become the preferred term when defining sexual orientation. Many avoid the traditional Chinese term tonxing lian, a clinical term now commonly exploited by anti-gay activists who claim homosexuality is a disorder or mental illness, but is still used by Chinese press.

Historically, there have been many words that dehumanize APIs. The term jap scarred Japanese Americans and carries bitter memories of racist legislation and internment camps. Other words like chink and gook also haunt our community.

Because API people are deeply conscious of the power behind words and the images that they evoke, we all need to take part in using words and language that API LGBT self-identify with in their quest for acceptance.

We need to develop a terminology in API languages that will not only make our stories richer, but also create visibility for a community that has been cast in the shadows for too long. Making space for API LGBT people in our languages indicates an exciting evolution in API culture.

Andy Marra is the media manager for the People of Color Media Program at the GLAAD.