Speaking in Tongue by Zadie Smith
Author: Zadie Smith
Type:
Personal, reflective, and analytical essay
First
Delivered: As a lecture at the New York Public Library (2008)
First
Published: The New York Review of Books (2009)
Theme:
Identity, language, class, and the idea of having “many voices”
📘 Summary
Introduction – The Lost Voice
Zadie Smith begins the essay by confessing that
she no longer speaks in the voice of her childhood.
She grew up in Willesden, a working-class and
multicultural area of London, where her speech reflected her local environment
and family background.
After attending Cambridge University, her
accent and speaking style changed — becoming more refined and academic.
This new “Cambridge voice,” she says, helped her fit into a new world but made
her feel that she had lost her original voice and
part of her identity.
Language and Identity
Smith reflects on how voice is
deeply tied to identity.
In Britain, people often judge others by their accent, which reveals class,
education, and background.
When someone changes their voice, it can feel like a betrayal
of their roots, but it can also mean growth and adaptation.
She explores the pain of moving between two worlds — one belonging to her
working-class upbringing, the other to the elite academic class.
Through her experience, she realizes that having more than one voice can
mean having
more than one self — a richer, more complex identity.
Barack Obama and the Power of Many Voices
Zadie Smith then turns to Barack
Obama as a modern example of someone who can “speak in
tongues.”
Obama, she says, has the rare ability to move easily between different
audiences — Black and White, formal and informal — without losing sincerity.
His ability to speak in many voices symbolizes flexibility, empathy, and unity
in a divided society.
Smith admires Obama because he represents a new kind of person who belongs to
many worlds at once — someone at home in “Dream City.”
Dream City – The World of Many Voices
Smith introduces the idea of “Dream
City,” a metaphorical place where people can freely express all
sides of themselves.
It is a city of plural voices, where no one is
limited to a single identity — whether by race, class, gender, or language.
Dream City stands in contrast to “the land of the single voice,”
where people are forced to fit one fixed identity.
Smith argues that in the modern, globalized world, living
with multiple voices is natural and creative, not false or
divided.
Conclusion – Acceptance and Understanding
In the end, Zadie Smith accepts that her voice
will never again be exactly as it once was, but she also sees that change
is not loss.
Through her experiences and her reflections on Obama, she learns that a person
can contain many voices and still be authentic.
She concludes that being “many-voiced” is not confusion — it is the essence of human
empathy and complexity.
The essay closes with a hopeful message: our voices change because we grow, and that
growth allows us to understand others more deeply.
📘 PLOT OVERVIEW (Narrative
Summary)
Although “Speaking in Tongues” is an essay,
it follows a narrative arc similar to a
story.
It tells the story of Zadie Smith’s journey from her childhood in
working-class Willesden to the intellectual world of Cambridge University,
and later her reflections on what it means to lose and gain “voices.”
Here’s a step-by-step outline of the plot-like
progression:
1. Opening – The Lost Voice
·
The essay begins with Zadie Smith’s personal
confession:
“This voice I speak with these days … this is
not the voice of my childhood.”
·
She explains that she picked
up a new “Cambridge voice” while studying at university, a
voice that replaced her old Willesden accent.
·
This change of speech symbolizes social
mobility but also personal loss.
·
She feels regret for not keeping both voices
alive — her original, working-class identity
and her new,
educated self.
2. Exploration – The Meaning of Voice and
Identity
·
Smith broadens her reflection to explore how voice
and identity are connected.
·
In British society, accent often signals class
and education, and changing one’s voice can alter how others
treat you.
·
She discusses the emotional and moral
complexity of this — is gaining a new voice an act of betrayal
or growth?
·
Smith realizes that having many
voices can also mean having many selves, not a false self.
3. Expansion – Obama and the Idea of Multiple
Voices
·
The essay then shifts focus to Barack
Obama.
·
Smith uses him as a symbol
of multiplicity — someone who can “speak in tongues,” moving
between African-American and White-American audiences with ease.
·
Obama’s example helps her understand that possessing
more than one voice can be a strength, not a weakness.
·
He embodies Dream City — a metaphorical place
where people of mixed backgrounds can exist without being forced into one
identity.
4. Reflection – Dream City and the Modern Self
·
Smith introduces the idea of “Dream
City,” a metaphorical world where everyone has freedom
to speak in many voices, to be multiple.
·
She contrasts it with the “land of
the single voice,” where people are forced to be one thing —
one class, one race, one identity.
·
Dream City represents the modern,
globalized, multicultural world — full of hybridity and
mixture.
·
She celebrates this pluralism as a sign of creativity
and empathy.
5. Conclusion – Acceptance and Regret
·
In the final sections, Smith returns to
herself.
·
She admits she still feels a sense of regret
and nostalgia for her lost childhood voice, but she also
acknowledges her growth.
·
Her final message is acceptance
of multiplicity — that people can contain many
voices and selves without being false.
·
The essay ends on a reflective
and hopeful note, recognizing that being “many-voiced” is part
of being truly human.
🧱 STRUCTURE OF THE ESSAY
The structure of “Speaking in Tongues” combines autobiography,
cultural analysis, and metaphorical reflection.
|
Part |
Content
& Purpose |
Key
Idea |
|
I. Introduction |
Begins with Smith’s own voice and her confession that it has
changed; introduces the theme of voice and identity. |
Loss of original voice. |
|
II. Personal Experience |
Describes her journey from Willesden to Cambridge, exploring how
her social and linguistic identity changed. |
Class and education reshape voice. |
|
III. Analysis of Voice and Power |
Discusses how language reveals class, culture, and privilege;
explores the social meaning of accents. |
Language = identity + hierarchy. |
|
IV. Obama Example |
Introduces Barack Obama as an example of someone who successfully
speaks with multiple voices. |
Multiplicity as strength. |
|
V. The Dream City |
Explains the idea of “Dream City” — a place of plural voices and
identities. |
Freedom through multiplicity. |
|
VI. Conclusion |
Returns to personal reflection and acceptance of her new self;
acknowledges regret but values empathy and diversity. |
Acceptance of the many-voiced self. |
🎯 Structural Features
·
Non-linear
reflection: Moves between personal, social,
and political
levels.
·
Autobiographical
frame: The essay starts and ends with Smith’s own
voice.
·
Analytical
core: Middle sections expand to wider cultural and
political commentary.
·
Metaphorical
language: “Voice,” “Dream City,” “garment” – recurring
images unify the essay.
·
Circular
ending: Ends where it began — with the voice — but now
with deeper understanding.
✍️ In Short (for Exams):
Plot Summary (in 4 lines):
Zadie Smith narrates how her speech changed after leaving her working-class
roots in Willesden for Cambridge. She reflects on how language shapes identity
and social class. Through Barack Obama’s example, she discovers the power of
multiple voices. The essay ends with her acceptance of multiplicity and empathy
as the essence of humanity.
Structure Summary (in 3 lines):
The essay follows a reflective structure — moving from personal confession →
cultural analysis → symbolic resolution. It blends autobiography, philosophy,
and social commentary through a recurring metaphor of “voice.”
3. Themes & implications
Here
are some major thematic strands in the essay:
- Voice and
identity: How the way we speak is bound up with
class, education, social mobility, and belonging. The essay explores what
it means for one’s “voice” to change and what it may cost.
- Multiplicity
vs singularity: Smith questions the idea of a singular,
fixed identity. She argues for a kind of multiplicity in voice and self —
to inhabit more than one “voice” or culture.
- Class and
accent: The shift from a working-class London
accent to a “lettered” voice is used to illustrate class mobility but also
the alienation that may come from leaving behind one’s original voice.
- Race,
culture and hybridity: With Obama as a case study, Smith shows
how race and culture intersect with voice, how someone can traverse
different cultural voices.
- Loss and
regret: Even as these transitions may bring
advantage, there is a sense of loss—of the original voice, the original
community, parts of self that are left behind.
- Language
as performative and political: The essay sees voice not just
as accent but as the performance of belonging, of power, of articulation.
4. Structure & notable features
- The essay
is divided (in the published version) into numbered sections (I, II, III,
…) which mark shifts in tone, theme, or example.
- It begins
with a personal anecdote (her childhood voice) and gradually widens into
public/political terrain (Obama, culture, literature).
- The voice
of the essay is conversational but also reflective—Smith uses first-person
“I” but moves into broader cultural analysis.
- She uses
metaphor (voice as garment, voice as identity), historical/literary
references (George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, etc.) to illustrate
her points.
5. Quotations of note
- “This
voice I speak with these days … this is not the voice of my
childhood. I picked it up in college…” (DOUBLE OPERATIVE: Language/Making)
- “This
voice I picked up along the way is no longer an exotic garment I put on
like a college gown whenever I choose—now it is my only voice, whether I
want it or not. I regret it; I should have kept both voices alive in my
mouth. They were both a part of me.” (harrell101.files.wordpress.com)
- (On Obama)
“How can the man who passes between culturally black and white voices with
such flexibility, with such ease, be an honest man? …” (blogs.baruch.cuny.edu)
6. Why this essay matters / how to use it
- If you’re
studying language & identity (especially in post-colonial Britain,
diaspora, class mobility) this is a rich text.
- The essay
is useful for analysing voice, accent, class, race in contemporary
literature.
- You can
use it as an example of how personal narrative and cultural critique can
be blended.
- It’s also
helpful for writing tasks: e.g., consider your own voice(s), how language
shapes identity, how you may shift voices in different contexts.
7. Things to watch / critical questions
- What does
Smith mean by “voice”? How much is accent, how much is dialect, how much
is social identity?
- To what
extent is changing one’s voice a freedom or a constraint? Does Smith take
a clear position?
- How does
the idea of “many voices” challenge the conventional notion of a coherent
self?
- Are there
risks in speaking in multiple voices (loss of authenticity, loss of
original culture) as Smith suggests?
- How does
the figure of Obama function in her essay — exemplar, symbol, something
else?
- What about
the broader social/structural constraints on voice (class, race,
education) — how much agency does the individual have?
🗺️ PLACES in Speaking
in Tongues
|
Place |
Description & Role in the
Essay |
|
Willesden
(North-West London) |
Zadie Smith’s
birthplace and childhood home. Represents her working-class, multicultural
roots — the original “voice” she grew up with. |
|
Cambridge
University |
Where Smith
attended college. Symbolizes education, privilege, and social mobility,
but also the loss of her original “Willesden voice.” |
|
New York |
Mentioned as
the place where the essay was originally delivered (New York Public Library
Lecture, 2008). Symbolic of global multiculturalism and voice
diversity. |
|
Dream City
(metaphorical place) |
A metaphor
for the world of many voices—where identities are flexible and mixed. It
contrasts with “the land of the single voice.” |
|
America /
United States |
Setting for
Smith’s reflection on Barack Obama’s speech and identity. Represents a space
of racial and linguistic multiplicity. |
|
Britain /
London |
The
background against which Smith’s identity struggle unfolds. Represents a hierarchical
society where accent and speech mark class and belonging. |
👤 CHARACTERS
(REAL OR SYMBOLIC) in Speaking in Tongues
|
Person / Figure |
Role and Significance |
|
Zadie Smith
(the author/narrator) |
The central
“character.” She reflects on her own life — from a child in Willesden to a
Cambridge graduate — and how her voice changed along the way. |
|
Barack Obama |
Major example
in the essay. Smith admires his ability to “speak in tongues” — to move
easily between different cultural voices (Black and White America). He
represents hybridity, flexibility, and authenticity through multiplicity. |
|
George
Bernard Shaw |
Quoted in
reference to Pygmalion and the idea of changing one’s voice as a
symbol of class transformation. |
|
Eliza
Doolittle (fictional reference from Shaw’s play
“Pygmalion”) |
Represents
someone whose speech and accent change with education and social
exposure — a parallel to Smith’s own experience. |
|
Michelle
Obama |
Mentioned
briefly in relation to Barack Obama — representing a shared dual cultural
identity and strength in multiplicity. |
|
Smith’s
Parents
(not named individually) |
Symbolic
figures of her mixed heritage — Jamaican mother and English father —
shaping her sense of “many voices” and belonging to two worlds. |
|
The
Working-Class Neighbours / Willesden Community |
Represent the
original community and voice she grew up with — informal, lively,
authentic, but also socially marginalized. |
|
Cambridge
Academics / Professors |
Symbolize educated,
upper-class voices that contrast with her own earlier speech — they stand
for the cultural power of “received pronunciation.” |
|
General Public
/ Audience |
The essay
addresses readers directly, inviting them to reflect on their own “voices.”
The audience becomes a kind of collective character in her exploration
of identity. |
🌍 SYMBOLIC
“CHARACTERS” or IDEAS PERSONIFIED
Even
though not real people, these act as conceptual characters in the essay:
|
Symbolic Figure |
Meaning |
|
Voice |
Treated as a
living entity — represents identity, class, emotion, and power. |
|
Dream City |
Imaginary
place of plural voices, a utopia of freedom and cultural blend. |
|
The Single
Voice |
Symbolizes rigidity,
purity, or closed identity — the opposite of freedom. |
|
The Double
Self / Two Voices |
Represents
the internal conflict of the modern, mixed-identity person (like Smith
herself). |
🧠 Meanings of Difficulty words
|
Word
/ Phrase |
Meaning
/ Explanation |
|
Tongues |
In this context means languages or ways of speaking;
also refers to voices or accents that show
identity. |
|
Voice |
Used symbolically — means not only the sound of speech, but identity,
social background, personality, and belonging. |
|
Rounded vowels and consonants |
A phrase describing standard English pronunciation —
smooth, educated accent (as opposed to local dialect). |
|
Exotic garment |
A metaphor meaning something foreign or different that one wears
temporarily. Smith says she “put on” her Cambridge voice like an
exotic garment. |
|
Cambridge voice |
A polished, upper-class British accent typical of Cambridge
University — symbol of education and privilege. |
|
Working-class |
Refers to the social group that performs manual or lower-income
jobs; contrasted with middle or upper class. |
|
Multiplicity |
Having many parts, forms, or identities; being many-voiced
rather than one single thing. |
|
Singularity |
Oneness or unity; the idea of having only one true self or voice. |
|
Alienation |
The feeling of being cut off or estranged — from one’s own
people, culture, or sense of self. |
|
Hybrid |
A mix or blend of different elements; in this essay, a person
with more than one cultural or linguistic identity. |
|
Acculturation |
The process of learning or adopting another culture’s habits,
language, or customs. |
|
Dialect |
A local or regional form of a language, often marking class or
community background. |
|
Articulation |
The way of speaking clearly; also means the expression
of ideas or identity through language. |
|
Persona |
The “mask” or social face one presents; Smith implies that
different voices create different personae. |
|
Mimicry |
Imitation; copying the speech or behavior of others (used here
for adopting a new accent). |
|
Identity crisis |
A psychological conflict about who one really is — torn between
different identities or cultures. |
|
Code-switching |
Shifting between different styles of speech or languages
depending on the social context (as Obama or Smith do). |
|
Authenticity |
The quality of being genuine or true to oneself; Smith wonders
whether changing one’s voice reduces authenticity. |
|
Dual consciousness |
Having two ways of seeing or understanding the world; a term from
W. E. B. Du Bois about African-American identity. |
|
Pygmalion |
A play by George Bernard Shaw in which a poor flower girl learns
to speak like a lady — used as a reference to changing voice and class. |
|
Eliza Doolittle |
The main character in Pygmalion; her transformation
symbolizes class mobility through language. |
|
Assimilation |
The process of becoming part of another culture and losing some
of one’s original identity. |
|
Self-fashioning |
The act of shaping or creating one’s public identity
deliberately. |
|
Dream City |
A metaphor created by Smith — a symbolic place where people are
free to have many voices and mixed identities. |
|
Cultural capital |
Knowledge, speech, manners, and education that give someone
social advantage. |
|
Empathy |
The ability to understand and share the feelings of others; Smith
connects it with the ability to speak in many voices. |
|
Marginalized |
Pushed to the edge of society; not given equal importance or
voice. |
|
Polyphonic |
Having many voices or tones (from music); here, means multi-voiced,
multicultural. |
|
Rhetoric |
The art of speaking or writing effectively and persuasively. |
|
Authentic self |
The idea of one’s true, original identity — not influenced by
social performance. |
|
Performative |
In cultural theory, something that creates identity by being spoken or done;
e.g., accent is performative. |
|
Self-division |
The condition of feeling split between two selves or cultures. |
|
Eloquent |
Fluent and persuasive in speaking or writing. |
|
Plurality |
The state of being multiple or diverse. |
|
Ambivalence |
Mixed or contradictory feelings toward something; Smith feels ambivalent
about her new voice. |
|
Liberation |
Freedom from restrictions or limits — here, freedom to speak in
many voices. |
|
Belonging |
Feeling accepted or at home within a group or culture. |
|
Regret |
Sorrow about losing something valuable — in Smith’s case, her
original voice. |
🗣️ Key Phrases Explained
|
Phrase |
Meaning |
|
“This voice I speak with these days…” |
Refers to the new, educated accent she acquired after Cambridge —
symbolic of her changed identity. |
|
“I should have kept both voices alive in my mouth.” |
Means she wishes she could still speak both her old and new
accents — representing both her worlds. |
|
“Dream City” |
Imaginary place where people live freely with many voices;
symbolizes multiculturalism and hybrid identity. |
|
“Speaking in tongues” |
Title metaphor — means being able to speak in many ways or from many
identities, not just literally different languages. |
Questions
🧩 SECTION 1 – SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
Q1. Who is the author of the essay “Speaking
in Tongues”?
A.
The essay is written by Zadie Smith, a contemporary
British novelist and essayist of Jamaican-English heritage.
Q2. Where and when was this essay first
delivered?
A.
It was first delivered as a lecture at the New York Public Library in 2008,
later published in The New York Review of Books (2009)
and re-collected in Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays
(2009).
Q3. What is the central theme of the essay?
A.
The essay explores the link between voice and identity — how a
person’s accent, language, and way of speaking express class, culture, and
belonging, and how changing one’s voice changes one’s sense of self.
Q4. What does the title “Speaking
in Tongues” mean?
A.
Literally it means speaking in many languages; symbolically
it means having multiple voices or identities,
being able to move between different cultural and social worlds.
Q5. What contrast does Smith draw between
Willesden and Cambridge?
A.
Willesden
represents her working-class multicultural childhood,
while Cambridge
stands for education, privilege, and refinement.
Her new “Cambridge voice” replaces her old “Willesden voice.”
Q6. What does Smith regret in the essay?
A.
She regrets losing her original voice; she
wishes she had “kept both voices alive” to remain connected to both her origins
and her education.
Q7. Who is Barack Obama in the essay, and why
is he significant?
A.
Obama symbolizes the ability to live with many voices—to
move between cultural identities (Black and White America) with ease and
authenticity.
Q8. What is “Dream City”?
A.
“Dream City” is a metaphorical space of freedom and plurality,
where people can express multiple voices and identities without fear or
limitation.
Q9. Which literary work does Smith mention to
illustrate voice change?
A.
She refers to George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion
and its heroine Eliza Doolittle, who changes
her accent to climb the social ladder.
Q10. How does Smith connect language with
class?
A.
She shows that in Britain accent reveals class; changing
one’s voice often means moving from one class identity to another.
🧭 SECTION 2 – LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
Q1. Discuss Zadie Smith’s view of “voice” in Speaking
in Tongues.
A.
Smith treats “voice” as both a literal and metaphorical expression of self. Her
“Cambridge voice” represents social mobility and education, while her lost
“Willesden voice” stands for authenticity and roots. She believes that voice
shapes identity, belonging, and perception. Losing one’s voice is like losing a
part of oneself. Yet she also recognizes the beauty of multiplicity—the
possibility of speaking in more than one voice.
Q2. How does Zadie Smith use her personal
experience to explain cultural identity?
A.
The essay is partly autobiographical. Smith narrates her journey from working-class
Willesden to elite Cambridge. This change forces her to adopt a new accent and
manner of speech. Through this personal story, she examines how education
and class mobility transform language and how such
transformation can cause both progress and loss. Her experience becomes a
symbol of the modern multicultural self—divided but enriched by many
influences.
Q3. Explain the role of Barack Obama in the
essay.
A.
Obama functions as a real-life example of a person who can “speak in tongues.”
Smith admires his linguistic and cultural flexibility—his ability to connect
with diverse audiences while remaining authentic. For her, Obama represents a hopeful
model of hybridity—someone who proves that having multiple
voices does not mean being dishonest but rather being capable of empathy and
communication across boundaries.
Q4. What is meant by “Dream City” in Speaking
in Tongues?
A.
“Dream City” is an imagined world of plurality and openness where
individuals can express all parts of their identity. It contrasts with the
“land of the single voice,” where people must hide or choose between
identities. Dream City celebrates diversity of speech, race, and culture—an
ideal that Smith believes the modern world should strive toward.
Q5. What conflict does Smith experience
regarding her two voices?
A.
Smith’s inner conflict lies between her old voice (the spontaneous,
working-class speech of Willesden) and her new voice (the refined, educated
tone of Cambridge). She feels empowered by her new voice but also alienated
from her roots. This tension mirrors the struggle of many who
move between social or cultural classes—the loss of authenticity versus the
gain of opportunity.
Q6. What does Speaking
in Tongues reveal about language and power?
A.
Smith shows that language is not neutral—it
carries power. The way a person speaks determines how society judges them.
“Good” English is often linked with authority and privilege, while local
dialects are marginalized. Yet, by embracing multiple voices, individuals can
resist these hierarchies and reclaim power through linguistic flexibility.
🧩 SECTION 3 – ESSAY / CRITICAL ANALYSIS
QUESTIONS
Q1. Analyse the major themes of Speaking
in Tongues.
A.
The essay explores several interconnected themes:
1. Identity and Voice – how accent
and language shape who we are.
2. Class and Mobility –
moving from one class alters one’s speech and sense of belonging.
3. Cultural Hybridity –
modern individuals contain multiple cultural selves.
4. Authenticity vs Performance –
whether changing one’s voice makes one false or free.
5. Empathy and Communication – the
ability to “speak in tongues” increases human understanding.
Through personal reflection and cultural observation, Smith argues that
multiplicity is not betrayal but richness.
Q2. How does Smith connect her personal
identity to larger social and political issues?
A.
Smith’s personal story of linguistic change becomes a lens to view classism,
racism, and social hierarchy in Britain and beyond. Her changed
accent reflects broader systems that privilege certain voices over others. By
invoking Obama, she links her private struggle to global questions of race,
leadership, and multiculturalism. Thus, her essay moves from the individual to
the universal—showing how the politics of voice affect everyone.
Q3. What stylistic features make Speaking
in Tongues an effective modern essay?
A.
·
Conversational
tone that blends storytelling with analysis.
·
Metaphorical
language, e.g., “voice as garment,” “Dream City.”
·
Intertextual
references (Obama, Pygmalion, etc.) giving depth.
·
Personal
narrative merged with public commentary.
·
Reflective
and confessional mood inviting empathy.
These features make the essay both intellectually rich and emotionally
engaging.
📝 SECTION 4 – VERY SHORT OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS (1
mark each)
|
Question |
Answer |
|
Who is the main real-life figure Smith discusses? |
Barack Obama |
|
What city is her childhood home? |
Willesden, London |
|
What university did she attend? |
Cambridge |
|
In which collection is the essay reprinted? |
Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays |
|
What play does she mention? |
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw |
|
What metaphor does she use for voice? |
“An exotic garment” |
|
What is her main feeling toward her lost voice? |
Regret |
|
What does “Dream City” symbolize? |
Freedom of many voices |
|
What is the tone of the essay? |
Reflective and analytical |
|
When was it first published? |
2009 |
