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ysabetwordsmithThis installment discusses the ethnicity and linguistics of Wednesday Addams in Wednesday.
Here is the character study:
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 1: Introduction
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 2: Ethnicity & Linguistics
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 3: An Outcast
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 4: Thoughts and Feelings
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 5: Relationships
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 6: Solitary Accomplishments
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 7: Trust and Betrayal
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 8: Connected Characters
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 9: Enid
See also:
"Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 1: Introduction
Wednesday Addams belongs to a mixed family. Her father Gomez is Latino, which makes Wednesday a Latina too. (Morticia's ethnicity is unspecified, but usually white.) Cultural influences include a family altar, Mexican music, and snippets of Spanish. However, she stands out from typical portrayals of Latinas. This is valuable representation, since women in general and Latinas in particular are underrepresented onscreen; and when they do show up, the stereotypes often cause problems. In this way, the series offers a great opportunity for fans who want to fill that gap. You have multiple canon characters to explore and can easily bring in others. This also fits with the Gothic concepts of race and interracial marriage.
Enid Sinclair: Who doesn't have a spooky built-in altar in their family library?
Wednesday Addams: Ours is in the living room. More seating for year-long Dia de los Muertos.
-- Season 1 Episode 6, "Quid Pro Woe"
The Do’s and Dont’s of writing a biracial/multiracial character
Drawing Mexican People
Ethnic Skin Tones
Here's Why Wednesday Addams Being Latine Is Important
How do I Paint Ethnic Skin Colours in Portraits?
How To Write Interracial Romances Well (...And Not So Well)
How to write a Latinx character and other questions
The Importance of Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams
NETFLIX’S WEDNESDAY EXPLORES THEMES OF LATINX HERITAGE & ANTI-COLONIALISM
New Bechdel Test Reveals Lack of Latina Representation in Hollywood
Latina Characters: Authentic Representation and Storytelling -- SeeHer
Wednesday Is Not Your Typical Latina Protagonist
What I Learned When I Set Out to Write an "Authentic" Latina Character
The Addams family is also multilingual. Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, and Wednesday have all used bits of Spanish, so presumably that's one of their household languages. Across various iterations, Gomez and Morticia have also used French, Italian, and even Yiddish. When Wednesday first meets Tyler Galpin, she reads the Italian manual to repair a broken espresso machine. In Episode 3, she speaks German to scare tourists away from Ye Olde Fudgery at Pilgrim World during Outreach Day. Knowing German also shores up the argument for Yiddish, and you don't get much more outcast than Jews, so they could be allies. She translates Latin in Joseph Crackstone's crypt. Thing seems to use a combination of gestures, signs, and perhaps empathic powers to converse with other people. This could be home sign with bits of various somatic languages thrown in, or the Hands may have their own sign language -- probable since they only have one hand to sign with while other somatic languages tend to use both hands and the upper body. Wednesday and Pugsley would have learned Thing's language growing up, just as their learned their parents' languages. Multilingualism is a natural part of the minority experience throughout most of the world, so it fits very well with Outcast culture. It would be great to see more of this in Season 2 and in fanworks.
Wednesday asks, “What’s wrong with your machine?” Barista boy answers, “It’s a temperamental beast with a mind of its own, and it doesn’t help that the instructions are in Italian.” Wednesday walks around and snatches the booklet from the boy’s hands, reading it and saying, “I need a tai-wing screwdriver and a four-millimeter Allen wrench.”
The boy frowns, “Wait, you read Italian?” Wednesday looks at him like he’s said something stupid, “Of course. It’s the native tongue of Machiavelli. Here’s the deal. I’m going to fix your coffee machine, then you’re going to make my coffee and call me a taxi.”
-- Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe: Pt. Four
"Enjoy your "authentic" pilgrim fudge made with cacao beans procured by the oppressed indigenous people of the Amazon. All proceeds go to uphold this pathetic whitewashing of American history. Also, fudge wasn't invented for another 258 years. Any takers?"
-- Wednesday Addams to tourists
Wednesday Addams: [referring to the engraving on the crypt wall] Wait, it's Latin. Fire will rain when I rise.
-- Wednesday Best Quotes (TV series)
(Wednesday visits her father in prison...)
Gomez Addams: My little tormenta, how's your mother?
Wednesday Addams: Devastated. She hates you in orange.
This quote comes from a TV series ‘Wednesday’. The scene where this moment comes from is from Season 1 Episode 5, with the title of ‘You Reap What You Woe’
(Weems suggests to the Addams going to therapy with Wednesday might help...)
Gomez Addams: What can it hurt? To be honest, I've always been a big fan of head-shrinking.
Morticia Addams: It's not that kind of head-shrinking, mon chéri.
Gomez Addams: Well, that is disappointing. But anything for our little girl.
This quote comes from a TV series ‘Wednesday’. The scene where this moment comes from is from Season 1 Episode 5, with the title of ‘You Reap What You Woe’
"Being a solo lobo has its perks. You get to live by your own rules, do whatever you want. Just look at me."
-- Uncle Fester
ASL: Writing a Visual Language
How to Help Students Avoid Heritage Language Loss
Morticia's pet names for Gomez, generally meaning "Darling"/"My Darling", are "Bubeleh" (Yiddish), "Mon Cher" (French), "Mon Amour" (French), "Querido" (Spanish). Gomez's pet names for Morticia, also having an affectionate meaning, are "Cara Mia" (Italian), "Querida"/"Querida Mia" (Spanish), "Cara Bella" (Spanish literally for "beautiful face" and Italian for "beautiful darling").
Plurilingual parenting: why many experts think families who speak multiple languages should just go with the flow
Raising multilingual and bilingual children: options
Raising a multilingual family is hard -- what makes it work?
Why your child should learn sign language
Additional languages could also appear in the family. Given the interest in all things occult, Greek also seems plausible. So do magical alphabets or other mystical writing systems. These would have great plot potential. Wednesday's harsh criticism of the Pilgrims in particular and colonialism in general, shown across multiple iterations including Wednesday, suggests a possible connection with Native American people and perhaps one or more of their languages. (Vermont tribes and languages include Abenaki, Mohican, and Massachusett.) This is supported by some things Goody Addams has said about the Outcasts getting along with local tribes until the Pilgrims came and spoiled everything. Despite Goody's blonde hair, some people have interpreted this as a reference to indigenous Mexican people. It would be awesome to see Native American characters in the school.
Indigenous languages of the Americas -- Wikipedia
Native American tribes in Vermont -- Wikipedia
Occult Languages and Alphabets
Other characters may also be multilingual. Bianca Barclay and her mother Gabrielle seem to have Caribbean heritage, which makes French and/or a French creole likely, although Spanish and its derivatives could also appear, as could English creoles. Sirens date back to Greek mythology, making that another option, although similar creatures appear around the world. Gorgons probably have Greek as their heritage language. Werewolves might go for Greek or Italian. Vampires more likely speak central European languages like Romanian or Hungarian, though French again is possible. Given this confluence, the most likely foreign language offered at Nevermore Academy is Greek, followed by French, Italian, and Spanish. Latin is also likely for historic, academic, and esoteric reasons. If you really want to throw a spanner in the works, the outgoing Enid Sinclair could speak Esperanto -- a fascinating bit of common ground with Wednesday's language aptitude. For that matter, heritage languages of any kind would make a great way to connect with Wednesday, an otherwise very hard-to-reach person. If someone walked by carrying a book of foreign poetry, she would quite likely snatch it to read.
"There are many flavors of outcasts here, but the four main cliques are Fangs, Furs, Stoners and Scales."
-- Enid Sinclair
11 Caribbean Languages Organized By Country -- Adventugo
Alliance for the Advancement of Heritage Languages
The ancient origins of werewolves -- The Conversation
Creole language -- Wikipedia
Creole Languages -- Tomedes
Developing Heritage Languages and Revitalizing Native American Languages
Esperanto: The Language of International Peace
Heritage Languages in Schools: A Story of Identity, Belonging and Loss
History of Esperanto -- Wikipedia
History of Greek -- Wikipedia
History of Mermaids and their Origins in Ancient Greek Sirens
Here is the character study:
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 1: Introduction
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 2: Ethnicity & Linguistics
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 3: An Outcast
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 4: Thoughts and Feelings
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 5: Relationships
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 6: Solitary Accomplishments
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 7: Trust and Betrayal
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 8: Connected Characters
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 9: Enid
See also:
"Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 1: Introduction
Wednesday Addams belongs to a mixed family. Her father Gomez is Latino, which makes Wednesday a Latina too. (Morticia's ethnicity is unspecified, but usually white.) Cultural influences include a family altar, Mexican music, and snippets of Spanish. However, she stands out from typical portrayals of Latinas. This is valuable representation, since women in general and Latinas in particular are underrepresented onscreen; and when they do show up, the stereotypes often cause problems. In this way, the series offers a great opportunity for fans who want to fill that gap. You have multiple canon characters to explore and can easily bring in others. This also fits with the Gothic concepts of race and interracial marriage.
Enid Sinclair: Who doesn't have a spooky built-in altar in their family library?
Wednesday Addams: Ours is in the living room. More seating for year-long Dia de los Muertos.
-- Season 1 Episode 6, "Quid Pro Woe"
The Do’s and Dont’s of writing a biracial/multiracial character
Drawing Mexican People
Ethnic Skin Tones
Here's Why Wednesday Addams Being Latine Is Important
How do I Paint Ethnic Skin Colours in Portraits?
How To Write Interracial Romances Well (...And Not So Well)
How to write a Latinx character and other questions
The Importance of Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams
NETFLIX’S WEDNESDAY EXPLORES THEMES OF LATINX HERITAGE & ANTI-COLONIALISM
New Bechdel Test Reveals Lack of Latina Representation in Hollywood
Latina Characters: Authentic Representation and Storytelling -- SeeHer
Wednesday Is Not Your Typical Latina Protagonist
What I Learned When I Set Out to Write an "Authentic" Latina Character
The Addams family is also multilingual. Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, and Wednesday have all used bits of Spanish, so presumably that's one of their household languages. Across various iterations, Gomez and Morticia have also used French, Italian, and even Yiddish. When Wednesday first meets Tyler Galpin, she reads the Italian manual to repair a broken espresso machine. In Episode 3, she speaks German to scare tourists away from Ye Olde Fudgery at Pilgrim World during Outreach Day. Knowing German also shores up the argument for Yiddish, and you don't get much more outcast than Jews, so they could be allies. She translates Latin in Joseph Crackstone's crypt. Thing seems to use a combination of gestures, signs, and perhaps empathic powers to converse with other people. This could be home sign with bits of various somatic languages thrown in, or the Hands may have their own sign language -- probable since they only have one hand to sign with while other somatic languages tend to use both hands and the upper body. Wednesday and Pugsley would have learned Thing's language growing up, just as their learned their parents' languages. Multilingualism is a natural part of the minority experience throughout most of the world, so it fits very well with Outcast culture. It would be great to see more of this in Season 2 and in fanworks.
Wednesday asks, “What’s wrong with your machine?” Barista boy answers, “It’s a temperamental beast with a mind of its own, and it doesn’t help that the instructions are in Italian.” Wednesday walks around and snatches the booklet from the boy’s hands, reading it and saying, “I need a tai-wing screwdriver and a four-millimeter Allen wrench.”
The boy frowns, “Wait, you read Italian?” Wednesday looks at him like he’s said something stupid, “Of course. It’s the native tongue of Machiavelli. Here’s the deal. I’m going to fix your coffee machine, then you’re going to make my coffee and call me a taxi.”
-- Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe: Pt. Four
"Enjoy your "authentic" pilgrim fudge made with cacao beans procured by the oppressed indigenous people of the Amazon. All proceeds go to uphold this pathetic whitewashing of American history. Also, fudge wasn't invented for another 258 years. Any takers?"
-- Wednesday Addams to tourists
Wednesday Addams: [referring to the engraving on the crypt wall] Wait, it's Latin. Fire will rain when I rise.
-- Wednesday Best Quotes (TV series)
(Wednesday visits her father in prison...)
Gomez Addams: My little tormenta, how's your mother?
Wednesday Addams: Devastated. She hates you in orange.
This quote comes from a TV series ‘Wednesday’. The scene where this moment comes from is from Season 1 Episode 5, with the title of ‘You Reap What You Woe’
(Weems suggests to the Addams going to therapy with Wednesday might help...)
Gomez Addams: What can it hurt? To be honest, I've always been a big fan of head-shrinking.
Morticia Addams: It's not that kind of head-shrinking, mon chéri.
Gomez Addams: Well, that is disappointing. But anything for our little girl.
This quote comes from a TV series ‘Wednesday’. The scene where this moment comes from is from Season 1 Episode 5, with the title of ‘You Reap What You Woe’
"Being a solo lobo has its perks. You get to live by your own rules, do whatever you want. Just look at me."
-- Uncle Fester
ASL: Writing a Visual Language
How to Help Students Avoid Heritage Language Loss
Morticia's pet names for Gomez, generally meaning "Darling"/"My Darling", are "Bubeleh" (Yiddish), "Mon Cher" (French), "Mon Amour" (French), "Querido" (Spanish). Gomez's pet names for Morticia, also having an affectionate meaning, are "Cara Mia" (Italian), "Querida"/"Querida Mia" (Spanish), "Cara Bella" (Spanish literally for "beautiful face" and Italian for "beautiful darling").
Plurilingual parenting: why many experts think families who speak multiple languages should just go with the flow
Raising multilingual and bilingual children: options
Raising a multilingual family is hard -- what makes it work?
Why your child should learn sign language
Additional languages could also appear in the family. Given the interest in all things occult, Greek also seems plausible. So do magical alphabets or other mystical writing systems. These would have great plot potential. Wednesday's harsh criticism of the Pilgrims in particular and colonialism in general, shown across multiple iterations including Wednesday, suggests a possible connection with Native American people and perhaps one or more of their languages. (Vermont tribes and languages include Abenaki, Mohican, and Massachusett.) This is supported by some things Goody Addams has said about the Outcasts getting along with local tribes until the Pilgrims came and spoiled everything. Despite Goody's blonde hair, some people have interpreted this as a reference to indigenous Mexican people. It would be awesome to see Native American characters in the school.
Indigenous languages of the Americas -- Wikipedia
Native American tribes in Vermont -- Wikipedia
Occult Languages and Alphabets
Other characters may also be multilingual. Bianca Barclay and her mother Gabrielle seem to have Caribbean heritage, which makes French and/or a French creole likely, although Spanish and its derivatives could also appear, as could English creoles. Sirens date back to Greek mythology, making that another option, although similar creatures appear around the world. Gorgons probably have Greek as their heritage language. Werewolves might go for Greek or Italian. Vampires more likely speak central European languages like Romanian or Hungarian, though French again is possible. Given this confluence, the most likely foreign language offered at Nevermore Academy is Greek, followed by French, Italian, and Spanish. Latin is also likely for historic, academic, and esoteric reasons. If you really want to throw a spanner in the works, the outgoing Enid Sinclair could speak Esperanto -- a fascinating bit of common ground with Wednesday's language aptitude. For that matter, heritage languages of any kind would make a great way to connect with Wednesday, an otherwise very hard-to-reach person. If someone walked by carrying a book of foreign poetry, she would quite likely snatch it to read.
"There are many flavors of outcasts here, but the four main cliques are Fangs, Furs, Stoners and Scales."
-- Enid Sinclair
11 Caribbean Languages Organized By Country -- Adventugo
Alliance for the Advancement of Heritage Languages
The ancient origins of werewolves -- The Conversation
Creole language -- Wikipedia
Creole Languages -- Tomedes
Developing Heritage Languages and Revitalizing Native American Languages
Esperanto: The Language of International Peace
Heritage Languages in Schools: A Story of Identity, Belonging and Loss
History of Esperanto -- Wikipedia
History of Greek -- Wikipedia
History of Mermaids and their Origins in Ancient Greek Sirens
