Amy Tan, in her essay “Mother Tongue,” looks at the importance of language and the overall power it has in society. Language is a fundamental communication tool that wields both positive and negative implications among individuals. According to Tan, being raised by a parent with limited English can have an adverse effect on a person’s language acquisition. In turn, this sets the center-stage for mockery and ridicule by other people who associate good English skills with intelligence. Tan learned from her mother that an individual’s perception of the world largely relies on the language spoken at home. People tend to perceive others, depending on the particular language they use . Amy Tan uses the essay “Mother Tongue” to remind us that although language is a communication tool, poor expression can be associated with inadequate content and societal stereotypes such as the lack of intelligence.
Language is arguably the most important communication tool that an individual can have. It allows people to exchange messages and communicate in a way that no other creature can (Adeyemi, 2019 p. 13007). Amy Tan opens the essay by highlighting the fundamental benefits of the language. Irrespective of an individual’s weaknesses or deficiencies in expression, language remains a powerful aspect that cannot be underestimated. In this regard, she says, “It can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth” (Tan, 1990, p.7). Therefore, the author is not shying away from her weaknesses and believes that they should not deviate language from its core purpose. Throughout her life, she has learned to speak English in a way that befits their family. Although English does not necessarily follow conventional mechanics, the most important thing is that it has enabled them to communicate and understand each other well. Despite the shortcomings of a person, their language use should be appreciated and, most importantly, respected.
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According to Frie (1999), language enables individuals to communicate and express themselves in a way they understand best. The author continues to argue that it is impossible to disintegrate language from culture. Language can also be used to illustrate the behaviors and attitudes of the people. The author makes four fundamental premises on language. First, language forms a fundamental tenet of culture. Secondly, there is a close relationship between the use of language and culture. Thirdly, language is significantly influenced by an individual’s culture. Lastly, language impacts not only the way of life but also the manner of thinking employed by individuals. It is in this regard that Tan (2019) emphasizes that language remains a critical tool for her trade. According to her, language can evoke emotion, speak the truth, and create complex images and ideas. Also, language is a function of culture, as witnessed in Amy Tan’s essay. The perceived weaknesses in language expression come as a result of the differences in culture. Each culture in the world has a particular language attached to it. Her mother’s use of broken English exemplifies her struggles to enjoin a different culture that has a unique identity built around the English language.
The author acknowledges that the inability to communicate effectively is a problem that can affect many individuals in society. However, the only problem is that the limited language expression is sometimes stereotyped to reflect the speaker’s lack of intelligence and even content as regards to what they are saying. Tan explains how she has lately paid attention to her mother’s use of English. She goes ahead to explain it as “broken” and even “fractured.” Tan began believing that her mother’s inadequacies meant that she needed to work more on her language to sound more meaningful. In proving her point, she says, “I know this for a fact because when I was growing up, my mother’s limited English limited my perception of her” (Tan, 1990, p.7). From these assertions, it can be concluded that there is a general misconception that the effectiveness of communication was directly correlated to the quality of the content expressed. Due to institutional demand for academic writing, multilingual writers may perceive that their native language is discriminated against. Pablo, a sophomore computer science major and math minor, explains, “My Spanish language has been unconsciously discriminated against. [Professors] don’t discourage it, but they don’t encourage it” (Cavazos, 2019, p. 39).
As an aspect that is deeply embedded in culture, language remains a crucial subject to stereotypes and prejudice. In shedding more light on the issue, Yu-tzung Chang & Jie Lu (2014) say, “Language is not only a means of communication; but it is also a marker of identity and, through its pragmatics, a cultural institution” (p.213). Therefore, just like any other cultural elements such as race and ethnicity, language becomes a subject of intense division. From her explanation, Tan also acknowledges that the knowledge of English reflects an individual’s cognitive levels, especially when she intimates, “You should know that my mother’s expressive command of English belies how much she actually understands” (Tan, 1990, p.7). Individuals are, therefore, easily painted as inept or possessive of inadequate knowledge if they cannot express themselves in the standard form of communication. However, this kind of labeling is problematic and discriminative at best. It should be noted that language emanates from culture. Thus, Tan’s mother could easily speak in her own language of choosing if given the opportunity. As illustrated by Yu-tzung Chang & Jie Lu (2014), measuring Tan’s mother's ability or intelligence using her English expressive skills is tantamount to betraying her identity.
Tan was ashamed of her mother’s lack of English skills. From her explanation, it is true that society judge people harshly based on their language skills. Tam explains how people at the banks, department stores, and restaurants failed to take her seriously. According to the author, this is because she was imperfect, and the imperfections meant that people could hardly make meaning out of what she said. However, this is contrary to reality. In the real sense, Tan’s mother is extremely intelligent and has a great understanding and appreciation of her surroundings. The author explains that intelligence is a broad and extensive concept that cannot be narrowed and looked at from the perspective of language use alone. If indeed, the mother was unintelligent, she would not understand certain concepts such as how a check works.
By using the experiences of the mother, Tan manages to explore some of the many negative aspects that the stereotype can have on an individual with perceived limited skills. The first primary consequence is a loss of confidence. As a person is continuously called out for their poor expressions, they develop low confidence, which in turn affects their daily lives (Adeyemi et al., 2019 p. 13008). The author explains that her mother eventually realized that she was poor in English. The mother would then turn to her 15-year-old daughter to make calls in her disguise. As explained by Tan, “In this guise, I was forced to ask for information or even to complain and yell at people who had been rude to her” (Tan, 1990, p.7). As such, this illustrates a lack of confidence in expression and, most critically, an insensitive attitude towards individuals perceived to have limited English skills. The author goes ahead by explaining another situation where the medics at the hospital failed to apologize for giving her mother the brain tumor results in time. In most circumstances, she was viewed as less intelligent, which warranted her treatment with scorn.
Van Marle (2017) explores the interrelationship between mastery of language and content in terms of knowledge and skills. For many years, there has been a long-held myth that the knowledge of language translates into an individual’s superiority in terms of knowledge. However, this could not be further from the truth after multiple studies have shown that language is a skill just like playing soccer or singing. Whereas some people exhibit strong expressional skills, others do not have a similar strength. Nevertheless, this does not necessarily demonstrate that one is knowledgeable than the other based on how well they can express their points. As illustrated in the essay, Tan confesses that her mother’s limited knowledge in English had a significant impact on how she eventually perceived her. To a large extent, Tan believed that the knowledge of English determined the quality of her content. The reality is that language is a tool of expression and not a measure of intelligence. Secondly, it is a cultural tenet, and thus, it is unfair to measure someone’s ability based on something that is foreign to them.
Language is a crucial communication tool. However, poor language skills are often associated with unwarranted societal stereotypes such as a lack of intelligence or poor-quality content, among others. The author discusses the power of language as a tool for expression and demonstrating emotions. However, individuals with poor language skills are less appreciated and not taken seriously. Despite their mastery of the environment and other meaningful concepts, they are more likely to be regarded as irrelevant due to inadequate grammatical skills. The author calls for respect and appreciation of people with limited English skills because language alone cannot be used as a measure of intelligence.
References
Adeyemi, F. B., Adebola, O. C., Bassey, A. B., & Oluwabunmi, O. P. (2019). Mother-Tongue Influence Interference in the Study of English Language among Senior Secondary Schools in Ago Iwoye, Ogun State. Gender & Behavior, 17(2), 13007–13015. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=137333308&site=eds-live
Cavazos, A. G. (2019). Encouraging Languages other than English in First-Year Writing Courses: Experiences from Linguistically Diverse Writers. Composition Studies, 47(1), 38–56. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy- library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=136122910&site=eds- live&scope=site
Frie, R. (1999). Language, communication, and therapeutic interaction. The Humanistic Psychologist, 27(1), 89–113. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1080/08873267.1999.9986900
Tan, A. (1990). “Mother Tongue.” The Threepenny Review, p.7-8 1
Van Marle, K. (2017). The complicity of language, knowledge, and justice. Acta Academica, 49(1), 103–115. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.18820/24150479/aa49i1.6
Yu-tzung Chang, Jie Lu. Language Stereotypes in Contemporary Taiwan: Evidence from an Experimental Study. Journal of East Asian Studies. 2014; 14(2):211-248. doi: 10.1017/S1598240800008912.
