Since English is essential in getting by in America, people are more likely to judge a person by his/her English mastery. If you speak English well and fluently, you are quite respected. In other words, if you speak “Broken” English, they may subconsciously think of you as less intelligent than people who speak Standard English. However, does a person’s language mastery reflect complete personality? Since it has not been officially approved that language reveals complete personality, it is inaccurate to judge a person by his/her language mastery.
The dangers of linking one's worth to his/her language mastery are obvious as it promotes racial discrimination and the loss of identity. Racial discrimination, which actions against equality and the fundamental human rights of another simply because of race or other factors of identity, is by far the biggest issue result from the linkage between language and personality. Since English becomes essential worldwide, people who don't speak English well are often discriminated against by people who do. An example is Chang-Rae Lee’s mother, from the article “Mute in an English-Only World”. As a Korean immigrant who only speaks a little English and mostly Korean, she goes through a huge humiliation and embarrassment because of her "Broken" English. While she goes to a market to buy oxtail, she acts like a mute because she doesn’t know how to speak “Oxtail” in English. Because of that, the male server acts rudely and impatiently to her, which makes her furious and go mad later in the parking lot. However, at the end of his article, Lee indicates that his mother is an enthusiastic English learner who keeps studying English till she dies of cancer. She turns out to be a person th...
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...e a person? The true judgment comes from interaction. By interacting with individuals, you will acquaint their behaviors and content of their characters further. As for language, there is little that it can reveal about a person. Thus, in order to make our multinational society more acceptable, we should avoid the linkage and be understanding in any circumstance.
A person's language mastery does not reflect complete personality. A person’s accent, tone and style do not really tell a great deal about him/her. We can’t learn much about a person just by talking to him/her for a few minutes. Despite it is Standard English or not, it’s time to be a bit more open-minded. Hopefully, there will be the day that people would not think something negatively when they hear someone’s “Broken” or “Limited” English. Instead, would give them a kind hand
and smile.
Language can defined the type of person you become and it has an influence on our choices as well as lifestyle. Language itself has become a way of seeing life in a different perspectives. Tan discusses the many ways in which language has played a role in her life and the result from it. I can relate to Tan’s experience to some extent because I come from a bilingual household too. Just like Tan, I am one of my mother’s main source of communication with people who don’t speak spanish. I believe the notion of Tan’s “Mother Tongue” is stating that just because someone who cannot speak the English language perfectly, is considered less intelligent to many compared to those who can understand and speaks it fluently. But what makes us all unique is that it is rare to find two or more people who speak the same exact English. Even though both Tan and I helped our parent and come from different ethnic backgrounds; Tan came from a Chinese family while I came from a Hispanic family. We both share similar ideas about the language spoken in our household, and it was also a big challenge for both of us while we were being raised by an immigrant parent who spoke only “limited English”(Tan
Language is truly part of our identity: our languages shape who we are. That is why we always have to be tolerant and comprehensive with others’ accents, typical phrases, or grammatical errors. Writers that really make an impact when referring to language and identity are Gloria Anzaldua and Amy Tan, with their readings “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” and “Mother Tongue” respectively. These two writers, with completely different backgrounds, shared their views about how language and identity are intertwined.
Language is a powerful tool and manner on how we, as people, live and socialize. It is a gateway to communication and how to interpret things. As humans, we often distinguish ourselves as individuals through language, creating a sort of identity through linguistics among our fellow peers. In present times, it is just as significant how we say things as to what we say. It has become the norm to categorize others based off how they speak. This act of divergence is powerful, the judging prematurely of and setting standards to certain social groups leads to stereotyping and cultural bias. Linguistic determinism
In the essay, “How To Tame A Wild Tongue”, by Gloria Anzaldua and the essay, Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan, the ignorance shown by many people is highlighted. Amy Tan’s essay focuses on how some people look down on others who do not speak English without an accent. Anzaldua’s essay focuses on how people do not have a broad view of language and often look down upon others who do not speak the language that they speak. Both of the essays address language, but the broader topic that they acknowledge is more important. The essays both acknowledge how humans feel uncomfortable around people that are different from them, and often demean others. People demean others due to people wanting to look more powerful by giving their views correctness while discrediting
Sometimes by giving something up, a person gains something more valuable. For example, those who speak English as a second language often struggle in public. They mix up words, mispronounce them, and use wrong grammar. In result, those with bad English skills often get discriminated and taken advantage of. It is hard for them to get hired because people just assume they are not smart enough. Therefore, learning English and letting go of a private language is a solution to an easier life because fitting in means being accepted by people and being accepted by people means success.
“I think my mother’s English almost had an effect on 5) limiting my possibilities in life as well. Sociologists and linguists probably will tell you that a person’s developing language skills are more influenced by peers. But I do think that the language spoken in the fa...
When it comes to languages- language is a major role that helps us communicate. Whether it's solving an issue or informing one another. In society, language can either make you feel as if you're apart of a civilization or it can make you feel isolated if you don't speak it the proper way. In the article, Se Habla Español, by Tanya Maria Barrientos, Barrientos talks about how growing up Hispanic and not being able to speak her native language (Spanish) was very challenging. Barrientos came to America from Guatemala in the year of 1963 at the age of three. Since then, Barrientos wasn't able to speak her language due to her parents assimilating into the American culture. Back then, America wasn't the most accepting country. Anyone who identified themselves as Mexican American or Afro American was viewed and considered dangerous radicals. Barrientos parents just wanted Barrientos to grow up, living outside of the American stereotype of minorities. Another writing that supports my accusation about how language and physical appearance can make a person feel isolated is Mother Tongue by Amy Tan. Tan expresses that her mother is Chinese and she speaks what Americans called "Broken English". According to http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=broken+english "Broken English is a "Incorrect or awkwardly structured English, usually spoken or written by non-native speakers." "Broken+English." Urban Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.
Growing up in a bilingual family, Tan can hardly escape from encountering phrases such as “limited English” and “broken English” for countless times. She dislikes the phrases as she mentions, “it has always bothered me that I can think of no other way to describe it other than ‘broken,’ as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as it lacked of certain wholeness and soundness. I’ve heard other terms, ‘limited English,’ for example. However, they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions of limited English speaker” (634). People raise and teach their children the definition of “limited” as imperfect, “damaged and nee...
Language can be a difficult task to foreigners who have already achieved a first language. In “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, “Mute in an English-only World” by Chang-Rae Lee, and “Leave your Name at the Border” by Manuel Munoz, the authors explain how people are judged by their “broken language”, and their lack of understanding the English language. Tan, Lee, and Munoz admits that by not being fluent in English, it was hard to adjust to the new world that they lived in. The authors explained that throughout their life-time, English was very important to them; they also felt embarrassed in front of others who could not understand what they were saying. By having an accent in America can be a burden on individuals whether it is due to a feeling of being unwelcomed or alienated by others.
Most people who grow up with a foreign language spoken in there house grow up with an advantage in society. This advantage can only occur once the individual learning that foreign language also learns the dominant language spoken in that country. Once both of these languages are learned and mastered, the individual has now placed them se...
My parents didn’t want me to be made fun of for being mexican like they were when they were in school, so they didn’t teach me how to speak spanish. If only they knew how different our country is now as opposed to when they were in school. Spanish is America’s second language, making it an extremely valuable skill to have. In the poem, I Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes, it says, “Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed -- I too, am America.” This poem shows how in the past, the hate against other races was extremely visible, but people knew their worth and they knew that people who treated them wrong would regret it in the grand scheme of things. Knowing multiple languages opens up a wide range of job opportunities. When employers see the skill set that you have, speaking multiple languages and coming from a culturally diverse background is desired and often looked for. These traits can show that you have to ability to bring them new perspectives, thoughts, and ideas, based on where you came from. Knowing your story is an important part of knowing what makes you an
Amy Tan is the author of the essay Mother Tongue. In this essay, she explains how the power of language has influenced her life through her mother and the experiences they have had together concerning her mother's English-speaking ability, or lack there of. She was born into a Chinese family where both Chinese and English were spoken. She is sensitive to and accepting of people's lingual differences. She talks about how the inability to speak English well in America gives others the wrong impression: "...everything is limited, including people's perceptions of the limited English speaker" (Tan 13). She is saying here that prolific English speakers place limitations on people who have limited English-speak...
...xpressing her Chinese culture. Mastering a second language allows her to articulate her and her mother’s thoughts; it is a foundation for her pride and a foundation to express herself. For Gloria Anzaldua, instead of choosing one language over the other, she chose a mix of the two and fights for it. She realized the value of her language when she lost it and now treasures it. The kind of Spanish she speaks is neither English nor Spanish, but both. It is overflowing with culture from Medieval Spain, France, Germany, etc., just from the origins of the words. It is her pride and a representation of herself, fighting and living. In conclusion, in addition to Lera Boroditsky’s article proving that the structure of language affects how we think, the articles by Eric Liu, Amy Tan, and Gloria Anzaldua show how language is a foundation for a person’s culture, pride, and self.
If you are not fluent in a language, you probably don 't give much thought to your ability to make your personality attractive, to be in touch with the people and be understood in your world, that doesn’t mean you are an underestimated person. Every person has something special to make them more unique, remarkable, and gorgeous between people. The opinions could lead towards success, or those opinions could be one that is losing, and have a negative impact on how people connect with you. In Amy Tan 's “Mother Tongue” she made this book for several reasons. She had started her life by learning language, and she always loved to spend her time to learn language, but this story focuses about Amy Tan 's mother with her terrible English,
What language we use, how we use it, and why we use it are all essential in others perceptions of us. If a man’s first comment to somebody is “Hey Baby, how you doing?” with a gloating tone and boastful...