Sometimes I wish there is only one language in the world which all human speaks fluently, so that everyone in the world can express their own ideas clearly and can understand others thoroughly. If this was true, the world will certainly be a much better place. Because many wars probably could be avoided by a long and deep conversation between the leaders of the opposing countries. An interpreter might be able to translate what one is saying to another language, but without emotions and genuineness. Imagine if Obama speaks the same language as Xi Jinping, so they could show some “love” for each other. The United States of America and People’s Republic of China might not be at odds with each other. I was born and raised in Beijing, China. I grew up learning and speaking Chinese …show more content…
Dreaming of the brightest future, to succeed in the most powerful country in the world. The most difficult thing for me, was undoubtedly communicating with people. My English was really bad, it was like what Amy Tan refers to as “broken” or “fractured” English if not worse in her “Mother Tongue”. I was really depressed at the time, and the reason for it was not the fact that my English was full of grammar mistakes and my strong Chinese accent. What really caused the depression was my inability to express my ideas clearly so that others can understand me, in other words, I could not build connections with people through communication. In “Mother Tongue” Amy Tan also described her mother’s English as “limited”, “I believe that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say That is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect. And I had plenty of empirical evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretend not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.” (Page 2 Paragraph
Amy Tan, first, describes different Englishes she speaks under two scenarios. She talks with standard-form English in her speech to a large number of people, but uses language like her mom unconsciously during family conversations. The author thinks that her mom’s “broken” English limits both their daily life and her own potentials. During her childhood, Tan has to help or represent mom to communicate with
Both the brains and the hearts of the audience have been convinced. She also used many rhetorical strategies, like emotional appeal to convey her rough childhood to the reader. She gave numerous examples of being discriminated, and stereotyped because of their race. Tan’s audience reaches out to family members who speak broken English. Amy Tan also comprehends that although people may not be able to speak perfect English, they can comprehend what others are saying, and that you shouldn't discriminate others because of their race. A persons understanding of someone who speaks “broken-English” could be very limited, but the wisdom of the “broken English” speaker is
Similarly, Wong also grew up in America with a traditional Chinese mother. In contrast, Wong’s upbringing involves her mother forcing her into attending two different schools. After her American school day, Wong continues on with Chinese school to learn both cultures. Her mother felt it was her duty to “[. . .] learn the language of [her] heritage” (Wong 144). This puts a burden on Wong as she starts to despise the Chinese culture.
In the work of Amy Tan’s “Mother’s Tongue” she provides a look into how she adapted her language to assimilate into American culture. She made changes to her language because her mother heavily relied on her for translation. She was the voice of her mother, relaying information in standard English to those who were unable to understand her mother’s broken english. She tells about her mother’s broken english and its impact on her communication to those outside their culture. Her mothers broken english limited others’ perception of her intelligence, and even her own perception of her mother was scewed: Tan said, “I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mothers ‘limited’ English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say.” (419) The use of standard english was a critical component to Tan’s assimilation into American culture. Standard English was an element she acquired to help her mother but more importantly is was an element that helped in her gain success as a writer. Tan changed her ‘Englishes’ (family talk) to include standard English that she had learnt in school and through books, the forms of English that she did not use at home with her mother. (417-418) Tan realized the ch...
Amy Tan a Chinese American writer describes in her essay her mothers struggles due to the limitation of her English. Peoples perception of her is as if she has lower intelligence because of her “broken” language. Tan also mentions that in her early life her mothers way of speaking limited her opinion of her. She points out the fact that because she liked a challenge she didn’t follow the typical Asian-American stereotype and became a writer instead. In “Mother Tongue” Amy Tan talks about her mothers difficulties in the modern day USA due to her imperfection in English.
In Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” descriptive diction emphasizes her story of growing up as a Chinese- American showing that people shouldn’t be judged by their use of language. Language can be expressed in different levels but the use of the phrase “broken english” bothered Tan she states, “as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness,”(692). Tan expresses that one cannot be judged on the basis of how varied their english maybe. Growing up bilingual Tan depicts her mother’s use of language as, “ language, as i hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery” (692). To Tan the language is familiar and comforting although many would find it unflattering, like the stock brokers and doctor
Amy Tan, the author of The Joy Luck Club, talks about in the article, Mother Tongue, how her mother’s broken English would affect her daily life, how people treat her because of it, and how she felt about her mother’s language. She also talks about when she was in school she was pushed towards science and maths because of her cultural background, as an Asian American student; when she really wanted to write English and become an English major. In the beginning paragraph of the article Tan explains how she has to depict the different Englishes she uses through her daily life in writing and how she is able to deal with it.
Despite growing up amidst a language deemed as “broken” and “fractured”, Amy Tan’s love for language allowed her to embrace the variations of English that surrounded her. In her short essay “Mother Tongue”, Tan discusses the internal conflict she had with the English learned from her mother to that of the English in her education. Sharing her experiences as an adolescent posing to be her mother for respect, Tan develops a frustration at the difficulty of not being taken seriously due to one’s inability to speak the way society expects. Disallowing others to prove their misconceptions of her, Tan exerted herself in excelling at English throughout school. She felt a need to rebel against the proverbial view that writing is not a strong suit of someone who grew up learning English in an immigrant family. Attempting to prove her mastery of the English language, Tan discovered her writing did not show who she truly was. She was an Asian-American, not just Asian, not just American, but that she belonged in both demographics. Disregarding the idea that her mother’s English could be something of a social deficit, a learning limitation, Tan expanded and cultivated her writing style to incorporate both the language she learned in school, as well as the variation of it spoken by her mother. Tan learned that in order to satisfy herself, she needed to acknowledge both of her “Englishes” (Tan 128).
“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...
Overall, this essay argues about the power of language. Tan argues through her writing how people, who struggle with English, are mistreated within the society. It is also an eye opener for those who quickly judge those who speak broken English. There are also many more families out there who struggle with the same thing. They may always ask for their kid’s help with writing letters or making a phone calls. This “broken” English has made Tan closer to her mother and her love for her mother grow. That is why she loves her mother’s tongue, it is the way they communicate and understand each other the best. However, this essay teaches us not to take the power of language for-granted and to help others not to judge those who have a hard time with English. Everyone struggles, so don’t be quick to criticize them.
My mother went to adult school to learn English, but she did not finish all the levels. Just like Tan’s mother, my mother knows the basics of English such as she, he, sad and happy. My mother can’t use nor can she understand sophisticated words. Tan’s mother also doesn’t understand the English Tan uses when giving a speech or writing a story. Tan explains to us that she cannot use the English she learned in school with her mother because her mother does not understand the concept. As with my mother, she cannot really compose a well-structured sentence. Tan states “some of my friends tell me they understand fifty percent of what my mother says.” (Tan 623) My parents do not speak English due to their lack of pronunciation and the lack of knowing what words mean. They usually do not use it because they have me talk for them. They only speak it if it is necessary, like at their jobs or at the store where there is no one that speaks Spanish and I am not
The first and second year after moving from China to the United States, I was afraid to talk to strangers because my English was not very well. I had to depend on my husband for dealing with my personal business, such as making a doctor’s appointment, calling to the bank, or questioning to DMV officers. Douglass says, “being a slave for life began to bear heavily upon my heart” (62). For myself, being a dependent and helpless adult is a shame. Moreover, I lacked of extra money to go to school to improve my English. Thus, I stayed home all the time to avoid embarrassment of talking to strangers. After a while, I realized that improving English speaking skills are the essential to gain my self-confidence. So, I spent time to read various articles on the internet and watched English dialogues’ videos on YouTube. As a non-English speaking immigrant living in the U.S., I inevitably encountered a series of difficulties to integrate myself into a new
7). It also deals with the problems her mother has faced with communication herself. Within this, Tan addresses the problems when being Asian American and growing up with the so-called lack of ‘proper’ English in the home. Teachers are prone to guiding Asian students away from writing and English language studies towards maths because of the way they communicate verbally. Completely disregarding the level of competency they may have with reading and understanding. This has allowed a very stereotypical image to be created. Tan broke the stereotypical mould, and wrote a story using all of the different Englishes she used to capture her mother’s “intent, her passion, her imagery, the rhythms of her speech, and the nature of her thoughts” (1990, para. 21). This is what language is
“Mother Tongue” is an essay that show the power of language and how Amy Tan uses the many forms of English and the different ways in which the language she knew impacted her life. I feel connected to Tan’s essay because I also come from a multilingual home. I have smart emigrant parents who are educated, but even though they are educated they still need my help with communicating with people occasionally. I believe the most important idea in Tan’s “Mother Tongue” is the limitation that an imperfect English can cause in a society and the richness that such English can bring to
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...