The Role of Mother Tongue - Essay Example

Mother Tongue Amy Tan considers her mother tongue as broken or fractured English. Traditionally, the mother tongue is in high esteem. It is considered a sign of heritage. In this case, Amy Tan despises her “broken “English instead of identifying herself with the unique language. She regards her mother tongue as an inferior language instead of being proud of it. Traditionally, individuals are categorized according to the kind of English that they speak. In this case, the family of Amy Tan has the perspective that they cannot fully integrate with other people because they will not be able to communicate properly.

Her perception changes when she found out that people who are highly ranked in society, such as bankers, are also affected by the “broken” English. Adjectives such as broken English and fractured English are used to describe Amy Tan’s English. She does not like those descriptions because she believes that the whole purpose of spoken English is to communicate ideas and feelings. In this case, she has no problem with her language since she can communicate effectively. In this case, her English can only be referred to as non-native English.

Due to her poor English, Amy Tan’s mother went through some difficult experiences. In an instant, she had difficulties discussing with her daughter over new and used furniture. The story describes this incident as unfortunate since society expects a mother to communicate effectively with her children. In another incident, she often gave Amy Tan her mobile phone to make communications on her behalf. Many people assume that the English that is spoken by Amy Tan’s mother are not comprehensive.

In the story, some argue that they only understand a certain percentage while others lament that they do not understand at all. My take on this is that attitude affects the way people perceive spoken language. Toward the end of the story, the author talks about the conflict emanating from the notion that there are only a few Asian Americans involved in creative writing programs. She solved the conflict by majoring in English at her college. I agree with her resolution. Being an English scholar, Amy Tan would be able to challenge the equilibrium of only Native Americans being involved in creative writing.