Influence of Mother Tongue of English Language - Essay Example

On page 178 of class’s anthology there is a work by Amy Tan with the title Mother Tongue. What interests me about this work is the variations in the English language in different countries. This is usually as result of the influence of mother tongue. Amy Tan, a remarkable writer who is a daughter of immigrants from China has grown in California, United States but still faces the challenge of Mother Tongue influence. She acknowledges that she has different variations of the English language that she uses and this is mainly influenced by her mother tongue and her surroundings. She makes the keen observation that she uses different forms of English language when she is addressing her audience and when she is talking to her mother. In connection to this observation, the influence of mother tongue on the English language will be discussed.

The English language is highly valued in many societies like Indians, Chinese and other ethnic groups. A lot of prestige is usually attached to this language and many people from the various communities strive to learn the language. Most of the time, a lot of attention is not given to enhance the speaking skill. The energy is mainly dedicated to teaching and learning the English language. The false assumption is usually that knowing the English language directly translates to having the proper speaking skills of the language. This is usually not the case as many learners of the English language do not acquire the accurate speaking skills of the language. The speaking skills are much influenced when a person has an ethnic language.

The articulation of each sound is usually a challenge for many bilingual speakers. The problem is made even worse because when teaching the English language pronunciation of most of these words is usually not given a priority. One of the strongest reasons why pronunciation and articulation of English words is not given a lot of importance is presence of several dialects which makes it quite difficult to address all the accent present in any English class. This has been a serious challenge in most classes with bilingual students and the spoken English has been countered with several variations due to the numerous accents among the different leaners.

Pronunciation in any language is an equally important aspect as grammar or vocabulary. The influence of mother tongue on the English language usually manifests itself in incorrect pronunciation of words. Many people usually interference or transfer words directly from the mother tongue. There is usually a major difference between the spelling symbols and the sound system in English and those in mother tongue. This usually leads to several errors in the pronunciation of several common words. The sound system of the mother tongue usually inhibits the attainment of the proper pronunciation of the English language.

Mother tongue has also been known to influence the English vocabulary. This explains why the vocabulary is usually different from one country to another. English vocabulary is mainly affected by the sound systems in many other languages. A bilingual speaker may be affected by this as they may at times add different sounds to the ends of some English words. This may in turn create a new range of English vocabulary that did not exist before (Scriprabha, 2015). The sentence word order in the English language may also be influenced by mother tongue. Lack of practice of the English language may cause a person to often make such kind of errors. In other instances, it might be a variation of the English language in order to fit in a particular setting. In the work written by Amy Tan, she admits that at some point when she was speaking with her mother she used an erroneous sentence word order. Considering that she is a remarkable writer and is very proficient in the English language, this might have been a deliberate switch of the language so that she could relate with her mother. She says, “Not waste money that way” (Tan, 2011). The sentence structure she used is incorrect and this could be a direct translation from her mother tongue.

It is very rare to find two people who speak the English language the exact same way. This is usually as result of the different mother tongues that influence our various speaking skills. Most individuals who are bilingual have a different way of understanding and speaking the English language. The influence is usually from their ethnic language that most of them have learnt from a very young age. Sometimes it is very difficult for bilinguals to speak the English language to perfection. However, this does not mean that they do not understand the language well. Sometimes the mother tongue influences may hinder the proper pronunciation of some words but the message passed is still accurate.

English is a main avenue of communication between many people as it is a common language that is understood by many globally. Language plays a very important role in the families and this may explain why people from certain ethnic societies still hold on to their mother tongues despite having a common language that they can use to relate to other people. For instance, Amy Tan, who was brought up by immigrant parents with limited proficient of the English language, is still influenced by her mother tongue. Despite her remarkable skills in the English language, she still uses a not so accurate variation of the English language when speaking with her mother. She probably does this to relate well with her mother who does not have a proper understanding of the English language.

There is no doubt that the English language is held with very high prestige across the world. Nonetheless, different people from different ethnic communities have their own way of comprehending and speaking the language. Most of the time, people assume that a person who can speak English properly is not well learned or is not intelligent enough. This is far from the truth. Some people have a proper understanding of the English language but the mother tongue influence is quite evident especially in the spoken skills.

As explained by Amy, language is a very powerful tool that allows people to express their emotions and evoke visual images. This may be quite a complex idea especially among bilinguals who often face language deprivation while speaking the English language. The mother tongue may influence how fast and effective this individual can express his/her thoughts and have a meaningful conversation with other people. The challenge usually comes in when a person has to correctly combine several words and arrange them in a certain order that makes sense to the person listening. This is a serious challenge that many bilinguals face and they are therefore unable to establish fundamental keys that they can use to establish a meaningful conversation with others.

A language should be a tool that binds individuals from various communities together and not as a way to alienate a particular person from a community. Many people use the English language to identify others as outsiders simply because they do not have the same proficiency in the spoken language as other native English speakers. A person’s command of a language has the ability to demonstrate certain truths like the ability of a person to express themselves.

There is usually this perspective that those who ae proficient in the English language are more superior. It is unfortunate that this is the simple truth that the language articulates. For instance, Amy recalls how her mother is treated badly when she seeks certain services from banks, restaurants or even stores simply because she speaks a simple foreign variation of the English language. This explains how powerful a language is as it demonstrates that it has the power to form an identity as either an outsider or a person who is discriminated against simply because they lack the prowess in speaking it. However, there are bilingual individuals who are proficient in both written and spoken English but still chooses to use different variations of the language when addressing certain people. For instance, Tan uses simple version of the language when communicating with her family and a more complex version when addressing her audience since she is a writer. She understands that although many may term the simple variations of English as being illiterate, she sees it as a form of individuality. Therefore, in conclusion, as much as mother tongue influences the English language, it also leads to the different variations of the language that create individuality.