Mother Tongue by Amy Tan - Essay Example

Mother Tongue by Amy Tan In the essay Mother Tongue, Amy Tan explores the types of English she uses in her life. Sheuses one in her writing, other one in her family and one more English that connects her family with the community where they live. She writes in polished English selecting grammar structures and words which render her thoughts precisely but this language is out of use in her family as her mother uses English just to meet her basic communicative needs. This story shows that the use of any language heavily depends on the situation where it takes place because people adapt to their interlocutors by using the language expected from them. For those people who use English as their second language it is particularly difficult because their imperfect expressions of their thoughts often limit their opportunities in a given situation. Despite all difficulties, Tans story proves that good knowledge of English is really important for everyone because it goves more life opportunities and makes it easier to communicate with representatives of other cultures. Learning language is totally different from hard science as it is always certain; all people know that there is only one right solution in algebra but there are several ways to render the same thought in speech. Amy Tan uses this line of reasoning to explain why her grades in hard science have always been higher than her average achievements in English. Her explanation applies to my case as well. I find it easier to learn some historic dates or facts than language. Learning English as my second language is difficult because it presupposes a bit different way of thinking. When I use my native language, I rarely think about formulations because I make up phrases automatically. It is really different with English because there are many synonyms that have slightly different meanings. Native speakers can easily differentiate emotional connotation of particular words, but it is rather difficult for me. As a result, sometimes I use some words in the context which is not really appropriate for them. Language people use with their loved ones is always different from one they use in public. It is the reason why Amy Tan confesses that she uses the same language as her mother when she communicates with her. Even her husband speaks the same way as it is a sign of intimacy between them. The language I use in my family or with my friends is also different from one I use in writing. When I have to write an essay, I think carefully about words I use to express my thought to make them as clear as possible. When I speak with my friends, I do not have much time to think so I make mistakes, but they always understand me. This language is rich in emotions and sometimes words only support my facial expression and gestures. The language I use with my parents is totally different from two languages mentioned above. This language is full of memories and insider jokes that are never used behind the walls of our house. People who use their second language for communication often experience issues related to their imperfect knowledge of foreign language. Tan describes two situations of how her mother was the victim of bad attitude and ignorance because she did not know English well enough. Her mother was mistreated by other people because they had a difficulty to understand her speech. Moreover, her imperfect expressions made them think that she was not intelligent. In fact, she read various kinds of literature in English and knew many things, but her limited language knowledge made it difficult to render everything clearly. English is my second language and I understand this situation perfectly well. I have never experienced situations when people mistreated me, but I saw that some of them were slightly annoyed by my mistakes. Knowledge of English should not be the criterion of how people treat each other. There is a lesson all people should learn; they do not need to love each other, but they should show at least some tolerance to people who communicate with them. It is very sad to read about rude hospital staff or clerks who treated Tans mother poor language as a measure of her intellect. On the contrary, if non-native speakers have good command of English, they are respected by their interlocutors as they do not have any problems with language comprehension. In Tans story, she phoned people who offended her mother to make them apologize. She used her polished standardized English and it worked perfectly well in those situations. However, her mother could not cope with those simple tasks on her own because her speech was not similar to how other people spoke. The story by Amy Tan is a source of inspiration for many students because she breaks the stereotype that Chinese people cannot speak and write English well. Tans language is rich in imagery and originality because she spent enough time thinking about «the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth» (Tan). She turned out «to be rebellious in nature and enjoy the challenge of disproving assumptions» made about her (Tan). The story shows how people can achieve more than others expect from them by their perseverance and hard work. Even though Chinese people are believed to be smart in hard science only, they can become great writers using not their native language. I believe that the same rule applies to all people. In the modern era, many people use English as their lingua franca; their knowledge of English advances during their life and they can use their second language freely. In summary, Amy Tans inspirational story shows that there is nothing impossible in this world. Good knowledge of English benefits people because they can easier communicate with each other. If people make mistakes, they can face negative reactions of their interlocutors who treat their imperfect expressions as a sign of low intellect. After reading this story, one can understand the value of English better as it is presented contextually. All misfortunes experienced by Tans mother can happen with everyone; however, there is a change to prevent them by studying hard and paying more attention to language learning. Even those students who have their Science majors should work better on their English as it will enable them to express their thoughts in depth. Work Cited Tan, Amy. "Mother tongue".  February 6, 2008. Web. September 22, 2014. < http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/guorui/2008/02/06/mother-tongue-by-amy-tan/> Read More