Mother Tongue

Zaira Rios.

Ms. A.

Engl_114_686

January 31, 2014

Home Language

In the lecture of Amy Tan, “Mother Tongue” is described as the way in which language develops from location in which we are raised, and unconsciously we adapt our language with each group we socialize with in our lives. Tan describes herself as someone who is “fascinated by language in daily life. There was a specific moment in the text that Tan realizes that she is using different “Englishes” in different social contexts. Tan was giving a speech about her life, writing, and her book "The Joy Luck Club," to a group of scholarly people, but her mother was also present. It was at this time that she realized that her expressions were more academic, using more formal English, a language she had never used with her mother. Along with the lecture, she relates several examples of how her mother’s “Englishes” influenced her throughout her life, and how sometimes it was a barrier to communication. It was for this reason that Amy Tan decided to write a book where the reading level is easy and understandable--for those who like her mother had difficulty with complex English grammar. In many ways, Tan’s mother’s immigration experience was molded by her grasp of the English language. At times, new immigrants are pre-judged due to their language abilities, which can make life even more difficult. As a new immigrant to the US I can relate to many of Tan’s mother’s experiences.

Amy Tan gives as an example when she was talking to her mother about furniture, she uses short expressions, without figures of speech, for example “not waste money that way." Tan wanted to avoid more complicated uses of the English language in order to ensure that her mother would understand what she was saying. Similarly, I have found myself in this situation several times. When I had just immigrated to the US, I initially lived with my parents-in-law, while my husband was away for training. During this initial time in the US, both of...