Mother Tongue

Mother Tongue
Author
Institution

Abstract
In the world we live in, there are many bilingual and multicultural people. Most immigrants will attest to the fact that language has a vast effect on their lives; the choices they make and the lifestyle they lead. In the article Mother Tongue, Amy Tan, a Chinese American novelist discusses how the language she was taught affected her life. Tan grew up in two different worlds using what she calls different “Englishes”; the first one comprised of her Chinese family and the other was her professional world which had perfect Standard English (Tan, 2002). Tan’s mother spoke limited English due to her ancient origin and was often judged wrongly as a result. The article emphasizes on how mother tongue has a significant impact on the life of children especially the immigrants even on their career choices. The author is however clear that the negative influences of mother tongue on children can be easily overcome.
Keywords. Mother Tongue, language, immigrants.

Mother TongueA language is a valuable tool. Without it, we become voiceless silencing the song within us. In the article Mother Tongue, Tan discusses how the language she was taught, affected her and made her view life in a different perspective. The struggles she went through due to her linguistic identity played a significant role in the person she is today. Mother tongue shapes various aspects of a child, the lifestyle they lead as adults and their future choices such as career options.

An individual is slowly molded by the effects of language as she grows up. Speaking different languages on different occasions ultimately affects lifestyle. However, one thing is vivid, even though the mother tongue shapes the various aspects of the child, the child can eventually outgrow negative influences. It can happen if the child is made to understand that it is okay for the family to speak another variation of the language when the accepted version is another. In the article, Mary claims that most Chinese immigrants end up studying engineering and other subjects that are not language sensitive since math was precise while English called for a matter of opinion and experiences. As Tan puts it, language is unique, with the ability to invoke an emotion, an image, a complex idea, or a simple truth (Tan, 2002). Consequently, it can be the glue that bonds people together or a double-edged sword that can easily alienate an individual from the society.
The author wrote the article targeting the audience which consists of people who find themselves as a minority as far as the commonly spoken language is concerned. The group mostly includes immigrants and individuals who work away from their people. The article is also directed at parents and guardians to demonstrate that kind of language variation spoken at home can affect the esteem of the child as they grow up. The challenge with this is that the parents and the caregivers may not have any other viable alternative language to speak. Receiving feedback from those people who feel affected by the notion of the mother tongue makes the situation better understood. Conducting interviews with immigrant children on how differing mother tongue-shaped their lives including career choices would produce good results. In the article, Tan describes the pain and embarrassment she felt as she was growing up when her mother received negative attitude at the shops and malls since her English was “broken” (Tan 2002). Later on in life, she became proud of her mother’s language and came to appreciate it as a language of intimacy. By changing her perception, Tan became a renowned novelist after becoming an English major.
In conclusion, to avoid the adverse outcomes of the mother tongue, it could be imperative to consider having different writing plans for such people that will aid their writing and reading skills. It could be adaptable to them, and they will significantly improve their general English. English as a language can be presented in different ways of understanding, for example, reading and writing. It is common to have most non-native English speakers read and write English with frequent mistakes due to differences in pronunciation, spelling, and arrangement of some words. In writing, therefore, there is need to create a writing plan that applies to literature. All in all learning one’s mother tongue is encouraged as it helps an individual to understand their culture and appreciate the diversity.

References.
Tan, A. (2002). Mother’s tongue. Enriching ESOL Pedagogy: Readings and Activities for Engagement, Reflection, and Inquiry, by Vivian Zamel, Ruth Spack. Lawrence Erlbaum, 431-435.