Topic: A person should be able to choose his or her own mother tongue language in a multilingual society (Singapore). Thesis: Singapore is a multilingual society where mother tongues are state assigned based on race. One should not be pigeonholed into a specific mother tongue based on the social group they were born into, but be able to decide which they are more suited for. The supporting reasons are: 1. People born into multilingual environments should not be pigeonholed into a single mother tongue. In this context, their affiliation and inclination to certain languages may be stronger than the one supposedly inherited. (Rampton, 1995) 2. The globalization of languages has shifted the importance of some and brought to contention others. …show more content…
In contrast with the viewpoint of culture as something static, derived by the common ways of interaction and living, and ‘people’s ways of making sense of their lives’ (Pennycook 1994: 66) Grappling with this notion, the act of assigning mother tongue languages to ethnic communities reveals a sort of contradiction (Wee, 2006). Corroborating Alsagoff’s argument, Wee (2006) illustrates that by giving mother tongue languages the role of a cultural archive, this in fact erases Singapore’s identity as a society of immigrants. Therefore, the former implies that the labeling of mother tongue languages to distinct ethnic groups is in itself a violation of the Singaporean multicultural …show more content…
(2010), English in Singapore: culture, capital and identity in linguistic variation. World Englishes, 29: 336–348. Bolton, K., & Ng, B. C. (2014). The dynamics of multilingualism in contemporary Singapore. World Englishes, 33(3), 307-318. doi:10.1111/weng.12092 Pennycook, Alastair (1994) The Cultural Politics of English as an International Language. London: Longman. Rampton, Ben. 1990. Displacing the ‘native speaker’: Expertise, affiliation and inheritance. ELT Journal 44(1). 97–101. Tan, Y. (2014). English as a ‘mother tongue’ in Singapore. World Englishes, 33(3), 319-339. Wee, L. (2006), The semiotics of language ideologies in Singapore1. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 10:
Mother Tongue was originally part of a speech that Amy Tan had given while she participated in a panel entitled,”Englishes: Whose English is it anyway?” in 1989. The author describes in detail how she finds herself using various forms of English, depending on who she is around. She also makes the point on how hard life can be for someone who doesn’t speak good English.
The English Only movement has been around for a long time, but it has been overlooked by most. Most Americans speak English from the moment they learned to talk; many others learn English as a second language. For this reason, many Americans oppose to the existence of non-English languages being spoken in the United States. In Warren J. Blumenfeld’s essay “‘English Only’ Laws Divide and Demean”, the author speaks about the “English Only” Movement and how people who support and oppose it feel towards this situation. He uses rhetorical appeals such as ethos, logos, and pathos in order to make people understand the severity of the situation and for the writing to have an effect on its readers.
Reading Amy Tan 's "Mother Tongue", I came across the idea of language being "fractured and broken". In the essay, she provided examples of how her mother 's limited English caused her to be given poor service by staff at department stores, banks, and restaurants; she stated how they would consider her mother’s lack of depth in her thinking was caused by the "broken" or "limited" use of the English language. Conversely, she thinks that her mother 's English is "vivid, full of observation and imagery". We have given that language many names: non-native tongue, broken English…but I think Chinglish is what gives it the most character. Indeed, Chinglish is what creates meaning for the speaker and highlights the emotional aspects of the native tongue, despite it being the literal translation of a Chinese phrase (which makes it grammatically incorrect with funny pronunciation and deemed as a form of "broken English").
In her writing, Tan often describes her experiences as the child of Chinese immigrants, growing up in northern California and living in American culture. Tan explains how she has learned to embrace the many Englishes her mother speaks and how her background has also caused her to have different Englishes. While others classify her mother's English as "broken" she finds no fault in it. In Tan's view, just because something is broken does not necessarily mean that it is in need of fixing. In her essay, author Amy Tan addresses the connections between languages and cultures in describing the different Englishes her mother uses.
Out of Breath Becoming accustomed to a new language is difficult, especially when it is not one’s primary language. Amy Tan, the author of “Mother Tongue” went through this same situation. Tan’s mother had a hard time with the way she spoke English because no one seemed to understand what she wanted to convey. Amy Tan uses her story as a way to let the audience know about how language can lead people to be prejudice, connect people, change perception and open new doors in life.
The power of language We all have some form of language limitations, no matter where we come from and what our background is. “Mother tongue” by Amy Tan and “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldua both share similar themes in their stories that demonstrate how they both deal with how different forms of the same language are portrayed in society. In both stories they speak about what society declares the right way of speech and having to face prejudgment, the two authors share their personal experiences of how they’ve dealt with it.
There are two type of families. There is one family that speak only English and the other one that speak their home language and English in their household. Those type of families that speak two or more languages in their household are mostly immigrants that move to the United States. Their child or children will grow up speaking perfect English while their parents will speak poor English. In Amy Tan “Mother Tongue”, she talks about how without proper English it is sometimes difficult to get through daily life.
For numerous amounts of people, with English being their second language, they have been described as having "Broken English". " Broken English" refers to a poorly spoken or ill-written version of the English language. One article called "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan discusses the effects of growing up with a Chinese mother who has "Broken English". In fact, Tan deliberates about the limitations and criticism of growing up with her mother. Although Tan speaks articulate English, she still can comprehend with her mother 's "Broken English".
Writer and novelist Amy Tan in her essay “Mother Tongue”, narrates that speaking “broken” or “fractured” English is not a bad thing. Tan’s purpose is to show the readers her interpretation of different Englishes and what affect her mother had on her. Amy Tan builds a case in “Mother Tongue” that just because some people don’t speak English perfectly, doesn’t mean that they are stupid or ignorant. Tan uses metaphors such as “broken” (8) and “fractured” (8), these words are strong metaphors due to the fact that they give the reader an easy understanding of what Tan is trying to say. Tan uses these metaphors as a way of describing how her mother spoke, while trying not to offend her.
“Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan is the short story about the importance of language and how it is a key for communication. Tan emigrated from China to Oakland, California and she was a first generation of Asian-American. The author is very fascinated by the language and she believes that the language has the power of emotions, a visual image, a complex idea, and a simple truth. She also believes that there are many different types of “Englishes”.
In Amy Tan‘s essay “Mother Tongue” (1999), she describes her life with her mother in America and how the broken speech of her mother has had an influence on her life. Amy Tan talks about the different “Englishes" she speaks to communicate with different people. Also, she tells us about her love for English and how she becomes a famous writer in America. In her essay she tries to shows us that language, culture, and education shapes us into who we are and the more you study English the more you learn and English will change your life a lot.
After reading Mother Tongue by Amy Tan, my perspective changed about the struggles for people who are not as good at English. All throughout this article Tan uses personal experience from her mom to show the readers the struggle while also using primary sources to back up her claim. All the evidence backs up her initial claim and as the reader your perspective changes after reading about how she personally was effected. The author 's main claim of Mother Tongue is to persuade people so respect people who struggle with English because she has serval personal connections, she has fact based proof, and she is an experienced writer on this topic and in general. All throughout the reading she uses many personal stories and personal experiences on how difficult it was for her mother to go through her everyday life.
The article 'Mother Tongue ' by author Amy Tan is about the variations in the English language the author uses in her life. She describes her English when giving a speech to a other people, English she uses when speaking to her mother, and English she uses in her writing. She tells of difficulties faced by both her mother and herself from these many differences. Amy 's goal in this article is to show that a person does not have to speak proper English to be seen as smart or intelligent.
Having the same language as others is something that brings people together-- whether it is around the dinner table, in an office, or in a grocery store. Language helps to bring people together and is a curator for community building. And in the eyes of many, this community that stems from a language is true, as long as the language being spoken is one that they prefer. For a long while there has been a “hierarchy” of language, and English sits a top of the food chain. When English is glorified, it is seen as the key to success and continuously other languages have been pushed out and looked down upon-- resulting in closed off cultures for others.
Summary of "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan In "Mother Tongue, Amy Tan writes about how her mother 's broken English affects her life. She begins this narrative essay by talking about the day she became aware of the different forms of English that she was using at home and during formal events. Amy says, "The talk was going along well enough, until I remembered one major difference that made the whole talk sound wrong. My mother was in the room. And it was perhaps the first time she had heard me give a lengthy speech, using the kind of English I have never used with her" (Tan 1).