Jose Garcia

ENG 2100

10/21/2021

Although language allows us to experience other people’s cultures, “broken English” is often stereotyped and looked down upon. Due to the discrimination against non-native English speakers, they are not given equal opportunities compared to others. The limitations that immigrants face, from education to day-to-day experiences, force them to assimilate to receive fair treatment. To change this we must raise awareness of the unfair criticism many immigrants receive due to their linguistic differences. A person’s tongue can only reveal their cultural background, it does not fully represent their characteristics and ideas. 

In the essay, Mother Tongue 1990, author Amy Tan addresses the stereotypes and challenges non-native English speakers face and argues that language does not characterize someone. She supports her claim by describing her mother’s relationship with English and how those experiences have affected Tan. Amy Tan’s purpose is to persuade the reader in order to change how non-native English speakers are perceived. Because of the author’s informal and concerned tone, it seems she writes for a general audience.

  The English language is taught to have a correct way to speak. This leads to people being critical of those who are not as well-spoken. People perceive “limited language” as a way to validate others’ ideas and characteristics. Amy Tan sets the tone at the beginning of the essay by claiming she is “not a scholar of the  English or literature(1).” Rather she defines herself as a writer that loves language and uses all her languages as a tool. Amy Tan favors this informal tone to help the audience relate and connect with her stories. The tone allows Amy Tan to use her pathos to persuade the audience of the discrimination which non-native English speakers face.  Throughout Amy Tan’s essay, she describes the language she grew up learning as “broken English”. However, she states that she dislikes the term because it has a limiting perspective on a person. Amy Tan argues that her language is not “limited” because it would imply that something is not correct about her native tongue. She explains that her mother’s linguistic ability “belies how much she actually understands(1).” Amy Tan chooses this diction to argue that labeling a person’s language skills as “limited” or “broken” causes them to become negatively stigmatized. Rather than attempting to divide each other based on their linguistic skill, we should celebrate and support them. A person’s linguistic ability does not correlate to their ability to learn or express.  In order to change the discrimination non-native English speakers face, we must realize that language is only a form of expression. Amy Tan explains why she chose to use her mother’s diction to help write her book “The Joy Luck Club”. Tan explains she “…wanted to capture what language ability tests can never reveal: her [mother’s] intent, her passion, her imagery, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts(3).” Amy Tan suggests that writing in her native language allows her to express specific ideas and emotion. Rather than focusing on formal language, she uses her native language to better connect with her audience. Amy Tan shows how crucial it is for us to preserve people’s native tongue rather than discriminate against it. Ideally, language should allow us to connect rather than leading others to discriminate against a person based on their linguistic skills. If other’s realized that language is a tool for self-expression, they would no longer misperceive “limited” language. “Broken English” causes a person to face discrimination in their day-to-day lives. In effect, this causes immigrants to assimilate to attain fair treatment. Amy Tan recalls the moment where a doctor had lost her mother’s CAT scan. Although her mother attempted to communicate with the doctor, they did not resolve the issue until the doctor spoke with Tan who was well-spoken in English(2). Amy Tan uses this experience to show the audience how their family has realized the limitations of “broken English”. Tan’s mother is voiceless due to the discrimination she faces from her limited language skills. Non-native English speakers, like Amy Tan’s mother, face prejudice against their linguistic abilities in their day-to-day life.  Even in grave situations, people find way’s to discriminate against people with different linguistic skills. This shows how deeply rooted these prejudice against non-native English speakers go. Constantly discriminated against, non-native English speakers are forced to assimilate to attain equal treatment.  Additionally, Immigrants are not given equal opportunities in their education compared to other native English speakers. This is because our learning system is not built for students from immigrant families who have different linguistic experiences. Amy Tan argues that her mother’s language “had an effect on limiting [her] possibilities in life…(2).” Tan persuades the audience by using logos to describe how her mother teaching her “broken English” negatively impacted her ability to score well in English standardized tests. She argues that students raised in households of non-native English speakers are steered away from writing and into math and sciences, similar to her experiences. Amy Tan shows how growing up learning “broken English” impaired her English ability in school. I agree that due to the struggles that non-native speakers face, they are often lured away from writing. Our education system must change to accommodate people with different linguistic backgrounds. Overall language should allow us to build a different perspective on our world rather than limiting it. 

Non-native English speakers are discriminated against leading them to have unequal opportunities. They are limited in their personal experiences in all aspects of their lives, from daily experiences to their educational careers. Amy Tan portrays these struggles using pathos to describe her family’s language experiences, as well as logos to argue her discrimination in her educational career. With her informal tone, she was able to connect with her audience by portraying the emotions had during her experiences. According to Amy Tan, we must realize that “everything is limited, including people’s perceptions of the limited English speaker(2).” We must change how we view language so that it is seen as a tool for expression rather than allowing it to dictate how we perceive someone. Hearing the story of Amy Tan’s family leads me to question how many immigrant families have faced similar experiences with less fortunate outcomes.