It is fair to say that the opinion about people is often based on the way they use language. In the essay Mother Tongue, Amy Tan (2006) reflects on different aspects related to intelligence and the use of language varieties. Referring to her own experience, the author describes how her mother’s language affected people’s perception of her. Moreover, she analyzes her speech and how it differs in various circumstances. I think that Tan’s essay is an example of a comprehensive and profound discussion about how limited language proficiency may create a misinterpreted image of an individual. Indeed, the choice of vocabulary and grammatical structures alone does not define one’s mental abilities, especially if this person is not the native speaker of the language. Moreover, using simple language may make a literary work more understandable and clear for readers. Therefore, the author’s key claim is that language does not define the speaker’s intelligence and that implementing different levels of language proficiency contributes to making one’s work more accessible.
The first evidence in support of Tan’s statement is that in everyday life, people use different levels of language proficiency, which is not connected with their mental abilities. Indeed, this language change may happen unconsciously since people adapt to the linguistic peculiarities of their companions during the conversation. The author herself can use a sophisticated and grammatically correct language in a company of people who expect high language proficiency from her (Tan, 2006). At the same time, since she grew up in an Asian American family, Tan unconsciously makes grammar mistakes in everyday talk with her mother. For example, the author mentions the situation when she was giving a talk about her fiction to a large group of people. She recollects that her speech was “burdened” with “nominalized forms, past perfect tenses, conditional phrases, forms of standard English,” since she was talking to the audience with high English proficiency (Tan, 2006, p. 20). Her mother was in the room but could hardly understand Tan’s words. This example proves that people may use different types of language regardless of their intelligence.
Moreover, it is possible to suggest that even though limited English proficiency is often perceived as a lack of literacy, it may have special significance for the speaker. Tan (2006) emphasizes that the kind of language she uses in the conversation with her mother reflects intimacy between them. She mentions that since this language was commonly used in her family when she was a child, she developed her understanding of the world through the prism of her mother’s English (Tan, 2006). Therefore, the important idea of the essay is that speakers’ language is often determined by their environment and immediate surrounding.
The second thought related to the topic is that people with limited language proficiency may still demonstrate a high level of intelligence in other spheres. Even though others refer to Tan’s mother’s language as “limited,” the author considers it “vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery” (Tan, 2006, p. 21). According to the author, her mother’s “expressive command of English belies how much she understands” (Tan, 2006, p. 21). Even though her speech may be hardly understandable for other people, she is still able to communicate and comprehend difficult language input. Another example that Tan (2006) introduces is that many Asian American students are not proficient in English but brilliant in mathematics and engineering. However, it is hard to deny that language limitations often affect people’s perception of the speaker. The reason for this is that people tend to relate the quality of language to the quality of the message itself.
In addition to this idea, noticing the inaccuracies of one’s speech is not enough to have a full image of a person. Tan (2006) underlines that it is necessary to understand the cultural and linguistic background of the speaker. Indeed, immigrants often face challenges connected with a new cultural environment and nuances of the foreign language. Therefore, intelligence and speech are two separate notions, and stereotyping people by their language proficiency is a serious social issue that needs to be solved.
Finally, an important idea covered in the essay is connected with the use of different types of language in literary work. When Tan started her career as a fiction writer, she tried to use sophisticated language with complicated vocabulary and sentence structure to demonstrate her English proficiency. However, to make her stories more accessible and clear for her readers, she started to use different varieties of English. After adopting her language of narration to the linguistic peculiarities of her mother’s speech and “the nature of her thoughts,” she conveyed her message more understandably (Tan, 2006, p. 23). Moreover, used in direct speech, limited English may also help depict certain characters and give information about their origin and education. At the same time, it is still reasonable to adopt the language of narration to the common literary norms to make it as clear as possible. Therefore, limited English proficiency may serve for specific goals of the text, not reflecting the author’s intelligence.
In conclusion, it is possible to say that the analyzed essay provides a comprehensive and clear discussion about the complexity of English varieties used in everyday life and literature. According to the author, the language alone cannot demonstrate the mental abilities of the speaker. Moreover, using different varieties of the language may contribute to making a speech or a text more emphatic and accessible for comprehension. Tan confirms that her English in different situations varies: she uses simple language with her family and a more complicated, grammatically correct English with a group of native speakers or literate audience. Then, she emphasizes that limited English proficiency may be explained by one’s background rather than an insufficient level of intelligence. Finally, using different varieties of language in writing makes the author’s message more understandable for the audience.
The present analysis proved how critical thinking and proper revision influence the quality of academic writing. In my future academic and professional work, I will be able to note the author’s intents and connotations in different kinds of texts. The skills gained through this writing activity will help me consider suggested ideas from different points of view, find the evidence presented by the author, and form my judgment. Finally, careful revision helps identify the inaccuracies of the analysis. By critically evaluating the quality of the text, I will be able to correct mistakes and discrepancies that can prevent readers from understanding my work. Combined, these skills contribute to effective analytical work with the text.
Reference
Tan, A. (2006, October). Mother tongue. Read, 20-23.