The definition of people as “others” can be based on the conscious or unconscious assumption that a specifically identified group poses a threat to a privileged group. This is primarily determined by politicians and the media, not by personal contact. In most cases, people do not know who they are. Thus, although today’s global anxiety is caused by globalization, technology, and a changing economy, demographic factors play a crucial role in the process of the Other. The attributes of someone defined as “othering” vary from place to place and may be based on race, religion, nationality, or language (Rashid and Cepeda-García, p. 2147). The problem, of course, is not in the attributes themselves but in how they stand out and are manipulated. Language is one of the main reasons why certain people or entire groups can be attributed to “othering.”
However, in Roxane Gay’s article, it could be seen what a burden people bear when they are separated from the “majority,” even if initially out of good intentions. A “strong black woman” imposes certain expectations on people, creating some general issues for life “as if those words cannot exist independently of one another, as if being this supposed” (Gay, 17). Being a black woman in America is one of the most challenging realities. Roxana and millions of women can say this with confidence and pride about themselves in the face of racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination and opposition they regularly face. This example could be used in this example to understand that stereotypes and perceptions of “other” people complicate life. This can also be seen in the example of migrants.
Accordingly, many families who immigrated to the country as non-native speakers may often face a language barrier. This can make immigrants feel isolated, hopeless, undervalued, and antisocial, which often leads to depression. Restrictions in speech, writing, reading, and any form of communication and understanding can prevent immigrants from making friends with American peers, getting a job, assimilating, and acclimating, and, unfortunately, can make them a target for bullying or hate crimes. In other words, immigrants’ insufficient knowledge of the language can negatively affect their integration into society. The lack of identity directly affects the interaction with the community. Since a person is a social being, they need to be a part of society. If society ignores them and perceives them as “others,” this will negatively affect their life. A lack of compassion for differences can negatively affect a person.
The most important factor demonstrating the importance of integrating immigrants into society is the need to speak the local language. In the text of Tan provides examples “and when the doctor finally called her daughter, me, who spoke in perfect English — lo and behold — we had assurances the CAT scan would be found, promises that a conference call on Monday would be held, and apologies for any suffering my mother had gone through for a most regrettable mistake ” (Tan, p. 2). Throughout the text, we learn about the difficulties and struggles the Tang family encountered due to significant language barriers and their knowledge of the English language helped them cope. In my experience, there is also an example of how the lack of language knowledge hinders integration in society. My aunt has lived here for more than 30 years, but she has not learned English and has yet to receive an education, and therefore she has not achieved the goals and dreams that she originally had. In my experience, knowing the language has helped me integrate better into society, get a job as a nanny and enroll in a local college for a language program. A language is a crucial tool for integration into society. It is necessary to master, study and develop a language to become an equal part of society to adapt to a new environment.
The above Tan’s text demonstrates examples of what problems immigrants have to face when their English is perceived to be insufficiently pure. “And I had plenty of empirical evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her” (Tan, p. 2).
In this excerpt, Tan is talking about how society treated her mother, who spoke English, not as a native speaker. That is, society deliberately ignores people whose English is not clean enough. This approach only strengthens the language barrier and prevents integration into the community. In my own personal experience of integration, there were many instances of the same. For example, during telephone conversations in English or normal day-to-day interaction, I was frequently misunderstood, which limited me not only in everyday matters but also in getting a job. It is likely that most immigrants have similar struggles and examples. The culture must develop more acceptance and tolerance such that immigrants are not discouraged from the opportunity to improve their language skills, which in turn ultimately influences their livelihood. On the contrary, linguistic integration is part of what makes our community grow.
Another example of how the lack of compassion for differences can negatively affect a person can be seen in the story of the Janitor in Space:
She told her pastor that she was coming up here to be closer to God, but really she just wanted to get away from Earth. She was tired of waiting to be recognized, waiting for someone to hear her name and turn, eyes too big, full of questions and sideshow curiosity (Sparks, p. 15). Sparks’ character is a worker in the ethereal world, a shadow who does not want to be seen by the astronauts she supports. However, her incredible pain, which manifests itself when she cleans the capsule’s surfaces, makes the janitor so detached. The janitor knows that even in the smallest human vessel, there is an unlimited storage for sadness (Sparks, p. 15). The main character feels lonely and abandoned in space, where even astronauts do not accept her, even by God. Thus, it can be noticed that when society ignores a person, it is tough to affect his condition.
Furthermore, the idea highlighted throughout the Tan’s text is that language ability does not affect mental performance:
She reads the Forbes report, listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker, reads all of Shirley MacLaine’s books with ease–all kinds of things I can’t begin to understand. Nevertheless, some of my friends tell me they understand 50 percent of what my mother says (Tan, p. 1).
In this passage, Tan is discussing that language proficiency and mental abilities are not correlated. There is often an opinion that if an immigrant cannot perfectly learn a language in a certain amount of time, then this is clear evidence of his or her weak mental indicators. However, this is fundamentally not true. In my life, I have also faced the fact that my level of English equates to the fact that I am not educated or intelligent enough. When I worked as a nanny, I needed to speak English. Communicating with children, parents, librarians, and kindergartens, as reading street signs and recipes required a basic level of reading, writing, and speaking English.
Often, I did not always manage to convey my thoughts or requests competently, and I have seen more than once how, after my “broken” English, they began to address me as if my level of intelligence was not enough to solve specific issues. In my experience, I am well acquainted with how linguistic skills are equated with mental abilities. However, even though my English could be better, I have already become one of the best speakers and pistols. Furthermore, for people to integrate into another language country, on the contrary, they need much more intellectual abilities than people who have lived in these countries since birth.
As a consequence, in Tan’s text, the main idea is the importance of language integration. Language integration of migrants speaking languages other than the host society’s language is an asymmetric and uneven process. The integration depends on the point of view of the country’s population and the migrants themselves. Host society members may feel excitement or fear for their national identity.
Moreover, as was demonstrated in the text, society treats the imperfect language of immigrants somewhat differently. This causes problems due to the inability to express your thoughts in another way. However, it is essential to learn and develop the host country’s language, as it is a sign of respect and a way to integrate into society and successfully adapt to a new country. Moreover, in this text of Sparks, we see how important it is for a person to be a part of society. She does not want to be seen by astronauts who do not notice her. It was left over from her time on Earth, where she wanted to appear invisible because the shadow of her past was hanging over her. Furthermore, the text of Roxane Gay shows how hard it is to live when people focus on their differences and do not accept them. Therefore, it is essential for any person that others assume them with their characteristics.
Many immigrants initially fear language barriers and a “broken” language, but it is not worth being afraid of. Language proficiency not at the level of a native speaker is not something shameful and does not indicate low intelligence. This only demonstrates the desire to integrate into the culture of a new country, and it is courageous. In addition, language helps to achieve an everyday social life in a robust society, for example, to make friends, find a job or go to college. Indeed, there may be such a thing in society that someone may deliberately ignore some requests or other words because an immigrant does not speak cleanly enough, but this is only a minor obstacle to integration. There is nothing shameful in a “broken” language, and it is just a language that combines two cultures.
Reference
Gay, R. “Strong Opposition.” Bitch vol. 13 no. 57, 2017, pp. 17-19.
Tan, A. (1990). Mother tongue. The Threepenny Review, 43(7), 1-4. Web.
Sparks A. (2016) The Unfinished World: And Other Stories. Liveright Publishing Corporation.