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Language as a barrier to communication paper
Language as a barrier to communication paper
Language barrier in society
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Natives in a New World Language can be a difficult task to foreigners who have already achieved a first language. In “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, “Mute in an English-only World” by Chang-Rae Lee, and “Leave your Name at the Border” by Manuel Munoz, the authors explain how people are judged by their “broken language”, and their lack of understanding the English language. Tan, Lee, and Munoz admits that by not being fluent in English, it was hard to adjust to the new world that they lived in. The authors explained that throughout their life-time, English was very important to them; they also felt embarrassed in front of others who could not understand what they were saying. By having an accent in America can be a burden on individuals whether it is due to a feeling of being unwelcomed or alienated by others. Day by day, there are foreigners whose first language may not be English. There can be difficulty in learning a new language in a new land, and it can be hard to adjust to …show more content…
different customs that one may not be used to. In the article by Lee, he states that “staying mostly at home… she didn’t have many chance’s to try out sundry words and phrases. When she did, say, at the window of the post office, her readied speck would stall, freeze, sometimes altogether collapse” (93). Lee explained how his mother had trouble speaking fluent English in front of native speakers. No matter how hard she practiced and read her English workbook, she still had trouble adjusting, and would sometimes use her kids to help her. Though at the end of the article Lee asked a great question, “I wonder what these same people would have done if they had seen my mother studying her English workbook-or lost in the store. Would they have nodded gently at her? Would they have lent a kind word?”(95). Lee’s curiosity shows and questions the humanity and the self-worth of others, to be able to help those that are in need. Traveling to new places around the world can become a hard task, especially while being alienated in a country that one is not accustomed to. In “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, she experienced a time in her life with her mother, where being Asian American was hard, when people could not understand them, and some felt ashamed just because of their accents. In the article Tan states that “…. when I was growing up, my mother “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English…. I had plenty of empirical evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, banks, and at a restaurant 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” (87). Non-native speakers may feel like an embarrassment and become isolated to their families and others due to their accents. Seeing someone being alienated can change a person’s perspective of others. By observing how hard it may be for non-natives to speak and talk this can make foreigners feel like they are unwelcomed. It may be hard for others when people judge them by their name, accents, and looks.
In “Leave your Name at the Border” by Manuel Munoz, he explains that one culture should not be above another. That sometimes it is hard for people who do not know Spanish to pronounce their names in English. In the article Munoz stated that, he avoided people because of not wanting to say his name, and that he felt burdened by his own past. Munoz felt that by growing up in a small town and the limitations Spanish had. Spanish was not accepted by other students or other’s like Munoz felt like they were dominated by the native language (83). Therefore, this can be similar to adapting to a new land. Because, of a countries dominate language. Just because, people can speak Arabic and Spanish by pronouncing with their throat and rolling their tongue. This process can be hard for non-native speakers to say their name in English. Being shunned because of one’s accent can make individuals fell unwelcome and
alienated. Languages and culture can either bring a nation together or tear it apart. In the three articles Tan, Lee and Munoz had all expressed one thing and that is that accents can be a burden on individuals. Whether accents can cause people to become unwelcomed or alienated by others this situation can vary from place to place. By not helping others people will become bystanders; instead natives should help non-native speakers by giving them a helping hand. By helping others this will truly show the humanity in people. The importance of language is that it can help people communicate with others. However, language can put limitations on one’s life by them being unable to verbally communicate with foreigners.
Throughout Richards early childhood development he quickly understood that in order to succeed in America he would have to learn to confidently speak in English. Richard is Hispanic American and although he was born in America, Spanish was the only language that he was exposed to as a young child. He grew up in a home where Spanish flowed freely, but he soon realized outside of his home the language that he primarily knew was foreign. His parents spoke fluent Spanish along with all of his relatives. The brief encounters he experienced of his parents speaking English were only in public places and the proficiency was very poor. Rodriguez’s home was as a safety net for him and his Spanish speaking family with they are his only real connections to the outside world. It wasn’t until Richards encounter with his teachers that he and his family was heavily impressed on the importance of developing a public language. After the encouragement of the visit home from a teacher as a family
The audience Tan is reaching are people who are very ignorant to the fact that others who speak broken English, regardless of race, know that they are taken advantage of and are not given the respect that a fluent English speaking person would get. The essay is also aimed toward people who can relate to the ?language of intimacy? (36), which is a different sort of English ...
The non-native English speakers had to assimilate. When they came to the United States to live their new life in the states. In the article “Leave Your Name at the Border,” Munoz’s stepfather had to change his name so that he could better support his family in the states but if had never changed his name he was at risk of getting passed over for a job. “This isn’t to say that my stepfather welcomed the change, only that he could not put much resistance,” for a country that’s supposed to have freedom but does not allow to keep your name which is part of your culture so that you could be better accepted into their
Another difficulty cultures deal with is language and the way people speak. In some cases, people struggle to belong by making changes in the way they speak the English language just to be assimilated. They attempt to use words and letters, as well as body language that fit in the norm; all in an attempt to denounce their original intonation and style of pronunciation. One ...
In the work of Amy Tan’s “Mother’s Tongue” she provides a look into how she adapted her language to assimilate into American culture. She made changes to her language because her mother heavily relied on her for translation. She was the voice of her mother, relaying information in standard English to those who were unable to understand her mother’s broken english. She tells about her mother’s broken english and its impact on her communication to those outside their culture. Her mothers broken english limited others’ perception of her intelligence, and even her own perception of her mother was scewed: Tan said, “I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mothers ‘limited’ English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say.” (419) The use of standard english was a critical component to Tan’s assimilation into American culture. Standard English was an element she acquired to help her mother but more importantly is was an element that helped in her gain success as a writer. Tan changed her ‘Englishes’ (family talk) to include standard English that she had learnt in school and through books, the forms of English that she did not use at home with her mother. (417-418) Tan realized the ch...
English is an invisible gate. Immigrants are the outsiders. And native speakers are the gatekeepers. Whether the gate is wide open to welcome the broken English speakers depends on their perceptions. Sadly, most of the times, the gate is shut tight, like the case of Tan’s mother as she discusses in her essay, "the mother tongue." People treat her mother with attitudes because of her improper English before they get to know her. Tan sympathizes for her mother as well as other immigrants. Tan, once embarrassed by her mother, now begins her writing journal through a brand-new kaleidoscope. She sees the beauty behind the "broken" English, even though it is different. Tan combines repetition, cause and effect, and exemplification to emphasize her belief that there are more than one proper way (proper English) to communicate with each other. Tan hopes her audience to understand that the power of language- “the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth”- purposes to connect societies, cultures, and individuals, rather than to rank our intelligence.
According to Anzaldua, “ Chicano Spanish is considered by the purist and by most Latinos deficient, a mutilation of Spanish”(Anzaldua 32). The Chicano Spanish versus Spanish conflict that occurs in Latino society is a prime example of people considering themselves to be right in a situation where there is not a right answer. The Latino’s who speak Spanish that they believe to be normal are disturbed by the Spanish language changing. They believe that their own views are being challenged, they believe that they are correct, and they believe that anyone who challenges their views is inferior. The people who view all other views are, in reality, just trying to make themselves look more powerful. Like in Tan’s essay, people demeaned others in order to promote their own views, therefore, gaining power over the others who they demeaned. According to Tan, “ She said they would not give her any more information(...) 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”(Tan 2). The doctors treated Tan’s mother differently due to her use of what they considered “broken language”, leading to her being treated inadequately. People have an image of what they consider to be the right English, anyone who does not speak the right English is usually considered to be uneducated. In both Tan’s and Anzaldua’s essays, the lack of open-mindedness is one of the reasons that people want to become more powerful than others. People fail to realize that what they believe in is not always the right answer, like with stereotypes, the people are trying to gain power over others in order to make themselves seem more
Despite growing up amidst a language deemed as “broken” and “fractured”, Amy Tan’s love for language allowed her to embrace the variations of English that surrounded her. In her short essay “Mother Tongue”, Tan discusses the internal conflict she had with the English learned from her mother to that of the English in her education. Sharing her experiences as an adolescent posing to be her mother for respect, Tan develops a frustration at the difficulty of not being taken seriously due to one’s inability to speak the way society expects. Disallowing others to prove their misconceptions of her, Tan exerted herself in excelling at English throughout school. She felt a need to rebel against the proverbial view that writing is not a strong suit of someone who grew up learning English in an immigrant family. Attempting to prove her mastery of the English language, Tan discovered her writing did not show who she truly was. She was an Asian-American, not just Asian, not just American, but that she belonged in both demographics. Disregarding the idea that her mother’s English could be something of a social deficit, a learning limitation, Tan expanded and cultivated her writing style to incorporate both the language she learned in school, as well as the variation of it spoken by her mother. Tan learned that in order to satisfy herself, she needed to acknowledge both of her “Englishes” (Tan 128).
In the essay “Mother Tongue” Amy Tan, the author, gives a different, a more upbeat outlook on the various forms of English that immigrants speak as they adapt to the American culture. Using simple language to develop her argument, she casually communicates to the audience rather than informing which helps the audience understand what is being presented at ease. Her mother plays an important role in her outlook of language, because she helps her realize that language not only allows one to be a part of a culture but create one’s identity in society. Amy Tan shares her real life stories about cultural racism and the struggle to survive in America as an immigrant without showing any emotions, which is a wonderful epiphany for the audience in realizing
The purpose of Amy Tan’s essay, “Mother Tongue,” is to show how challenging it can be if an individual is raised by a parent who speaks “limited English” (36) as Tan’s mother does, partially because it can result in people being judged poorly by others. As Tan’s primary care giver, her mother was a significant part of her childhood, and she has a strong influence over Tan’s writing style. Being raised by her mother taught her that one’s perception of the world is heavily based upon the language spoken at home. Alternately, people’s perceptions of one another are based largely on the language used.
The first and second year after moving from China to the United States, I was afraid to talk to strangers because my English was not very well. I had to depend on my husband for dealing with my personal business, such as making a doctor’s appointment, calling to the bank, or questioning to DMV officers. Douglass says, “being a slave for life began to bear heavily upon my heart” (62). For myself, being a dependent and helpless adult is a shame. Moreover, I lacked of extra money to go to school to improve my English. Thus, I stayed home all the time to avoid embarrassment of talking to strangers. After a while, I realized that improving English speaking skills are the essential to gain my self-confidence. So, I spent time to read various articles on the internet and watched English dialogues’ videos on YouTube. As a non-English speaking immigrant living in the U.S., I inevitably encountered a series of difficulties to integrate myself into a new
If you are not fluent in a language, you probably don 't give much thought to your ability to make your personality attractive, to be in touch with the people and be understood in your world, that doesn’t mean you are an underestimated person. Every person has something special to make them more unique, remarkable, and gorgeous between people. The opinions could lead towards success, or those opinions could be one that is losing, and have a negative impact on how people connect with you. In Amy Tan 's “Mother Tongue” she made this book for several reasons. She had started her life by learning language, and she always loved to spend her time to learn language, but this story focuses about Amy Tan 's mother with her terrible English,
Amy Tan is the author of the essay Mother Tongue. In this essay, she explains how the power of language has influenced her life through her mother and the experiences they have had together concerning her mother's English-speaking ability, or lack there of. She was born into a Chinese family where both Chinese and English were spoken. She is sensitive to and accepting of people's lingual differences. She talks about how the inability to speak English well in America gives others the wrong impression: "...everything is limited, including people's perceptions of the limited English speaker" (Tan 13). She is saying here that prolific English speakers place limitations on people who have limited English-speak...
When immigrants come to the United States, the first form of injustice they experience is the systematic stripping away of their native language. They recognize rather quickly the social norms we adhere to. In job interviews or in the academia world, English is widely regarded as the “proper” or “correct” way of speaking. When, someone looks different physically, is a different race, or practices a different religion society ostracizes them. Human beings reject what we
International students may be sent to America to study, speak, write and read in English but the chance of encountering difficulties and struggles is high. According to researchers, learning English in America especially for foreign students is a difficult decision because one may not be able to become accustomed to the environment, behavior of difference culture and the acts of other around. English learners will also encounter reading disability because one cannot read English in a short time; additionally, international students usually struggle with reading English even though one may have the knowledge of the English language. No matter how many disadvantage the English language has, the world most common language will not be extinct because jobs, education and many other parts of the world use English as a primary