THE PURPOSE OF LANGUAGE

THE PURPOSE OF LANGUAGE

Language is an important aspect of our day to day lives. It is through language that we connect with people and share our individual experiences. It is therefore the cornerstone of human interaction, it is used to inform, educate and without it communication would not be possible. The importance of language is often overlooked and is only noticed when misunderstandings occur as they often do when one is communicating with someone who does not have a good understanding of the particular language (Dhankar, 2010).

A lot can be learned from Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue. It is a book that especially touches on the hindrances that language barriers can cause. I am an international student constantly using English and thus this book applies.  English can be described as the universal international language as it is used even in countries that do not recognize English as an official language. The English language therefore takes different forms depending on the native language of the speaker.

Those who speak what can only be described as “broken English” are perceived to be less educated or less intelligent by those who speak proper or standard English. In the United States such people are discriminated against and this is an issue in places where immigrants are perceived negatively. This can also apply to those who speak relatively good English but have heavy accents for example native German speakers. The accents pose a barrier as certain words cannot be easily understood.

Amy Tan describes the English she used with her mother and how most of her friends could not understand or make out what she said. Some of her friends could only understand fifty percent of what her mother said, some eighty to ninety percent. She goes on to say that at times her husband would use the same English as she sometimes used as well. Her peers’ perceived her mother as being less intelligent and Amy Tan was ashamed of her mother when she was younger as she had the same perceptions.

This brings to mind the importance of learning new languages. Those who only speak one language do not understand the complications that arise while trying to learn a new language. A lot of things are usually lost in translation and native speakers may therefore have difficulties understanding those who learned a language as their second or third language. The fact that one cannot speak a certain language to perfection should not imply that they are less intelligent or less educated than those who have a good hold on the language. The importance of knowing another language other than English can be seen nowadays as most business have gone global.

The perception that speaking perfect English is synonymous with being intelligent is a difficult one to overcome. This is perhaps because English has been used as the major medium of formal and academic scripts. This assumes that English is the most important language and that all other languages come second to it. This is a dangerous perception as there are numerous of intelligent people in the world who cannot speak a word of English. Intelligence should therefore not be gauged or measured by one’s ability to speak or understand the English language.

This mostly applies to native English speakers. In the United States, English is the native language of the majority of the people. Most of the citizens do not learn another language and therefore do not understand the difficulties associated with doing so.  Most are also of the incorrect opinion that “everyone speaks English” whereas four out of five people in the word do not speak the language and only about seven percent of the population of the world speak it as their first language. It is therefore important to create awareness that a lesser understanding of the language does not portray a lesser intelligence.

Amy Tan explores the difficulties that came with speaking broken English. She describes several instances that relay how her mother was treated within the community. “I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect. 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.” The fact that her mother was a non-native speaker of the English language brought about such difficulties. People would ignore her and in the service industry she would receive inadequate service. Since there is no experience that is unique to an individual, this possibly portrays how immigrants who do not speak perfect English are treated.

I share Amy Tan’s distaste of the term “broken” English. This is because how a person speaks and their accent is a part of their lives and saying there is only one correct way of speaking a certain language creates dissonance and disregards a person’s culture and their unique experiences. Language is part of a person’s identity and thus this should not be disregarded by requiring them to speak in a certain acceptable or standard way. There are over six thousand languages spoken in the world, each associated with a unique culture and each just as precious as the English language and we should therefore strive to preserve each one of them.

I believe there is beauty in every accent. Whether someone says “Engrish” or “English” is not the issue that matters most. This does not imply that non-native speakers of English should not strive to gain a better understanding of it. They should especially if they reside in a country where English is the official language. However, the native speakers should understand that accents and different pronunciations of certain words does not imply inferiority but rather as something to be embraced as people can be united in their differences.

Amy Tan is also of the opinion that her mother’s English may have had some influence in her life. This is because she performed better in other subjects in school when compared to her grades in English. Children do pick up languages easily which is why I is easier to raise a child to be multilingual than it is for an adult to become multilingual. However, the home environment does play a role in this. The communication skills that a child learns early in life act as the foundation for future language development. Amy Tan is a proficient writer even though she did not excel in English while in school. This is because she has mastered the ability to use what she describes as simple English and as a result she is able to keep her audience enthralled without alienating them with big words.

In reference to Amy Tan using different “Englishes”, I think that we all speak different forms of the same language to different people. Among young people certain words evolve different meanings that people of older generations would not quite understand. There is therefore not one correct way of speaking a certain language. The language people of a particular age group use among themselves differs from the language they use with their parents and also differs with that they use with their employers. Language therefore takes many different forms and they should all be accepted.

Language is an integral part of our lives and our being. How we speak tells a story of where we are and of our experiences (Bonvillain, 2013). It is vital to learn other languages besides our native language as this would aid us to understand other people’s cultures. How people speak should not be taken as an indicator of their level of education or of their intelligence but as an indicator of their experiences. Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” is a book that has raised awareness as to the state of immigrants and how they are viewed. Language should therefore be taken as an expression of one’s individuality and people’s differences should be viewed as learning tools.

References

Dhankar, R. Importance of Language. From the Editor, 10.

Bonvillain, N. (2013). Language, culture, and communication. Pearson Higher Ed.