Response to "Mother Tongue"

    The article “Mother Tongue,” by Amy Tan, reminded me of my own experiences in a culture where my first language was not the native language and the situations and problems I experienced as a result of it. Just like the author’s mother was stereotyped because of her “Broken English”, I also have been the subject of many jokes and scams because of my poor ability to speak Spanish when I was in Mexico and Argentina. The author did a fine job portraying the injustices many immigrants deal with in our American culture, where quick, precise communication is the way to flourish. The author also draws an interesting parallel between how our parents speak and their grammar and how it has affected us as their offspring, especially in her suggestion that the Asian population is predominantly more involved with engineering and mathematical spectrums than the writing field because of such an upbringing. I found the authors writing style personal and clear, and noticed how she made an argument and supported it while at the same time avoiding the outright statements of her points and thesis. In light of her work, we as a society would all do well to reflect on how our own interactions with someone who speaks English as a second language might appear and be perceived.