Question: Language is more than words put together; it is a tool of communication. What does Amy Tan author of “Mother Tongue” and Manuel Munoz author of “Leave your name at the border” say is the importance of language to them? How do they differ on their lives? Language is more than words put together; it explores the intimate use of language we share with family and peers which is how individuals distinguishes you and how you identify yourself.
Can the use of Language categorize an individual character, by making someone feel: sure, confident and knowledgeable, or on the other hand, when misused or “broken”, can it makes a person feel: humiliated, discouraged, embarrassed, and uneducated? This is apparent in the article by Author Amy Tan “Mother Tongue” and Manuel Munoz Author of “Leave your Name at the Border. ” In” Mother Tongue” Tan describes the difficulties some face with the English language, and how it is used and judged against them when they speak it incorrectly or “broken” as she terms it.
In the reading Tan give examples of her mother struggles in order to show the reader that not speaking “formal” English does not mean that a person is more or less intelligent than another. On the other hand, in Manuel Munoz article “Leave your Name at the Border” he expresses when immigrants disregard their culture to adapt to a new culture, other than their own they disregard their background to fit in, which is expressed through the form of identity: name and how ridiculous it is to change someone’s name for your own convenience.
In both readings we see the same experiences language and identity struggles through the lens of different cultures. In Amy Tan’s article entitled “Mother Tongue” shows the Author personal experience with her mother speaking “shattered English” and how her mother was treated by others; this resulted in how she uses language according to the people she is around. By doing this it showed how a strong command of language can have an effect on how others respond to her and her mother. For example, Tan recalled the story of how the hospital had lost her mom’s CAT scans, which showed a benign brain tumor.
Unfairly to her mother, they refused to look for it and so the mother had to call Tan to talk to the hospital staff since they were unwilling to help her. “She said they did not seem to have any compassion for her when she was eager to know the exact diagnosis… and when the doctor finally called her daughter, who spoke “Proper English” they had a more understanding in making sure the CAT scan would be found, promises that a conference call on Monday would be held, and apologizes for any suffering her mother might have gone through for a most regrettable mistake.
This was a clear example of how using proper English has more effective on people who are discriminatory against someone who cannot speak in a grammatically correct way. Even with her mother inability to explain herself in a “correct” manner Tan shows she can perform activities that some native English speakers cannot perform also. For example, Tan’s mother read Forbes and she could have discussions with her stockbroker everyday about matters that could to be very hard to understand. This observation shows that limitation in speech does not necessarily mean a limitation on life.
Amy realizes how much ones surroundings can change the way a person speaks the English language. Equally importantly, this gave her a greater appreciation for the intimate code of language she shares with her mother. In the same fashion, in Manuel Munoz article “Leave your Name at the Border. ” Munoz, demonstrates growing up “English was for public display. Spanish was for privacy – and privacy quickly turned into shame. ” This article shows traces of how some people appear to be so ashamed of their heritage, that they would try covering it up by using the English equivalent of their name instead of sticking with their birth name.
Furthermore, Manuel does say “It was simultaneously the language of the white population and the path toward the richer, expansive identify of “American. ” Talking about English as a language, by aspiring to appear more “American” and speaking “proper English” could get them a better paying job, or just better opportunities. Munoz quoted, “Spanish was and still is viewed with suspicion: Always the language of the vilified illegal immigrant, it segregated schoolchildren into English-only and bilingual programs; it defined you, above all else, as part of a lower class.
Given these points” After reading both articles “Leave your name at the border” by Manuel Munoz and “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, I saw connection between both authors lives and their version of what language means to them. Both Authors wrote about their personal challenges being from a family with different cultures from their surroundings. Tan and Manoz share similar aspects on how language has shaped their appreciation for their culture. Manuel is a bilingual Mexican American from a generation he explained that being able to speak Spanish was once thought of as a form of privacy, but it soon turned into a shameful ability.
Because of his ethnicity, he has first-hand experience with the mispronunciation of Mexican names, like his own. More importantly, he lived with the everyday Anglicized pronunciations of his and many other Mexicans’ names. Even though “American” names are becoming more popular among other ethnicities, those struggles Munoz faced still challenge people today. Manoz feel it is important Americans would understand the importance of the Mexican-Americans’ names to their identities. He wanted them to give Mexican-Americans the respect they deserved as human beings, starting with using their real names.
Even though he faced many struggles, Munoz felt lucky his parents named him Manuel. If he had been named something with an English way of pronouncing it, he believed he would not have discovered the “English language’s extraordinary power in even the most ordinary of circumstances. In conclusion, I find it disheartens at this day in age our society still judge on an individual background and how they speak. With all these barriers set forth for immigrates it is easy to see why they feel the need to assimilate to a culture viewed by many as superior.
However After ready and comparing both articles I feel like Americans do not make an effort to understand or even attempt to connect with someone who is different. This country is a “melting pot” of races this is what makes this country a unique place to be we a combined culturally by each other. It was refreshing to see both Tan and Manoz found comfort in who they are and where they come from without abandoning the very culture that made them who they are. Thus bringing too light the reason for their writing style achieved both passion and simplicity when they learned to value the criticism
