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Alejandra Rawls
Dr. Henry
ENC 1101
6 March 2019
“Judging a Book by It’s Cover”:
Language shapes identity in Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue”
Language is an attribute everyone possesses and is used by people to communicate
effectively. It is true to say that not everyone speaks the same type of language and the same
form of a specific language. The term “mother tongue” is used to describe a person’s narrative
language and how that person speaks it. Language plays a key role in a person’s lifestyle;
language is a verbal expression of culture. In “Mother Tongue”, Amy Tan discusses how she
developed different forms of the English language because of the effects of her upbringing as an
Asian-American. Throughout her story, she highlights the issues she faced growing up as a
Chinese-American immigrant due to her language barrier. Tan notes the emotional impact her
language barrier caused by stating that her mother spoke “broken” English, which embarrassed
her. Tan’s mother relied on Tan for translation; therefore she was her mother’s voice, delivering
information from “broken” English to “proper” English. Tan notes throughout her essay that she
spoke several different kinds of the English language, implying that languages can have more
than one variation. Because of the impact of having a language barrier, Tan was inspired to
improve her use of language and the way she spoke, which helped her become a successful
writer. As a result, Tan was able to break the stereotype that Asian Americans should stick to
STEM subjects rather than reading and writing. Tan explores the emotional impact of having a
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language barrier in order to prove that language shapes one’s identity, and to prove that language
can label people.
Throughout her essay, Tan provides detail about how she was able to adapt her speaking
skills in order to become more American. Tan developed different forms of the English language
to appeal to her mother and to become accepted into American culture. Tan states, “Language of
intimacy, a different form of English that relates to family talk, the language I grew up with”
(459). By overcoming her language barrier, Tan was able to connect her Chinese-American
culture and American culture together, building a bridge between the two cultures. Tan adapted
to the two cultures by keeping her native tongue and adapting to a more formal way speaking
English. Tan was able to find her identity as an American by changing her language, which
allowed her to be accepted by American society.
Because of the language barrier Tan and her mother possessed, Tan explores how the
emotional suffering and prejudice she faced growing up labeled her as an Asian American and
also helped her adapt to American culture. Because of her mother’s poor speaking skills, Tan and
her mother were judged and put into a category of people who are mistreated because of their
lack of “proper” English. In addition, “people’s perceptions of the limited English speaker”, is
also limited. People with a language barrier are judged based off of the way the speak, and
people do not care to get to know the person at all. Tan mentions that she was often embarrassed
by her mother’s speaking skills. Tan says, “My mother’s English almost had an effect on limiting
my possibilities in life” (461). Tan uses pathos to appeal to readers and explain how her mother’s
peaking skills and being Chinese-American changed hr perception of language and her self. Tan
used the prejudice she faced to improve her speaking skills, she shaped her identity as an AsianAmerican.
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Language can label people by grouping them into category, which can reveal who
belongs and who does not. It is true that people of Asian descent are proficient in STEM
subjects, but Tan notes that they are steered away from reading and writing by their teachers
because of their English speaking skills. Asian Americans are stereotyped to excel in STEM
subjects. Tan proposes that there aren’t many Asian American authors because, “Asian students,
as a whole, always do significantly better on math achievement tests than in English” (462). This
claim eludes to the idea that Asian Americans are categorized when it comes to academics.
Because they are steered away from reading and writing, Asian Americans are made to feel like
they do not belong; it is enforced that they could never be a good writer. Tan states, “I was told
by my former boss that writing was my worst skill” (464). Writing was her worst skill because
of the way she spoke ,and her teachers did not effectively teach her the grammar and
communication skills she needed because they felt she would do better in math or science. Asian
Americans do well in math and science related things, but they could excel in reading and
writing if they weren’t labeled and were given a chance by their teachers.
In “Mother Tongue” Tan uses her story to show that language allows people to express
themselves and their culture. Tan was able to form a new identity due to the prejudice she faced
for speaking “limited” English growing up. Tan was shaped who she is by breaking the
stereotype that Asian-Americans not being able to become successful writer and by overcoming
her language barrier. Tan connects her two cultures by staying true to her authentic self and by
reestablishing her use of language through using different variations of the English language.
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Works Cited
Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” Patterns for College Writing, edited by Laurie Kirszner and
Stephen Mandell, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018, pp. 458-462.