Mother Tongue

In the short story “Mother Tongue,” the author, Amy Tan, conveys the substance of language, and addresses that it is not only a tool of communication but to many it is also a sociological tool of measuring individual worth. In all candour, this is a struggle I can attest to. My father was born and raised in Syria, with Arabic as his sole mean of communication. He had minimal exposure to English, until arriving in Abu Dhabi sixteen years ago with my mother. This may have created quandaries because of language impediments. He learnt English to a basic level; this mitigated the struggle of communication. Soon he was able to converse with others and comprehend what was being said to him. To this day he speaks “broken” English, however he manages to hide this by speaking with a note of levity. Despite being accustomed to hearing English for many years, he still faces linguistic subordination. Yet he has not allowed it to debilitate him. There are many instances where he asks me to write text messages for him or correct his grammatical lapses and solecisms when sending a momentous email. Due to his dental cognoscenti, his knowledge of advanced vocabulary is limited to dental terms. I remember the day where he used the word “prefabricated” as we were paying for items at a shop. It is tough to weave words such as “periodontal” or “implant” in colloquial day-to-day discussions. On a different note my father finds it exceedingly imperative to preserve one’s mother tongue, heritage and culture. My father has managed to maintain his Syrian roots, and fluency in the Arabic language; I highly venerate his ability to shield his language so wholly. I find it intriguing to watch him engage in erudite discussions in Arabic, speaking with dazzling rejoinders. Non-native speaker’s intelligence or self-worth should not be constricted by language barriers or be marked as ignominious.

It is subconsciously one’s reaction to treat a person with less value if their language skills are inferior. This is due to the fact that poor language in people’s minds equates to them being un-authoritative, as we believe that they do not have the power to act upon the disgrace emitted towards them. People may be stigmatised as a result of deficient language skills. A direct example of this from Tan’s text is when the doctor mistreated Tan’s mother, as no one was remotely concerned with her need to understand her prognosis. This example demonstrates the sociological facet of language. I know that my father’s language skill is not merely an indication of his intelligence or self worth. Many chose to remain loyal to their language and speak “broken” English to retain their natal tongue. It is immoral to impose such derogatory labels on people due to poor language skills.