Language is an essential tool for communication and identity. It is a cultural marker with which individuals identify. An individual’s native language can be used to identify them with a certain group in society. However, current globalization has enabled people to move from one place to another, enabling the integration of cultures and languages. One finds themselves in a space or environment with different speakers, thus giving them the pressure of trying to fit in. Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” and Felipe Ortego y Gascia’s “Regarding Spanglish” highlight the complexities immigrants experience in the United States as they try to integrate into society. Language as an identity marker is one of the main aspects addressed in the essays. In an exploration of the texts, this essay compares the perceptions of the authors Gascia and Tan with regard to the alienating effect of language and language as an identity marker.
In the essay “Mother Tongue,” Amy Tan demonstrates her challenges in growing up in a family where no one speaks perfect English. As the daughter of a Chinese immigrant, she tried to fit in the two worlds. While at home, she struggled to fit in the family setting, and while with her peers, she would assume the perfect English. In her opening paragraphs, Tan explains the power of language, especially considering the fact that she is a writer. She argues that he was recently brought to attention by the different “Englishes” she uses. As she explains, when with her mother, she uses English that is different from the one she uses with her peers. As she states, “Just last week, I was walking down the street with my mother, and I again found myself conscious of the English I was using, the English I do use with her” (Tan 1). The author references the language they were using with her mother when talking about furniture prices. She found herself saying, “Do not waste money that way” (Tan 1). It is evident that English is imperfect, and this is the language she only identifies with when speaking to her mother. Since her mother is not a native speaker, she devised a way to communicate, and thus imperfect English.
Growing up, Tan was concerned about the “Broken” English her mother spoke, and her fear was that it would affect her identity and relationship with her mother. The influence of her mother, especially considering that she is a Chinese immigrant, affected her life growing up. As she states, the limited English her mother speaks impacted Tan’s perception of her mother. According to her, she was ashamed of her English (Tan 2). She was ashamed because they could not compare or fit into American English. She longed to identify herself with American society, but her mother’s English was limited. The fact that she has to adapt to this mode every time she is with her mother makes her feel like she does not belong to the larger American society.
Felipe Ortego y Gascia’s “Regarding Spanglish” is more of a response to Tan’s perspective of native language. Garcia, while giving his views on Leticia Salais’s article titled “Saying Adios to Spanglish,” emphasizes the importance of sticking to one’s identity as one defines it. Salais’s argument is similar to Tan’s experience with the different Englishes. Garcia, in a way, disapproves of running away from Spanglish or one’s native identity. The kind of language individuals speak, as demonstrated by Gascia, informs of their identity. Therefore, running away or avoiding them is like giving up on one’s identity. Gascia insists that it does not matter which side one stands, and in reference to Salais, he states “, it doesn’t matter which side of the border you’re from. If you’re a Mexican, you’re a Mexican. Never mind that Mexican Americans are Mexicans with a lower case “m” and Americans with a capital “A” (Gascia 1).
Garcia criticizes the idea presented by Tan and Salais with regard to escaping from one’s identity. While one may feel like it alienates them in their environment, Gascia argues that running away from one’s identity will not make them a different class or make them more American. In essence, despite the alienating aspect of language, it does not change one’s identity. Tan was ashamed of her mother’s English because she was concerned about identifying with the American identity. However, according to Gascia, such would not change one’s identity; they will always identify with their language or culture.
In conclusion, Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” and Felipe Ortego y Gascia’s “Regarding Spanglish” demonstrate the authors’ perception regarding language and how it impacts one’s identity. As the daughter of an immigrant, Tan was forced to endure the broken English from her mother. She was embarrassed by it and wished that it could be fixed. The overall goal is to identify with the American society. However, Gascia refutes the whole idea of language as alienating. He insists that one cannot run away from one’s identity, and the acts of Salais are futile. One cannot bid “Adios to Spanglish” when it identifies them to their culture.
Works Cited
Garcia, Felipe de Ortego y. Regarding Spanglish. 2008.
Tan, Amy. Mother Tongue.
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