Mother Tongue
Ramsey Lynn
ENC 1101
9 Sept. 2013
The Wonders of an Accent
As a southern girl growing up in rural Wakulla County, I have experienced prejudice based on my southern dialect and language style. Dialects and word use play a powerful role in linking specific populations together with a common bond. As powerful as this connection is to bring people together of the same group it is just as powerful to pull people apart that are not in the same group. Amy Tan writes about the power of language in “Mother Tongue”. Tan’s thesis statement - “I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth”(Tan 633) - sets the tone for the article. I am in agreement with Tan’s opinion with the power of language. Even though I’m not bilingual, I have experienced similar misconceptions because of my southern drawl and language style. Language affects the way people treat you, the opportunities that are given, and your perception of yourself.
People base there opinions of you, especially if they just met you, on the way you speak. I can relate to the mistreatment that Tan’s mother experienced from the stockbroker. I can understand Tan’s mothers frustration when she said, “Why he don’t send me check, already two weeks late. So mad he lie to me, losing me money.”(Tan 635) She is not stupid, she gets it. Tan’s mother knows she is being mistreated because of the way she uses the English language. If you have a different accent people notice it. I have found that people often judge me based on my southern accent. They make fun of my accent and imply that I am not as smart as they are. Little do they know, I am very intelligent and take advanced classes in school. Often after they get to know me better they realize that I am smart and I am capable of more than they originally thought.. Unfortunately, first impressions can affect how people treat you. Tan goes on to descried a situation her
ENC 1101
9 Sept. 2013
The Wonders of an Accent
As a southern girl growing up in rural Wakulla County, I have experienced prejudice based on my southern dialect and language style. Dialects and word use play a powerful role in linking specific populations together with a common bond. As powerful as this connection is to bring people together of the same group it is just as powerful to pull people apart that are not in the same group. Amy Tan writes about the power of language in “Mother Tongue”. Tan’s thesis statement - “I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth”(Tan 633) - sets the tone for the article. I am in agreement with Tan’s opinion with the power of language. Even though I’m not bilingual, I have experienced similar misconceptions because of my southern drawl and language style. Language affects the way people treat you, the opportunities that are given, and your perception of yourself.
People base there opinions of you, especially if they just met you, on the way you speak. I can relate to the mistreatment that Tan’s mother experienced from the stockbroker. I can understand Tan’s mothers frustration when she said, “Why he don’t send me check, already two weeks late. So mad he lie to me, losing me money.”(Tan 635) She is not stupid, she gets it. Tan’s mother knows she is being mistreated because of the way she uses the English language. If you have a different accent people notice it. I have found that people often judge me based on my southern accent. They make fun of my accent and imply that I am not as smart as they are. Little do they know, I am very intelligent and take advanced classes in school. Often after they get to know me better they realize that I am smart and I am capable of more than they originally thought.. Unfortunately, first impressions can affect how people treat you. Tan goes on to descried a situation her