Language and Context: Reflections on Amy Tan's Mother Tongue

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Language and Context: Reflections on Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue
Until I read Amy Tan’s short story Mother Tongue, I thought, or rather assumed, that I just spoke and used “English,” in all my conversions and writings. Perhaps because I never thought about it consciously, I assumed that the language I used at home, with friends, in class, and when chatting on social media, was simply “English.” I never noticed the subtle changes that I made unconsciously to reflect the immediate context, aim of writing, or the linguistic needs of the targeted audience. Indeed, it never occurred to me before that oftentimes I use, unconsciously, a mix of “Englishes” in different contexts and social situations. Now that I think about it, my consciousness having been roused by Tan’s piece, I realize that unlike Tan’s mother tongue influences, in my case it is mostly the audience in a conversational situation, or the target audience when writing that, I must stress, unconsciously, dictates the language I use in terms of word choice and sentence structure. In this essay, I describe the different “Englishes” that I use in different situations.
At home, the informal setting and the relaxed atmosphere must be the factors that shape the language I use with my siblings and parents. I could describe it as my “home English” because I only use it when at home. The only distinction is that I do not worry about being grammatically correct, formal, or observing conversational etiquette in my utterances and responses. For instance, when I deny an accusation I say, “Not me, how could I?” and I guess with an angry tone. In a formal setting, such as at school, I think I could have thought about it first, and my response could have been: “It was not me, Sir, I could not do it.” While both constructions could be described as perfect English, the first one, to borrow from Amy Tan, is “limited” in terms of completeness. For starters, it no subject, but the context of usage does not demand me to fulfill all the grammatical requirements. As a result, I unconsciously choose the short cut of omitting the subject, but with the knowledge that it does not hinder communication. I guess this is an adaptation when communicating with people one is used with, such as siblings, parents, and friends. The language that Amy Tan uses with her mother also reflects this aspect of a relaxed atmosphere, even by considering the context in which it was used and the audience involved. She says that she was walking down the street with he mother and husband, which suggests a leisurely walk in which “idle talk” is appropriate. One characteristic with idle talk is that the speakers are not worried about talking ...