Bilingualism In Mother Tongue

Coming to a new country and learning a new language sometimes causes individuals to forget the language that they were once so used to speaking. That language is the language spoken at home with family members. In elementary school, the English language is learned and this helps individuals forget that a dissimilar language is spoken at home. Being bilingual can be beneficial, but it can also raise social and emotional issues. In the texts “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan and “Achievement of Desire” by Richard Rodriquez the readers are able to experience how bilingualism can affect the way individuals interact. Sometimes the language spoken at home is different from the language spoken in the outside world. Bilingualism is something that should not change the relationship with …show more content…
*Material Removed* In this short essay it can be seen how Tan interacts with her mother in a very unique manner because it is language that they have developed over time. *Material Removed* “My mother was in the room. And it was perhaps the first time she had heard me give a lengthy speech, using the kind of English I have never used with her” (206). She is used to speaking “broken” English with her mother and continues to embrace it even as an English major. Tan does not let a professional critic read and influence her work, her success depends on how much her mother understands her reading. Tan describes the language she speaks with her mom as “…our language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to the family talk, the language I grew up with” (207). *Material Removed* “Broken” English is the type of english her mom understands and can communicate with. With these examples, the readers are able to understand how significant “broken” english is to the author and her mother. Tan expresses how perfect her mother’s “broken” english sounds when she