Standard American English is a term coined to refer to a formal language taught in American schools and spoken mostly in professional places. It is considered the ideal structure of the English language. Standard American English is often regarded as the threshold in measuring someone’s intelligence. Oftentimes a person’s idea is disregarded if they cannot express themselves in clear and coherent English language sentences. Being well versed in Standard American English might be a sense of status display for some people. People conversing in the so called “broken language” might serve as a strong indicator of their ‘poor socio-economic’ status. If their language is broken, so is their environment as well as their thoughts. What might be broken is to have mentality where language defines a person’s worth/identity. However, the variety of languages available might act as agents for transmitting cultures, paving the way for future advancements to happen in society.

Amy Tan, an American best-selling cultural novelist has had enough with the segregation of intelligence associated with various “Englishness.” In this essay, “Mother Tongue” Amy Tan redefines the perfections that are integrated into speaking English, examines the inferiority complex placed on non-native English speakers and advocates for the nuances of English to be treated as agents for transmitting various cultures. She achieves this by interweaving her personal testimonies with her family (most specifically her mother), invoking emotions such as insecurity, vulnerability and relatability (pathos) along with critiquing the flaws of English multiple-choice testing systems (logos). Tan does this to ultimately shed light on the serious repercussions associated with forcing Standard American English as the ideal form of language.

Language by no means should be deemed as a plausible measuring mechanism to rank someone’s level of intelligence. This essay opens with Tan claiming that she is no expert of English/Literature, but she has a deep love for languages. This introduction sets the tone for something of acceptance, directly implying that English is not the epitome of language. At least, not just Standard American English. Tan emphasizes on “the power of language” (Tan 1) as a nuanced mechanism for communicating cultures, emotions and a broad spectrum of ideas. This is in essence what should be considered important in any conversation we have in our daily lives. Most people whose first language is not English are often perceived as ‘broken’ by others because they cannot express their thoughts in this one language. Being ‘broken’ as it relates to language literally means that they cannot speak or put together their thoughts in a cohesive language. However, that is not true in almost all cases. This specific ‘Language and Identity’ theme invoked in “Mother Tongue” mirrors the language barriers of many non-fluent English speakers. The language barriers/inability to speak a specific language should not define a person’s intelligence. It is just a barrier in communication between people who do not share a common language. It is not the fault of anyone in such a conversation. A person is not supposed to be labelled ‘flawed’ or ‘broken’ just because they cannot communicate in Standard American English. There is so much more to someone’s identity such as their morals, thinkings and traits, to name a few that take precedence over language when shaping identities.

Just because someone may not know how to communicate in Standard American English, does not mean they are not smart enough for the real world. One might not know how to communicate in French, Hindi, Italian etc. but does that imply that the person might be unintelligent? Amy Tan consistently explores personal testimonies where her mother’s English was deemed unconventional from standard American English. Because of this, her mother is often found on the brim of disappointment when communicating her thoughts in formal English conversations. “My mother has long realized her limitations of her English as well” (Tan 2). Therefore, Tan functions as her mother’s ‘light and shining armor’ to rescue her from the claws of this foreign language. “I was ashamed of her English” (Tan 2). Tan’s mother might be able to articulate herself in another language, but she might have difficulty expressing herself in Standard American English. Invoking emotions such as insecurity (pathos) shows how not being proficient in Standard American English can taint one’s intelligence display. Non-English speakers have gone on to be some of the most influential people in the world. Take for instance Lionel Messi who is regarded as the Greatest of all Time (G.O.A.T) when it comes to football with little proficiency in English. His mother tongue is Spanish. However, he is noted for being an iconic player and not for the fact that he is not fluent in English. It is what you bring to the table that defines you, not by the complicated type of English you speak.

Just as language is supposed to bridge the gap between communication, it sometimes unexpectedly exposes some people to a new level of consciousness. This consciousness may be defined as a form of discrimination, or simply just channeling yourself to better meet the communication needs of different people. Tan finds herself distinguishing between the type of English she speaks within her home and at formal settings. “I again found myself conscious of the English I was using, the English I do use with her” (Tan 1). She went on to further elaborate that this unconventional English was only contained within her family. “It has become our language of intimacy. . .the language I grew up with” (Tan 1). This shows that only the grammatically correct English is mostly broadcasted on mainstream media as in the case of Tan talking about her book to a “large group of people” (Tan 1). Standard American English might be mostly associated with conveying sophisticated ideas as opposed to “broken” (Tan 2) English. As defined earlier, Standard American English is often associated with a professional/formal setting. This setting that is supposed to make you feel intelligent, because you converse in Standard American English as opposed to another ‘broken’ version of it. If your ideas are not understood, that means they stand no chance in the ‘sophisticated’ world. This is what sparks language insecurity, creating a barrier between an individual and their expressive nature.

Standard American language may have blurred the line between parent and child relationships in the homes of many immigrants. For a period, this notion made Tan ashamed of her mother’s literacy level. “My mother’s “limited” English limited my perception of her” (Tan 2). There is something broken about this logic that some people share and then label the slightest ‘variation’ of the English language as broken. This theme of relationships between parents undertakes a whole new meaning that pushes children to look down on their parents instead of looking up. Confusion of roles starts to undertake the minds of children since their roles are forced to become the language mediators between their parents and the world. Tan’s invocation of guilt (pathos) implores readers to relate to her level of insecurity and inferiority point of view about her mother. This highlights the serious consequences of implicitly imposing Standard American English on non-English speakers. This is a phenomenon sometimes experienced by myself and my parents when trying to communicate with the language between tech and the real world. Or has tech-language become the real world? As in the case of Standard American English becoming the reality of the world. This promotes the theme of generational gap between many parents and their children, increasing language insecurity. Parents being insecure of their native language causes children to express similar sentiments. What was just a mere ‘language barrier’ became something that these children should avoid at all costs to avoid being labelled as inferior. Standard American English has snatched away the power from people to be the determinants of their identity and future.

Think of language as a canvas. The form of art that should be projected on that canvas depends on the nuances of language in which you speak. If we remain objective, it leaves no room for innovation, hence everything remains stagnant. Tan highlights the problems associated with multiple choice English tests. She emphasizes that these tests aim at confining and conditioning young minds into believing that there is only one correct option for the English Language. “The correct answers always seemed to be the most bland combinations of thoughts” (Tan 3). This statement indirectly implies that children may be limited to only thinking objectively. They may not be welcoming of different perspectives and cultures that language may have to offer. This sentiment seemed to be expressed in the popular Bollywood movie ‘English Vinglish’ where the protagonist Shashi is considered unintelligent due to her lack of proficiency in English. In the end she learned English just to communicate the idea to her family that she is smart and capable. Pushing Standard American English on to mainstream media implicitly tells people that this language is their test of intelligence. There is no room for authenticity.

English is language, but not the entirety of it. Language is that threshold/medium which encodes culture. And so, culture happens to be a term which documents someone’s way of life. Langue should be the barrier As Tan starts to embrace the different variations of English present within her, she decides to pattern most of her stories after her mother. Although I understand that most people might not be familiar with my version/dialect of English, I have come to terms that I may have to adapt to suit everyone’s distinctive language needs. However, I have come to realize that there are many spaces on the canvas for all of us. We can all be artists of our own and learn from each other to diversify languages. Easy to read, means easy to understand. Maybe the world would heal someday from this hidden utopian burden of confining everyone’s speech to Standard American English. Maybe the language that most non-English speakers dream of is an accessible and equal one.