Expository Essay - I am a Language

I am a Language

            Language is a necessity for the world’s everyday functions. People use language every day for many purposes. We may interact and be friendly or hostile. Language is very powerful “…the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth” (Tan, 76). Language may be used for business or personal relations, for borrowing or exchanging religious, scientific, technological, cultural, or artistic ideas. Of course, without language we could still live our daily lives but the world would look like a much different and less efficient place. Language can heavily influence people’s lives and their relationships with others.

            The language literacy level that we possess determines the relationships we create. One obvious reason is because we just simply cannot communicate with the other person because we use different languages. However, even if a person is able to communicate in a language but it is seen as an illiterate way of speaking it, they may ignore that person because they believe they are too smart for them. Speaking from experience, when my English literacy was shaky, I could not make certain relationships because of it even if I wanted to. If we don’t have literacy of the public language then we may feel isolated and foreign. On the other hand, if we do finally acquire a sufficient level of literacy, doors may open for the opportunities to create other or more relationships.

Author Richard Rodriguez, in his essay “Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood”, describes his life experiences when he possessed English literacy and when he did not. He says that “until I was seven years old, I did not know the names of the kids who lived across the street” and “Like others who know the pain of public alienation, we transformed the knowledge of our public separateness and made it consoling” (328, 332). Rodriguez describes to us how he could not interact with the closest neighbors and always felt separated from the rest because he did not have English literacy. Therefore that affected his childhood and prevented him from interacting with gringos since those were the only people in his neighborhood. Then, Rodriguez describes to us how his home was filled with neighborhood kids after he and his family practiced during evenings to acquire English literacy.

Author Amy Tan, in her essay “Mother Tongue” tells us of the relationship her mother created with her and how it affected Tan’s life. She states “I was ashamed of her English….her English reflected the quality of what she had to say…her thoughts were imperfect” (78). Tan tells us of how her mother’s limited English affected the view she had of her. Tan also tells us that she was ashamed of her mother because she did not have English literacy. A parent not having English literacy can affect the bond they have with their children because they can feel ashamed of their parents that they can’t express their thoughts in public and everyday life. The public may take advantage of people who do not have English literacy.

            People may take advantage or mistreat others because of the kind of language they use. Often when literate Americans encounter immigrants who yet don’t know how to speak English well, they feel as if they are above those immigrants. As a result, often times those who don’t know English well, are mistreated because they are thought to not be able to defend themselves. My mother, who speaks some English, needed certain medical results and went to NYU to get them. She spoke to the staff and they understood what she needed, and even though, they mistreated her and did not give her what she asked for. Only after my mother went to the hospital again with my aunt who is a nurse, then she was able to get everything done. Amy Tan writes of the experiences her mother encountered in being mistreated because of how she spoke English. She states “the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her” (78). People notice the way you speak, your knowledge of, and the way you use English. Based on that people will change their behavior towards you because they get a hint that they can take advantage of you. Tan tells us how the use of “improper” English by her mother led to others taking advantage of her. Whether it was in her mother’s everyday life or even for financial reasons dealing with her stock broker, she was already treated differently when Tan, who spoke English properly, stepped up and helped her deal with those situations. Then, Rodriguez writes that only when he achieved English literacy and can call himself American, he can then enjoy being an individual in society and have the same advantages. He says “Only when I was able to think myself as an American, no longer an alien in gringo society, could I seek the rights and opportunities necessary for full public individuality.” (339). Rodriguez believes that he was only able receive public advantages when he considered himself an American. Therefore, when Rodriguez was unable to speak English, he though as if he was mistreated by society because he could not call himself an American. He argues this even though at the beginning of his narrative he stated that he didn't encounter any major trouble of communicating while running some errands for his mother around his home. Becoming bilingual can affect family relations.

            Being bilingual when the rest of your family is not, can change your family relationship. Many children may no longer find that same relationship at home when they are speaking a different language. They will no longer find the sense of belonging and familiarity as they have with using their native first family language. The special feeling of closeness at home is abandoned. The urgent feeling of coming home disappears. Love in the family does not vanish but is changed by not being as intimate. The bond between themselves stretched longer and longer. Neither Rodriguez, nor his siblings found themselves wanting to come to a warm loving home as much as they have before. Instead they would often find their home filled with gringos speaking a public language. After Rodriguez’s English became his primary language, he no longer knew how to talk to his parents (336). After a child identifies another language as the primary, the child may lose the closeness that existed with the parents. This affects not only their life but also their parents’ lives. Of course this does not happen overnight, family relationship will gradually lose its closeness. Behavior can also change when switching between using a different language.  

            Bilinguals who speak who speak two or more languages can sometimes unconsciously change their behavior, or personality. Therefore, this affects their relationships. There is a Czech proverb that says “Learn a new language and get a new soul.” Many people who speak more than one language say that they notice their behaviors change with each one. A professor at Baruch College, David Luna, asked bilingual women to interpret an ad picturing women, first in one language, then after some time in another. Luna found that “in the Spanish sessions, the bilinguals perceived women in the ads as more self-sufficient as well as extrovert. In the English sessions, however, they expressed more traditional, other-dependent and family-oriented views of the women” (Grosjean). There may be a lot of influence from the cultural aspect of the language to those perspectives but nevertheless the different languages also play an important role. Speaking something in another language can come out having a different meaning, or be perceived differently, than if we spoke it in our primary language. This then translates to being seen as you having some personality traits you do not have. For example, if you weren't speaking your primary language and you said something aggressive. Another person may then see you as a mean person when in fact it would not seem as mean if that person said it in their primary language. Language is powerful; it may influence the relationships we create or the behaviors we ingrain towards others. We may not always be conscience of it, but language has a heavy influence on our lives and our friends and family relationships.