“The barriers of my language are the barriers of my world” -Ludwig Wittgenstein.
”Mother Tongue” was published in the ”Threepenny Review” (An American literary magazine) in 1990 by Amy Tan. It revolves around, Tans understanding of English, language in general and her Mothers linguistic abilities.
The articles main form of expression is through personal stories and opinions from the author Amy, which works surprisingly well, since most readers haven´t experienced what she has, and most readers will not even have experienced anything slightly similar. However, we understand what she means, and it is easy to put oneself into her shoes.
Amy Tan is a very well-known Asian-American author. She grew up in California with a brother and immigrant parents. Tans work often takes as its point of departure mother-daughter relationships and the Asian-American experience in the US. It becomes apparent from “Mother Tongue” that these two subjects, are ones that she knows from her childhood.
While a lot of her work perhaps is most well understood by people of Asian heritage in the US, this article sets itself apart from the others, because it appeals to the average reader. You do not have to be the daughter of a mother to understand it, and you do not have to be Asian to find it intriguing. It is not about those things, it is about language in general.
Det er gratis at oprette en konto