Accents and Identity

In her 1990 personal essay, “Mother Tongue”, author Amy Tan talks about her mother’s experiences with being discriminated against and the embarrassment that followed Tan growing up due to her mother’s accent. By supplying the reader with information about her mother’s experiences and her own perspective, Tan builds her claim about the stigma that surrounds a person’s ‘broken English.’ So, what exactly is ‘broken English’? Well, it is a term used to describe a person’s limited English, typically spoken by those who speak English as a second language (ESL), they might also harbor an accent.  

In “Mother Tongue”, Tan states “I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say…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.” (Tan). In this quote Tan talks about the embarrassment mentioned earlier, she reveals how she did not think her embarrassment was wrong and treatment of her mother by others was further proof of this. She thought that just because her mother’s English was not on the same level as her, she was not as smart as Tan. So, because her mother’s English was not to her standards it was okay when others would mistreat her. In this moment of her life, she did not see a problem with this, if anything peoples discriminatory actions fueled these negative thoughts. However, later in the essay, she talks about how her mother was not as dull-witted as she had thought because she would read books/magazines that would leave Tan stumped. While her mother’s language ability was limited it did not mean she was stupid. This is important because accent discrimination is a real problem that many ESL speakers must deal with. This brings up the question, how do experiences because of accents shape the identity and integration experiences of immigrants in the United States and how does that contrast that of their children?  

In Foreign Accent, Identity and Accent Discrimination: A Literature Review, the author Tarik Uzun states that language and identity are intertwined (Uzun 258). One cannot exist without the other and this is obvious because people tend to express themselves through their mannerisms, one such mannerism being speech patterns. McCrocklin and Link talk about accent and identity in their own paper. They go into depth about the relationship between identity and accents, this was explored through a questionnaire given to participants who were learning English/had it as their second language. In their paper, they state that ESL students often want to have a native accent (to speak with an American/British accent). Their results showed that the students had positive opinions regarding native accents and did not harbor fears of gaining said accent and did not think it would affect their identity (McCrocklin and Link). This source shows how ESL students would not mind speaking without an accent and did not feel like they would lose a sense of self if they spoke with a native accent. They just want to express their thoughts clearly to native speakers. This idea of expression is an important theme that continues to pop up in various sources.  

 While those students did not fear a native accent, having a non-native accent is a different topic. Later on, in the paper Uzun states “…accents can affect how decision-makers perceive a job applicant’s suitability for a position, potentially leading to negative evaluations.” (Uzun 261). This idea was previously seen in Tan’s writing, where others discriminated against her mother because of her accent. Although her mother as well as others who speak with an accent might be fully capable of whatever task a job might require, they are often not given the chance to show off such abilities. For immigrants finding a job and being able to support themselves is the most important task they must accomplish. If they are not successful, they might end up homeless. As a result, this might leave immigrants with a negative experience in their integration process because of the discrimination they face.  

Discrimination faced in a new country is not the only problem immigrants have to deal with. A difference in culture is just as jarring. In The Challenges of Cultural Translation and the Problems of Immigrant Identity in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, Manjula talks about the immigrant experience and how a difference in culture affects Amy Tan’s relationship with her mother. She states, “The incomplete cultural understanding of both the mothers and the daughters raise obligation to their incomplete knowledge of language.” (Manjula 187) The mothers had grown up in a culture that suppresses and tries to hide the thoughts and voices of women which led to them being unable to properly raise their children. Their inability to communicate would build a wall around them. Their daughters would never really be able to fully understand their mothers. This would then force the daughters to lose touch with their Chinese background as they had a stronger connection to their American side. Being more American would mean adopting a native accent. This cultural and language barrier would mean isolation for the mothers. Their own daughters could not understand them, they would be alone in an already unfamiliar environment. If their own daughters could not connect with them, how would they able to connect with the people around them, again, having to face discrimination as a result of their accents. This all ties into the theme of being misunderstood and not being able to effectively communicate; an ongoing idea for immigrants alike.  

A cultural difference is a common idea that exists between first generation and second-generation immigrants. The research article, Identity among first and second generation African immigrants in the United States by Msia Kibona Clark, provides another example of this experience. In the article Clark explores the increasing waves of African immigration and how various aspects such as location, accent, and socialization affect the identity of said immigrants. Clark mentions how immigrants place a strong emphasis on their Africaness while their children are left feeling a stronger connection to being African American. (Clark 174) This idea can also be seen in Manjula’s work. Those who immigrate to America tend to have a strong connection to their homeland. They tend to not mind their accents and feel it is a way to connect with their own culture. Their identity revolves around where they are originally from. However, the same cannot be said for their children; they tend to have a stronger connection to their American side and wont harbor the same accent. This difference can often create a clash between the two generations leading to the parents feeling isolated and not being able to understand their children. On the other hand, their children cannot connect with their culture and in turn their parents and are often left feeling like they are misunderstood. 

While their children might feel confused about their own identity, with immigrants the same cannot be said. This is made obvious in Frohman’s poem where she talks about her mother’s accent, in said poem she states, “Her accent is a stubborn compass, always pointing her towards home.” (Denice Frohman 2:30) Once again a person’s accent is a tell-tale sign of one’s identity. In her poem, Frohman says that even if English is a rigid language her mother makes it her own. She speaks in a sort of Spanglish, never forgetting her background and who she is as a person and what she identifies with.  

Overall, while immigrants might face discrimination because of their accents, they don’t mind how they speak; while they regard a native accent positively, they do not see a problem with their own. Even though they speak with an accent their identity is rooted in their culture and where they come from. Their children, however, are not as sure of their identity as their parents. They see themselves as more American and can struggle to feel connected to their parents. A person’s accent is intertwined with their identity even if they migrate to a new country. Personally, I can relate to this, I feel like I am more American than my mom and when I was younger. My English was better than hers and I would end up teasing her for the mistakes she would make. Although she is fluent in almost 4 languages, I still thought I could poke fun at the way she pronounced her ares. I also felt embarrassed whenever people would ask me where I was from, embarrassed to tell people I was Tajik. When they would give me a look of confusion after I would reveal my ethnic background, I would have to tell them it was ok and that barely anyone knew what that was. Whenever I would go back to my country, I’d never really fit in with the other kids around me, and when Id speak, they would make fun of my accent.  
 
 

Works Cited 

Clark, Msia Kibona. “Identity among First and Second Generation African Immigrants in the United States.” African Identities, vol. 6, no. 2, 2008, pp. 169–81, https://doi.org/10.1080/14725840801933999. 

Manjula, M., and C. Govindaraj. “The Challenges of Cultural Translation and the Problems of Immigrant Identity in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club.” Language in India, vol. 18, no. 12, 2018, pp. 184-. 

McCrocklin, Shannon, and Stephanie Link. “Accent, Identity, and a Fear of Loss?: ESL Students’ Perspectives.” Canadian Modern Language Review, vol. 72, no. 1, 2016, pp. 122–48, https://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.2582. 

Nordquist, R. (2020, March 6). What is broken English?. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-broken-english-1689184#:~:text=Broken%20English%20is%20a%20pejorative,robust%20as%20a%20native%20speaker. 

Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” The Threepenny Review, no. 43, Threepenny Review, 1990, pp. 7–8. 

UZUN, Tarık. “FOREIGN ACCENT, IDENTITY AND ACCENT DISCRIMINATION: A LITERATURE REVIEW.” International Journal of Language Academy, vol. 45, no. 45, 2023, pp. 252–66, https://doi.org/10.29228/ijla.69110. 

YouTube. (2013a). YouTube. Retrieved November 13, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtOXiNx4jgQ.