Mother Tongue Language Analysis

Words: 442
Pages: 2

For years, the language barrier has been a stopping force of the world coming together as a whole. Deborah Tannen, “How Male and Female Students Use Language Differently” and Amy Tan, “Mother Tongue” both talk about language barriers that are present in society. Today’s society proposes many language barriers. Of these language barriers, two prominent illustrations would be male and female versus immigrant and citizen barriers.
Male and female differ in the way they communicate by slang usage and body language. When it comes to verbal communication slang is frequently used by both male and female. Slang is often used by male and female as a way to show they belong with a certain group of people or that they understand popular culture. It shows that they are part of the "in crowd" and that the slang is part of a secret language. However, body language varies between male and female. For instance, when a male is upset he usually expresses his anger through physically fighting. “Whereas, females do not ritualize opposition” (Tannen par. 5). “Father Ong demonstrates that ritual opposition – what he calls “adversativeness” or “agonism” – is fundamental to the way most males approach almost any activity” (Tannen par. 5). In the statement from Tannen’s article, my connections regard male and female actions.
Immigrants and
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Among the many challenges facing the world coming together as a whole is the challenge of language barriers and its association between male and female versus immigrant and citizen barriers. The points discussed in this essay about two prominent illustrations of today’s society having many language barriers can be supported by both articles. Whether it is the usage of slang, body language, or proper language between male and female versus immigrant and citizen, each illustrates how today’s society proposes barriers between