"Mother Tongue" Amy Tan

I love how when telling her story, Amy Tan, expresses the different vernaculars of English by writting, "Englishes." It is true that perhaps the form of the English language that we use with different people does change. When I am with my friends, we end up shortening words that should only be shortened via text messaging. For example, instead of saying, "That is just awkward," some of my friends will sarcastically say, "That is just awk." "Whatever" will become "whatev," and instead of taking the time to say the extra syllable of "legitimate," it is apparently easier to just say, "legit." While I must confess that I frequently use these shortened terms, I am happy to say that I have never written, "whatev" or "that is so legit" in a formal essay. However, I cannot help but dwell on the text message language and the effects that it has probably developed. Just as Amy Tan felt like she struggled with her English class in high school because of her mom's English, do other kids struggle with the text message syndrome? Are kids so use to frantically typing on their cell phones and jokingly using the lingo when talking to friends that they simply bring that habit to their writing?

I always thought it was ridiculous when reading SAT prep books that they had to mention a rule stating something to the effect: "Make sure to use complete sentences and take the time to spell out the words." I was reading a SAT prep book (to prepare me for college), yet I was still being told of things that I assumed were fourth grade writing basics. Although I have never encountered this problem personally, it must be quite prevalent in the writing of youth if it is mentioned in a SAT prep book. I will be quite saddened the day when I write an essay (thankfully not for the SAT's) and subconsciously use abbreviations that would only be seen on my cell phone.

While Amy Tan specifically addresses the problem that is occurring with Asian Americans, could this perhaps be a phenomenon that is a cross-cultural development between human interaction and computer interaction? There is a right time for everything. Amy Tan knew that she could use the "broken" English with her mom, but also knew the importance of using correct grammar in her writing. Perhaps it is important that we leave the "legit's," "whatev's," and "awk's" to the computer and the actual correct words for conversation. After all, as Tan pointed out, many people thought her mother was incompetent because of her broken English when, in actuality she was reading Shirley MacLaine's books and the Forbes report. I know that my friends (who are attending some of the top-rated universities in the country) are very competent, but it surely does not look like we are in college when we start to say our abbreviations used in text messaging. It is just "awk."