Deborah Tannen and Amy Tan Term Paper

Therefore, Tan and Tanner both use linguistics to prove a different point.

Even though their arguments differ, both Tan and Tannen refer to the ways women become marked. Although Tan does not use the term "marked," she implies that ethnic background is a type of cultural marking. Ethnicity can be a highly visible marker, leading to prejudices and biases. Tan's mother tongue led to her being labeled and marked just as much as her mother was. Tannen could easily have incorporated Tan's ideas about ethnicity into "Marked Women, Unmarked Men" to discuss ways the dominant culture squelches the voices of both females and minorities.Tan is therefore more concerned with how language impacts personal identity, whereas Tannen is concerned with how language influences social roles. Both authors illustrate the power of language in shaping personal identity and social norms.

Works Cited

Tan, Amy. "Mother Tongue." Retrieved Nov 16, 2007 at http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/tannend/nyt062093.htm

Tannen, Deborah. "Marked Women, Unmarked Men." Retrieved Nov 16, 2007 at http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/tannend/nyt062093.htm.....