Response
"Mother Tongue"
I found Amy Tan's article very interesting. I have often wondered how the English language is for those who come from other countries and cultures. I have heard that English is one of the hardest languages to learn. Reading about Amy having to make phone calls for her mother because people often dismissed her because of her 'broken' English was kind of funny and having to listen to her mother trying to get her point across but having much difficulty. I imagine growing up was hard when people didn't take you seriously and found you hard to understand. I think she was very brave to go for an English major and start to write fiction. She states that one of the sentences she had written which she even had trouble understanding. I enjoyed this article and learned a lot from it.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The essay “Mother Tongue” describes a writer who grew up with a mother of Asian origin and the limitations created by her mother’s speech. The author, Amy Tan, defines her mother’s English as “broken” and that it created communication barriers. For example, when Tan’s mother would need to call her boss about work, she would rely on her daughter to make the phone call and use proper english. When Tan decided to go into English in college, it seemed foolish since she was more skilled in math and science. The author also mentions how not everyone’s speech is the same, but that is not a bad thing. Tan decided to start writing fiction, and write a book in a way her mother would comprehend. Though the writing was harshly critiqued, Tan knew she…
- 227 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
In “Mother Tongue” (1990) an essay written by Amy Tan, a Chinese-American author who has written a lot of beautiful novels, Tan argues that all languages have a purpose and value. Tan tells us how every language has a purpose by giving us examples from her own life, specifically, she talks about the way her and her mother talked; her mother wasn’t very fluent in English, but the little English she could speak she could say smart and brilliant things like, “ . Tan uses personal examples in order to make us believe in the importance of language. The people she directs this story to is to people who grew up in English homes from birth to see just because someone doesn’t talk perfect English doesn’t mean they don’t know things, they do have brilliant…
- 175 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue” Tan grew up in a home with her Chinese mother who spoke English that she considered “broken”. It was difficult for others to understand what her mother was saying. Tan then realized that when she was with her mother that she spoke English differently than she did. She was trying to figure out how her background affected her life, such as her education; but she eventually learned to except her background. At the same time Tan wanted to become a writer and she found that by spending time with her mother who again spoke “broken” English. Even though she was told that writing was her worst skill by her boss, she was determined to make it work.…
- 197 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Amy Tan discusses the different “Englishes” she uses depending on the situations she is in. For instance she uses “broken” or “limited” English when she talks to her mother or sometimes to her husband. On the contrary she uses proper English when she is giving a speech to a crowd. She mentions the importance of the words in the article by saying, “power of language -- the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a…
- 616 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
While at home, Tan speaks to her mother in a “broken” sort of choppy English that she can understand. When she is talking to people she works with or deals with on a more business-oriented basis, she uses clearly spoken, grammatically correct, standard English. It was not until giving a speech in a room that her mother was a part of that she finally realized how different her two forms of English really…
- 778 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Within this Essay the author Amy Tan about the stereotypes that Asian Americans face in everyday society when it comes to English in the sense of an overall sense of the language and how the way the speak it is regarded as “broken” or “limited”. In the story she talks about the life she had in her childhood with her…
- 903 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Living with parent that speaks "broken English" is similar in all households and presents similar hardships. In _Mother Tongue_, Amy Tan mainly focuses on the hardships of adapting to American culture. Tan also avoids to being in situations where her mother tries to express herself. Amy is "red-faced and quit" while her mother "was shouting at [the…
- 733 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
In this article, Amy Tan shares her personal encounters growing up with a mother who spoke imperfect English. She examines the diverse forms of English that she uses in her daily life. Tan grew up with many variations of English including her mother's “broken English” which was seen as limited and fractured. However, Tan sees her mother's language as vibrant and easy to understand through her mother’s sense of detail and imagery. Tan began to write fiction towards a target audience who would read her stories and decided to write with her mother in mind. When her mother read her stories and thought they were "So easy to read", Tan knew she had accomplished something very important. Ultimately, she concluded that no one should ever be evaluated on their intellect based on how properly they speak a language.…
- 703 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Throughout the passage of “Mother Tongue,” the author Amy Tan uses strategies in a way to have the reader influenced by the point she is trying to prove. And in this case she is explaining the idea of language in the Asian-American community. She is speaking through multiple perspectives in her own life to show how society is not very understanding to people who are native speakers or can not speak as fluently, in a way that people view their English speaking in different ways and even have less respect for.…
- 699 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In her essay “Mother Tongue”, Tan does not describe her mother’s English as bad or incomplete.She instead, uses words like ‘broken’ or ‘fractured’ to give the reader a better images of how her mother spoke English. In her essay she gives some examples of these ‘fractured’ and ‘broken’ sentences such as, “Why he don’t send me check, already two weeks late. So mad he lie to me, losing me money.” In this sentence her mother attempts to obtain money that a stockbroker had agreed to send, but the man tried to take advantage her instead because of her ‘limitations.’…
- 493 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Gloria Anzaldua in How to Tame a Wild Tongue and Amy Tan in Mother Tongue both share a similar message in their essays, they argue that every single culture faces different language obstacles when learning the english language. Both struggle to develop the correct form of english, the one considered acceptable by society. Both Tan and Anzaldua teach us about their ethnic backgrounds, in an effort to better help us learn of their struggles. Amy Tan, is of asian descent, and tells us how growing up with a mother who spoke “broken english” influenced the person she became and how she approached the world. Gloria Anzaldua, considered herself a Mexican American but mainly Chicana, and she tells us of her struggle to accept her roots and to find a place where she belonged. Ultimately, this also influenced who Anzaldua came to be. The…
- 554 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue” (1990), she emphasize that her mother’s way of speaking English has created a cultural wall. Tan used truth from her life and her mother’s personal experiences to express how society treats people who speak poor English. Tan’s purpose was to encourage the reader not to prejudge a person who speaks imperfect English and in spite of how the individual speak, they should be treated the same way as the person who speaks perfect English. Tan’s anticipated audience was anyone who’s been judge or mistreated because of their imperfect English and anyone who judged or look down on a person that speaks imperfect English.…
- 362 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
As a fellow Asian-American, Amy Tan’s narrative sparked a sense of understanding for what she went through because I experienced the same situations as she did. Tan admits that she “was ashamed of her [mother’s] English” because it was “limited” and “imperfect” (274). Growing up, my perception of my parents’ linguistic skills was far from accepting. I winced each time I heard a mistake in grammar or pronunciation and associated the feeling with hearing the unbearable sound of wailing sirens. On the other hand, unlike Tan, who was forced to be a bridge of communication between her mother and the outside world, I took it upon myself to speak on the behalf of my parents (274). Whether it was making calls for doctor appointments or ordering food at restaurants, I felt obligated to stop my parents from causing confusion in communication. I saw this as my opportunity to take…
- 914 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
After reading the strongly “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tran, it shows a great deal of strength from the Asian American Culture. Throughout the reading it showed how hard it was and still is for Asian Americans to work through the difficulties of the English language. In her essay Amy Tan writes about the problems immigrant families have with speaking English, by reflecting on her own experience. While reading Mother Tongue, I remembered the difficulties I faced when I was learning how to speak English. My English now is better than before but I am still learning because I still can’t fully pronounce some words or I catch myself stuttering when I speak English. My vocabulary was pretty weak and I had trouble pronouncing words that I was not familiar with. English is not my native language and it is not the primary language that I speak at home with my parents. I can connect to Tan’s experiences because I have experienced what she centers about. I believe that Tan’s work is easily understood by many American immigrants because it is easy to relate to. I also believe that her primary audience is those who have immigrated to the United States. It’s also concentrated to those who weren’t raised in an American Society. Tan wanted to show her audience that there are multiple forms that the English language can be spoken and used in. This doesn’t make one form “better” than the other. Using a particular language does not determine an individual’s accuracy in expressing clear, complete, and thoughtful ideas. When reading “Mother Tongue” I was able to connect with some of her experiences as well. For example, as a child, I would get embarrassed by my parents English language skills. Tan brings up a good point about the existence of multiple types of spoken English and how there is no particular one that is “correct” in comparison to another. Language is a means of communication, thus, it should unify us and bring us together rather than act as a…
- 352 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In the book, “Mother Tongue”, Amy Tan asserts that language is a tool of communication.…
- 317 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays