Amy Tan Mother Tongue Summary

Soe Tun
English 103
Professor: Lucero
Date: 10/17/2014
Mother Tongue For many people, language is not recognized as a form of communication, but as a barrier that limit them to connect with the world. This is a very common problem for people who immigrated to United State from other countries and who grew up under nonnative English-speaking family as a first-generation Asian American. In the article “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, she tells her personal story of how she overcomes her own language obstacles. After I read this article, I have different feeling and opinions on the languages that I am speaking. I used to think that language is just a tool or form of communication that allow me to communicate with other people. Personally, I speak
After reading the article, I am totally agree on her points because I experienced the situation that Amy discuss in the article. Just like Asian American family, we spoke “Broken English” in our family. I also experienced that people treated differently to me and my parents just because they do not speak proper English. A good part of Americans today speak English as their first language. However, what makes the difference is that it is rare to find two people who speak the exact same English. This is the argument Amy Tan makes in her story “Mother Tongue”. A first-generation Asian American, Tan emigrated from China to United State, where she became a famous writer. She shares her personal story of the English she speaks, and how much the people you are around can change the way you converse. Usually 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. However, she speaks to her mother in a “Broke English or limited English” sort of choppy English that she can understand at home.
In the Tan’s article “Mother Tongue”, she explains how her mother shifts her understanding of English. She have spoken “Broken English” with her mother, and “Standard English” for her profession and other business related matters. Throughout Tan’s life she’s had to overcome several difficulties that her mother’s “limited English” have brought upon her. She took on her mother’s responsibilities of communicating with other people. Her mother’s language dependency on Tan made her feel embarrassed. It is very common for the person who is the first generation of American in family. For me, I am taking all my parents’ responsibilities of communication with other people, because I know the people reflections of speaking “Broken