Amy Tan Family Language

“Language spoken in the family, especially in immigrant families...plays a large role in shaping the language of the child,” (Tan). Tan uses her own opinions and personal experiences to convey the importance of family language. She explains later how family language shapes her understanding of the world around her. The main language during Amy’s childhood was her mother’s language. She did not have much influence from her peers since she was isolated for being an immigrant. Therefore, her mother’s language “was the language that helped shape the way [she] saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world,” (Tan). Since her mother’s native language was not English, Amy had to overcome numerous obstacles. Her mother’s limited knowledge of the English language limited her own knowledge as well. “I believe that it affected my results on achievement tests, I.Q. tests, and the SAT...scoring perhaps in the sixtieth or seventieth percentile on achievement tests,” (Tan). Amy had no one to teach her
As a result, Amy had to speak more than one type of English. Amy had to talk on behalf of her mother which caused her to experience being more mature than others her age. “When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she. In this guise, I was forced to ask for information or even to complain and yell at people who had been rude to her,” (Tan). Amy had to translate what her mother said into perfect English. This relates to how I have to act more mature when I speak on behalf of my younger siblings. When I was younger, my babysitter could not understand what my younger siblings wanted so I had to explain to her what they needed. Amy Tan’s mother speaks to Amy in English with an “expressive command, vivid, direct, full of observation, and imagery,” (Tan). I coach my sister how to run in a similar way with an expressive command, direct, full of observation, and