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…
Mother Tongue, written by Amy Tan, is a short story about her family. Amy’s family is Asian Americans, whom came to America later in their lives, the reason why they do not speak English very well. In her short story, Mother tongue, She emphasizes the idea that we all speak different languages without being consciously aware, and that we are categorized by the way we speak. Amy Tan said that she begin to realize the unusual differences that goes on with language, at least her own, because of the Chinese her mother grew up speaking and the English her mother now uses as her "second language," Amy's uses this version of her mother's English, and uses her own perception that her mother's…
Human beings are similar to animals in their need to survive. Most would say we, humans are superior because we can strategize and think past our instincts. I would like to argue that we have just learned to adapt at a faster pace because of the technologies we have access to. As we grow we learn there are different ways of expression our opinion when we are at home, school, work, or even when we are with friends.…
In the article of “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” written by Gloria Anzaldua, she discusses about the relationship between the language and identity. In the other article, which is “Mother Tongue” written by Amy Tan, she discusses her observation and thoughts about using the English and the perceptions, prejudices from other people regarding other languages. Both articles are pointing out how important is the language is in our lives and how we can suffer if we are not using do not use it correctly. Using another language can be very beneficial or painful depending on the way the people use it.…
I enjoyed “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan and disliked “But what Do You Mean?” by Deborah Tannen. I enjoyed “The Meaning of the Word” because it felt casual while still telling an interesting experience. “But what Do You Mean?” felt very structured and had no story. When reading “Mother Tongue” was about Amy Tan defining the way in which she speaks to people in different situation and as certain roles.…
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…
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.…
People speak English differently, some are fluent, while others have difficulties expressing their emotions or explaining their view on something. People communicate with each other differently depending on the situation, changing their register and using abbreviations to create sentences for people to understand better.…
In “Mother Tongue”, Amy Tan claims the different ways people speak and how it will vary around people and from person to person. Tan talks mainly about her mother’s speech and how some people may view it as “broken” or “partial English.” Tan writes about when she hears her mother’s speech she is able to understand it and does not notice that it is broken or maybe be hard to understand. Amy Tan explains how people treat her mother different with less respect than they would a person who can speak better English. Tan's purpose is to make her readers aware of her language that she shares with her mother and convince them that language does not have to be complex or perfectly structured to be understood. Language can be understood through words…
In “Mother tongue” by Amy Tan talks about her experience as a young child whose mother didn’t speak “proper” English; She Described her mother language as “Broken”. Tan recalls often having to translate for her mother in various time. She found herself feeling embarrassed of the way her mom spoke. One-day Tan was delivering a speech when she noticed her mom was in the crowded and it was the first time her mom heard her talk with such big words. After that she noticed she articulates different with everybody; she describes it as a “language of intimacy”(Tan 418) Throughout the article Tan argues that because of the way her mom spoke people didn’t take her serious, and perceived her as not very smart. Tan feels that if someone has limited English he/she will be heavily judged by those around them.I agree with Tan, my mom who has…
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…
Citation: Amy Tan, “Mother Tongue”, The Norton Sampler, Ed. Thomas Cooley, New York, London, W. W. Norton & Company, 2013 by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 253-261, Print.…
Recently, in my College Writing II class, I had the opportunity to read, “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan. I enjoyed reading the essay so much that I decided to write my own analysis. “Mother Tongue” is an essay based on the power of language and the will to communicate. However, the essay is not just about language itself, but also about the relationship between a mother, Mrs. Tan, and her daughter, Amy Tan, who moved to America for the possibility of getting a better life and living the American dream. Mrs. Tan encountered difficulties fitting in society because of her spoken “broken” English. “Mother Tongue” is also about changing but at the same time keeping your culture, heritage, and roots. In the essay, Amy talks about her experiences and feelings about the use of the English language. Without the use of Standard English, a person is known to be a foreigner and sometimes misjudged.…
Tan, Amy. Mother Tongue. The Norton Field Guide to Writing, with Readings and Handbook. 2nd ed. Ed. Marilyn Moller. New York: Norton, 2010. 564-570. Print.…
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…