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In "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan explores the complexities and nuances of language, specifically the variety of English that she was raised speaking: "broken English." Through the lens of her personal experience, Tan illustrates how language can both empower and disadvantage individuals, particularly those who are not native speakers or who speak a non-standard form of a language.
At the beginning of the essay, Tan describes her mother's "broken English," which she characterizes as a "kind of English that is hard to understand." This language, which is influenced by her mother's Chinese heritage, is often viewed as inferior or wrong by mainstream society. Tan recalls instances where she has felt embarrassed or ashamed of her mother's English, particularly in situations where she has had to interpret for her mother or where her mother's English has been viewed as a deficiency.
However, as the essay progresses, Tan begins to see the value and beauty in her mother's unique way of speaking. She reflects on the ways in which her mother's "broken English" has actually allowed her to communicate more effectively in certain situations, such as when she was negotiating with a car mechanic or a store clerk. In these instances, her mother's unconventional way of speaking has given her an advantage, allowing her to convey her thoughts and needs more clearly and effectively.
Furthermore, Tan explores the ways in which language can shape and influence an individual's identity. She reflects on how her own language and writing style have been influenced by her mother's "broken English," and how this has impacted the way she is perceived by others. She notes that when she writes in a more standard form of English, she is often viewed as more intelligent and competent, but when she incorporates elements of her mother's "broken English" into her writing, she is often viewed as less educated or credible.
In conclusion, through the exploration of her own experiences with "broken English," Amy Tan highlights the complexities and biases surrounding language and how it can both empower and disadvantage individuals. She ultimately argues for the value and beauty of diversity in language, and the importance of celebrating and embracing linguistic differences rather than viewing them as deficiencies.
"Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan: Overview and Analysis
The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. It even had an impact on her in the business world when she was told that writing was her worst skill by a former boss. Hieu is at the advanced high stage of language development; he listens, speaks, reads, and writes very Amy Tan Introvert Analysis 274 Words 2 Pages Amy Tan seems like an introvert. Mother Tongue Summary 714 Words 3 Pages After reading Mother Tongue by Amy Tan, my perspective changed about the struggles for people who are not as good at English. I am not a scholar of English or literature. She found that on these tests, there were analogies and sentence completions that threw her for a loop.
Rhetorical Analysis Of Amy Tanâs Mother Tongue: [Essay Example], 1166 words GradesFixer
Whether the person is someone who goes on promoting themselves to the world or not, and it shows how people communicate to others around them. Comparing the two pieces allows one to appreciate the beauty of language and the many ways it can be manipulated to convey thoughts, emotions, and experiences. For instance, in documenting science reports, engaging scholars, interacting with friends, and families, individuals tend to use different languages or mode of communication for effectiveness and efficiency in the presentation of the Similarities Between Mother Tongue And How To Tame A Wild Tongue 504 Words 3 Pages The power of language We all have some form of language limitations, no matter where we come from and what our background is. The skills gained through this writing activity will help me consider suggested ideas from different points of view, find the evidence presented by the author, and form my judgment. She also relates this to a more broad topic of the idea that there are many different types of english that people speak that are tailored to whoever they are speaking to. Tan came to realize this because when Tan was with her mother, she spoke English differently, more simply, like her mother. She tells us the story using her mother's language so we can see how expressive her mother's broken English is.
The second meaning of the phrase, mother tongue, is that the essay is largely about the language her mother speaks, the tongue of her mother. At the same time, it is still reasonable to adopt the language of narration to the common literary norms to make it as clear as possible. King seems to generalize most of his statements, extending his own experiences to a general rule. This evidence supports the claim that lack of "perfect" English does not equal a lack of intellect. Her mother is an intelligent woman. Mother Tongue Analysis 1081 Words 5 Pages The article 'Mother Tongue ' by author Amy Tan is about the variations in the English language the author uses in her life.
In her essay she tries to shows us that language, culture, and education shapes us into who we are and the more you study English the more you learn and English will change your life a lot. The author maintains that the language assisted in influencing the way she perceived things, articulated ideas, and understood occurrences across the globe. She can speak English with no issues. This was because she never used proper English in her home or talking to her mother. She became aware of how she spoke was when giving a lecture about her book The Joy Club and realized her mother who was in the audience did not understand what was being discussed. As an immigrant, I clearly understand the situation that Tan went through. One article called "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan discusses the effects of growing up with a Chinese mother who has "Broken English".
Another theme in the essay surrounds the idea of how we judge other people. This story portrays very well aimed toward people who have to take care of their parents, as if they are exchanging roles with others. She shares a line she originally included in a story, "That was my mental quandary in its nascent state", as one she is grateful she edited out. She said that when she writes, she has to envision a reader. There are inferences that English is a single language, but in reality, people develop diverse versions of English as their mother tongue such that it is very uncommon to discover two people that speak the exact same English because there are so many different forms of the language. She may have chosen to focus on this type sentence structure because it gave the readers sense of awareness into her life and also to make it easier for them to understand the factors that shaped her style as a writer.
Analysis of "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan: DRAFT Essay Example
This supports Amy 's goal of showing us that her mother was intelligent even with her speaking âŚshow more content⌠Another point is Amy says that her mother is not hard to understand, it 's that other people find it hard to comprehend her talking. Both pieces leave the readers thinking about what they have just read or listened to, which serves as a great sign of a successfully written work. In a different point of view, the author could have wanted to learn perfect English and write stories as a way of employing language as a tool that ensures others become open-minded and obtain a broad perspective of the world around them. And it was perhaps the first time she had heard me give a lengthy speech, using the kind of English I have never used with her" Tan 1. She wrote using the simple English, the one she used when she spoke to her mother. Tan describes how a doctor did not take her mother seriously after they had lost important test results of hers.
Indeed, this language change may happen unconsciously since people adapt to the linguistic peculiarities of their companions during the conversation. She credits her rebellious nature with her decision to go into writing instead of one of the fields she felt she was being corralled into. We learn that she grew up living in two worlds and felt shame when she had to speak to others for her mother, but in the end, she realized that all using all her Englishes shaped her experiences, so she used all that she knew to become the writer she is today. For instance in her experience, she notices that Asian students actually do better in math tests than in language tests, and she questions whether or not other Asian students are discouraged from writing or directed in the direction of math and science. This is the phenomenon by which people change how they speak depending on the situation they are in. Although the mother can only communicate her imperfect English, she still reserves the right to obtain what she has worked for.
When Tan started her career as a fiction writer, she tried to use sophisticated language with complicated vocabulary and sentence structure to demonstrate her English proficiency. The author utilized the nonfiction essay form to discuss how language played a major role in her life. Hieu Thai Case Study 493 Words 2 Pages When assessing his listening and speaking skills the only way I could tell he spoke another language other than English, was his accent that I could only hear from time-to-time. Stereotypes Of Asian-Americans 271 Words 2 Pages This is untrue. In spite of all, the truth of her mother holds better in English than her speaking ability and can easily reading in high-levels. In the essay, Mother Tongue, we see an article about Amy Tan contemplating how her background affected her life and her education, held her between two worlds, and brought her shame, but ultimately, she learns to embrace her background. All throughout this article Tan uses personal experience from her mom to show the readers the struggle while also using primary sources to back up her claim.
For Tan, her mother's language is the language of her childhood, and it is clear, vivid, and full of imagery. In overall, Amy Tan wants to show that she was just a normal, average student who work her best to have a good grades which would lead her into success in her future. Tan employs satire as a means of exploring the rationale behind English acquired from school and books not being appropriate to employ at home with people such as her mother who cannot effectively use the same. This is because she grew up in a home with her Chinese mother who spoke English that was, at best, difficult for many people to understand. Amanda Knapp Amanda Knapp has taught and tutoredĂ English at the college level for overĂ ten years.
These are linguistic terms describing how formal a person's speech is in different contexts as well as how a person changes their speech to fit in with family or with people of a similar social group. She was giving a talk to a group of people about her book, Joy Luck Club, and she found herself using English that was sophisticated and complex. See eNotes Ad-Free Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. She gets frustrated with me because she believes it is her English, and mine is⌠mine. She narrates details regarding her mother, especially concerning her use of the English language, which was rather limited.
