Tan becomes more conscious of her language use in this essay. At work, she uses sophisticated English. At home, she speaks choppy English, so her mother, who has broken English, can understand her. Even though Tan possesses an extensive English vocabulary, she acknowledges her mother’s English skills. She shows this by telling her mother, “not waste money that way” when shopping for furniture. Tan is conscious of not only her own English skills, but also her mother’s English skills. This broken English shows that she acknowledges cultural diversity since she is also raising awareness that most immigrants struggle with knowing decent English in the process. According to Tan, language “suddenly seemed to me, with nominalized forms, past perfect tenses, conditional phrases, all the forms of standard English that I had learned in school and through books, the forms of English I did not use at home with my mother” (Tan, “Mother Tongue”). This English is the only English where she can successfully communicate with her mother. She could not speak this type of English with her husband or colleagues. As seen with Tan’s mother, is okay to live in the United States without extensive English knowledge. Tan did not force her mother to match her own English. Rather than doing so, Tan was willing to communicate with her mother by speaking in choppy English. Tan concludes that language is a tool that changes depending
In Amy Tan’s essay, “Mother Tongue”, She explains her views on “standard English” and “nonstandard English.” Tan says that standard English is important, but she also believes that nonstandard English can be vivid and essential in creating a connection within a family. Tan also states that nonstandard English is part of our individual cultures, and is necessary to have within our society. I agree with Tan because building a connection with the ones you love is meaningful; and nonstandard languages help shape the way you see and express things.
Tan describes her communication with her mother versus communication in her writings, recalling an instance when “...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, 2016, p. 316). Although Tan’s mother understands her language, her mother has a difficult time relating with the type of English Tan utilizes. As a consequence, a person’s limited language negatively impacts his or her communication with
Although her mother's language was clear to her, others had a difficult time understanding her. I was shocked to read how the author had clearly defined her mother's language as being “broken” or even “fractured.” On one hand, she recognizes her mother as being intelligent, but on the other hand, she seems to be confused about her mother's language. For example, her mother reads the “Wall Street Week”, “Forbes” report, a few of “Shirley McClaine” books, and has a stockbroker. I believe the author relied too heavily on the assumption that just because her mother read proficient English, she should have been able to speak it. But life doesn't work like that and I found it to be an insult toward her mother. The other section that really got me to thinking was when the author talked about how she had to pretend to be her mother just to address certain business calls, with her mother breathing down her back. I'm sure there had to be times where the author might have felt a little frustrated with her mother's
In the essay “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, Tan claims the idea that we speak different languages to communicate with each other and that our intelligence is judged by the way we speak. As a fictional author, Tan is amazed by language and uses it as a part of her work. Tan observes experiences that helped her notice the different type of “englishes” she uses. As child born in a chines culture, tan had to speak to types of languages. One language she used was academic English, which she learned from the books and used it in a normal conversation Second language, which was only used by her family. Tan’s mother is chines and she talks about “giving respect” in the chines culture with her “broken english.” Tan mentions in her essay about her mother’s
Tan talks about how she uses broken English around her mother and other close family, saying that even though it’s broken they can understand each other perfectly. She bases her writing style off of this saying she pictures a reader to write for and uses her mother for that inspiration so the books are easier to read. Tan had said her mother’s broken English had probably hindered her in school because she thinks “that the language in the family, plays a large role in shaping the language for a child”(421).Tan’s teachers had pushed her more to the mathematic and science side of school and because she was rebellious
In “Mother Tongue”, Amy Tan characterizes her mother as a person who is a smart person. Even though she speaks the English which people consider as “broken”, she still can understand what people say almost perfectly. She speaks “broken” English, but it is clear and easy to understand. In my opinion, it is very impressive that she can still manage business with her English.
Author Amy Tan, having grown up with a mother who did not have English as her first language, has experienced a very different set of circumstances than an average English-speaking household when it comes to communicating. In her article, “Mother Tongue,” she dives into her past, sharing the language struggles she saw her mother encounter, along with her own battles with finding her literary voice. What she found in the end was that everyone, regardless of native tongue, uses many levels of language; one then shifts between those levels, depending on who audience is perceived to be at any given time. Tan expresses the need to be more cognizant of these different levels of English, in order to focus on intent instead of complexity. The article's
Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” conveys the idea of cultural tolerance and diversity. During a speech, Tan realizes the difference between how she would interact with the people outside her household compared to her mother and husband. At home, she uses “broken” English to better communicate with her mother while she uses proper grammatical sentences to communicate with others. Tan was “keenly aware of the different Englishes” she was using. Language is a critical point in communication despite whether if its “broken” or not. It is the message that is being convey that is more important.
Tan’s article “Mother Tongue” gives us a personal insight into how strongly language can affect the way society recognizes us as individuals. When Ms. Tan was growing up, her own mother’s broken English influenced her. Her mother had trouble getting others to understand what she wanted or needed at times. This caused many to view her mother as unintelligent since she did not speak proper English. In her academics, she noticed her English test scores were never as high as other subjects.
English has undoubtedly become a global language which is utilized in many fields of the international scale. This language is a great tool that enables the people around the world to effectively communicate, exchange and trade with each other. When someone masters in English, he/she somewhat receives more benefits in studying and working tasks than the ones whose English are limited. In the article “ Mother Tongue,” the author, Amy Tan presents some situations and experiences that she has had throughout her life when her mother is a Chinese-American spoken. She notices her feelings and her thought when she acknowledges her mother language’s limitation. The stories that Tan has experienced with her mother’s language are also the typical stories
In the article Mother Tongue, the author Amy Tan (1952), a well-known Chinese American writer, talks about her mother’s imperfect English makes a difference to her success in writing area. She used to describe her mother’s English as “broken” and it is the “limited” English gives Tan restriction of perceiving people, but she later realizes that delivering a clear message is more important than the competence of language speaking. On the other hand, the movie English Vinglish (2012), tells a story about an Indian housewife Shashi (2012) spares no effort to learn English and ends up not only obtaining friendship but also winning back the respect from her family. Therefore, the movie strengths the article’s claim that using language to convey opinion and idea is more vital during a conversation rather than constantly focusing on the language skill level.
I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say.” Not only did Tan perceive her mother in a simpler way, dismissing her intelligence and sophistication, but so did many other people who heard Tan’s Mother speak. The way she spoke using incorrect words, simple sentences and improper grammar mad outsiders think she was not a competent interlocutor. Many immigrants are facing similar issues. Because they do not have a perfect command of the language spoken in the country they are dismissed by salespeople, real estate agents, and office personnel.
Amy Tan has provided her experience about growing up with different types of English language. She told a story about her encounter with the different types of English she uses with her husband and her mother and how these languages are apart of her life. I never would’ve thought that written language differed from spoken language, until Tan told her story. Her experiences were quite emotional, because she had to pretend to be her mother on the telephone. The communicators on the other end of the line did not understand Tan’s mother or take her very seriously, which I found to be uncivil. It’s important for people to learn to be patient with those who need time to speak and those who have trouble with a secondary language.
It is not easy to decide whether academic writers have to learn the English writing style or it might be better to choose another writing style. If academic writers could find a global structure for the whole world, so academic writers will learn it and use it for writing an essay or a scientific paper. According to Linn(2009), non-native speakers how grown in a different language and culture have a different writing standards which leads to a certain way of thinking, understanding and writing as a result of that. Linn(2009) claimed that teachers have show non-native speakers that the way of a successful academic writing is not only by learning grammar and vocabulary, but also by learning a new writing methods and a new way of thinking. At the end Linn is suggesting to have a suitable group of subjects because Sondek’s study(2008) is small.