Amy Tan Mother Tongue Thesis

She categorized it into two categorize the first one is professional English that she use at work with boss and employees, and the second category is family English “broken English” she use it with her mom and family. These divisions were very important and affected tan because she had to be aware which English to use. 4. Tan know that the literary audience will have a higher expectation of her writing .therefore, she doesn’t write in the manner in which her mom would speak” broken English”. She thinks an English scholar or students would be easily being able to understand what Tan convey through her story.

She had high expectations for herself, but she viewed her mother’s English something that could hold her back. She makes this clear when she writes, “I think my mother’s English almost had an effect on limiting my possibilities in life as well (394).” Tan goes on to explain how she thinks It affected her results on IQ test and the SAT. The reader could understand that Amy has high standards for her grades, as she says a B plus is moderately well. Her standards affect her use of interruptions, and as Stet writes, “People who view themselves as “good” want to get feedback that they are “good” (Burke 76). Her standards lead to a change in her actions because she wants to excel in her English classes.

The "limited" and "broken" English Amy Tan 's mother speaks is similar to the one my parents are most familiar with. Tan’s childhood experiences resemble my personal experiences in which, I would assist my parents in situations alike. Tan found herself speaking on the phone pretending to be her own mother; keeping her mother from going through embarrassment and bad customer service. Similarly, when my parents found themselves conversing with a representative from customer service, I would translate and attempt to clarify any miscommunications that could potentially lead to misunderstandings and/or incidents. Unfortunately, because I was too young and naive towards the language, I wasn 't much help.

Tan refers to this English as a “language of intimacy” within the family but also notes how it weakens in public encounters. (466) Every family has an internal language that they share because it is their identity. This unique internal language is what allows each and every family show their true culture. People should not be ashamed of their English, even if it is broken. After my grandmother’s incident with the store clerk, I could see that she was ashamed and embarrassed.

Aiman Khalid Karen Quirarte ENGWR 301 Essay #1 Motherhood Gamble My mother sat me down and caressed my hand; I knew something was on her mind. She began by saying, “Being a mother is hard as it is, but being a widowed mother is an even harder task.” Her tone led me to believe that she was trying to confide in me about her role as a mother in my life. She went on to explain the circumstances and hardships she endured as a singular parent. In a way, she was subconsciously letting me know that her every move to raise me wasn’t necessarily ideal, which she later learned from experience. I understood her concern but I never sought her “errors” to stigmatize her as a bad mother, considering she didn’t have a handbook of guidelines on being

Shulman defined focus listening as “concentrating on a specific part of the client’s message” (Shulman, 2009). My understanding of focus listening is understanding what the client is saying and not saying. Being able to tune in to subjects the client does not want to discuss and being able to address it with the client. One case that stand out to me was 16 year old Emily who was brought to my office by her mom because of her defiant behavior. Meeting with Emily was challenging at first.

Another example includes, when other people hear Amy’s mother speak, they struggle to understand. However, Amy points out, “But to me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It’s my mother tongue” (Tan, 2014, p.317). Because Amy grew up grew up with her mother’s modified English, understanding it became second nature. Intimacy of language utilized by close family and friends makes sense to those belonging to the group, while outsiders remain disconnected To prevent confusion and language barriers, the method of delivering language depends on the situation and audience.

Writer, Amy Tan, in her biographical essay, “Mother Tongue”, conveys her message on her and her mother past experiences when she was a child. Also expressing her feelings about the situations and how it opened her eyes now as an adult. In this essay Amy accounts for all the hard times her and her mother endured because of “Broken English”, which is poorly spoken or ill-written English. The purpose of the essay is to make the reader analyze not what someone is saying but the meaning of it. The intended audience is anyone who is trying to make those who discriminate against those who speak in broken English identify with not what is being said but what the thing being said means.

In the essay “ Mother Tongue”(1990), Amy Tan, the connections between languages and cultures have a purpose and value, argues that “ I am a write and by definition, I am someone who has always loved language”(79) the differents ways the one interprets the different languages. Tan describe the varieties of languages and the type of person who tries to understand when there is someone whose English was not their first language. Used examples in order to convey the importance of language ( Forbes report ) that her mother's read, (Wall Street Week) that her listened; those were the ways to strengthen their English as he could and had the ability to speak. Tan speaks to English language in a compassionate tone so they can relate.

Amy Tan 's short tale “Mother Tongue” addresses the substance of various language Defining that the languages is not a tool for communication, but a subcultural instrument to define an individual 's worthiness.The author defines that languages may be unusual realizing a new experience besides her cultural background. Which enhances that communication from her original experience from her culture is the only language she knows as the exotic ones are a barrier. realizing Tan’s language upon chinese her mother grew up speaking english as her alternative language amy uses the special version of her mother second language and the perception of the english language was Broken and ambivalent to which amy inputs in the text to make the reader aware