Analysis Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan
Language shifts
In the personal narrative essay "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan she talks about how there is a variation of the English language all over the world. Tan explains about how her English is different from her mothers. Her mother’s English is described as "broken" or "fractured"(651). It was described as this because she does not understand all of the words and sometimes she misses words. Her mother has had to learn English as a second language; it was not her first language. Everyone that speaks English may change the way they speak depending on who is around. In a sophisticated environment they may talk with more poise and use larger words, but with their friends they may be more lenient and not worry about having to impress them.
The way you speak affects the way people look at you, if you do not speak well then people may think you are unintelligent or not worth their time. Tan had to translate or speak for her mother multiple times. “When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone and pretend I was her” (651). She had to talk to many people for her mother so that the correct information could get across. While I was growing up I lived with my grandmother most of the time. She had lived in many different states over the years, such as, Nevada, Texas, California, Rhode Island, Indiana and many more. She had developed many different speaking habits because of the moves I picked up on many of those habits as a child. When I am in class or
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Compare And Contrast Private Language And Mother Tongue
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Analysis Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan
846 Words | 4 PagesFor numerous amounts of people, with English being their second language, they have been described as having "Broken English". " Broken English" refers to a poorly spoken or ill-written version of the English language. One article called "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan discusses the effects of growing up with a Chinese mother who has "Broken English". In fact, Tan deliberates about the limitations and criticism of growing up with her mother. Although Tan speaks articulate English, she still can comprehend with her mother 's "Broken English".
Rhetorical Analysis Of Mother Tongue
458 Words | 2 PagesRhetorical Precis #4: “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan Amy Tan’s purpose in her article “Mother Tongue” is to show the influence of her mother’s style of english. 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. She begins this piece by stating plainly that she is not an english scholar. Instead of decreasing her credibility it actually increases it and paints this piece as a more personal set of observations rather than a bland overview of the entire language.
Amy Tan Mother Tongue Thesis
528 Words | 3 PagesWriter and novelist Amy Tan in her essay “Mother Tongue”, narrates that speaking “broken” or “fractured” English is not a bad thing. Tan’s purpose is to show the readers her interpretation of different Englishes and what affect her mother had on her. Amy Tan builds a case in “Mother Tongue” that just because some people don’t speak English perfectly, doesn’t mean that they are stupid or ignorant. Tan uses metaphors such as “broken” (8) and “fractured” (8), these words are strong metaphors due to the fact that they give the reader an easy understanding of what Tan is trying to say. Tan uses these metaphors as a way of describing how her mother spoke, while trying not to offend her.
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Mother Tongue Summary
714 Words | 3 PagesAfter reading Mother Tongue by Amy Tan, my perspective changed about the struggles for people who are not as good at English. 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. All the evidence backs up her initial claim and as the reader your perspective changes after reading about how she personally was effected. The author 's main claim of Mother Tongue is to persuade people so respect people who struggle with English because she has serval personal connections, she has fact based proof, and she is an experienced writer on this topic and in general. All throughout the reading she uses many personal stories and personal experiences on how difficult it was for her mother to go through her everyday life.
Mother Tongue Analysis
1081 Words | 5 PagesThe article 'Mother Tongue ' by author Amy Tan is about the variations in the English language the author uses in her life. She describes her English when giving a speech to a other people, English she uses when speaking to her mother, and English she uses in her writing. She tells of difficulties faced by both her mother and herself from these many differences. Amy 's goal in this article is to show that a person does not have to speak proper English to be seen as smart or intelligent.
Amy Tan Research Paper
737 Words | 3 PagesWhen she was around others she would talk differently than how she talks with her mother. “…all the forms of Standard English that I had learned in school and through book, the forms of English I did not use at home with my mother” (118). Throughout her story she refers to the English her mother speaks as “Broken English” because her mother would say sentences like “Why he don’t send me check, already two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived” (119). Her mother didn’t have much difficulty understanding or reading English. When Tan was younger, she would feel embarrassed when her mother would speak because many people couldn’t understand her well.
Analysis Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan
711 Words | 3 PagesSummary of "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan In "Mother Tongue, Amy Tan writes about how her mother 's broken English affects her life. She begins this narrative essay by talking about the day she became aware of the different forms of English that she was using at home and during formal events. Amy says, "The talk was going along well enough, until I remembered one major difference that made the whole talk sound wrong. My mother was in the room. 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).
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