- Read “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan. Write a response to the reading, using the following questions as a guide. It should be approximately 250 words and can be hand written or typed. Be prepared to share in class.
- Amy Tan writes, “Recently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use.” How does she describe these “Englishes?”
- What does Amy Tan mean when she uses the term “mother tongue?”
- What was Amy Tan’s perspective on her mother’s English as a child? How does it change over time? What influences led to her shift in perspectives?
- Why do you think Amy Tan wrote this article? Who do you think is her intended audience?
- Think about your relationship to the languages in your life. Describe at least two different languages or forms of language that you use either in speaking or writing. For example, when you text or email vs. when you speak. Or when you speak to a family member vs. a friend. Or a professor vs. a friend. Does it change depending on your audience? How? Why?
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Amy explains the different variations of English that she uses in different life situations and occasions. When speaking about her book, she explains she uses her “standard English”. To her that is the English her teachers forced upon her during learning in school. The standard English was what she learned from books and articles, although she made an observation while speaking about her book. Amy’s mom was present in the room, for the first time during her presentation. That is when she realized that the English she often speaks with her mom is not so much of conditional phrases, she describes that kind of English as “our language of intimacy”. The kind of English she grew up really using among her household, based on her culture. Amy uses this expression called, “mother tongue” as symbolism of her mother’s way of communicating, her own unique language. Growing up Amy saw her mother’s English as “broken” and “limited”, because in school the English she was taught didn’t sound like how her mother spoke. As Amy grew up she saw her mother not being taken seriously in public stores and spaces; it supported her theory that her mom spoke a ‘broken” form of English.
In my personal life I have also observed the variations in the different kinds of Englishes around. I am a teenager so at heart I text using abbreviations, slang words and improper English. However the way I text my best friend is not the way I text a professor or someone doing a service for me. You have to alter your English for different occasions. That’s something I learned in my 18 years of living. There is a time and place for everything. Just like in an interview I would not be using slang and improper English to speak. I would use “standard English” like Amy described.
Shaniyah, I love your observation about how often we have to alter the way we speak for different occasions. We are going to talk a lot more about this in class, and I would love you to raise it during our class discussion!
Reading Amy Tan’s story called Mother Tongue has me questioning a few things like what are the different Englishes she uses? What is the mother tongue she is talking about? Why did she add the part about her mom when her mother was younger?
Amy tan writes, “Recently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use”. The way she describes these Englishes are by first talking about the way she uses it in the group lecture. In paragraph 3 Lines 4-7 it states “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, I was saying things like, “The intersection of memory upon imagination”. This quote shows like if her mom was surprised about the English her daughter is using that means there is more there that meets the eye.
When Amy Tan had used the word “mother tongue” to describe her mother English at first I was confused but then it hit me the word “mother tongue” is like in some cases like the native way of how people speak. For example in the carribean some people would say the way how we speak is broken English but to us it’s our “ mother tongue”. In the passage it states “She reads the Forbes report, listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker, reads all of Shirly MacLaine’s books with ease — all kinds of things I can’t begin to understand. Yet some of my friends tell me they understand 50% of what my mother says. Some say they understand 80 to 90%. Some say they understand none of it , as if she were speaking pure Chinese. But to me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It’s my mother tongue” (Paragraph 6 lines 2-6) This quotes shows that in some case people will understand it unlike others.
Josiah, Yes! I love the questions that you raise in the beginning of your response. I also love the personal connection that you make to the piece. We are going to dig into the question of what the term “mother tongue” means. And I really like when you said “For example in the carribean some people would say the way how we speak is broken English but to us it’s our “ mother tongue”.” I would love for your to discuss it further with us in class during our discussion of the text! Thanks!
Amy Tan and her mother faced many obstacles because they had learned how to speak English in different ways, although her mother’s limitations of her English caused them to go through predicaments, Tan refers to this familiar way of communicating simple. During her childhood she often felt uncomfortable because of her mother’s “broken” English and belittled what she had to say, however, she eventually realized that her mother’s tongue “was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world.” (Tan 6) I think Tan wrote this article to express her experience growing up with a parent that was from another country, and how even the way they learned how to speak affected them and the way they thought. She wants readers, specifically those with immigrant parents/families, to view them from a different perspective, not be ashamed of them, instead appreciate them and give them a voice in order for them to express their intent, passion, and imagery. My parents’ first language is Spanish, and since they’ve migrated to the United States they’ve had to learn English. When we talk it is usually a mix of both languages, they prefer that I speak in English so that they also practice how to respond. Whereas when I’m talking to my friend I’m much more informal, but sometimes we still incorporate Spanish into our conversations. My way of speaking depends on who’s listening, and what I am trying to express, although it’s more refined in professional settings, while casual with people who I’m close with.
Claudia, Yes! I love how you raise the important issue of how children often view their immigrant parents when they hear them speak English and I love also how you connect it to a powerful personal story. Thank you! Finally, I love how you bring up the different forms of English that you use over the course of the day! I would love for you to discuss one of these great points next week in class! Thanks!
I very much agree with you Claudia , Amy Tans mothers tounge has made her come to a realization and inspired her to see the world in a whole other way and understand this was her mothers way of expressing herself . It made sense to her mom when speaking in how she saw as english , but Amy saw it in another negative way in that she had to translate often for her mom . I also think that Amy tan wrote this article to share how she grew in a way and learned to appreciate her mom and what was ” english ” to her . It is true alot of people are raised in households by immigrant parents who have broken english . We can often feel ashamed or get fustrated by their lack of knowledge and when we are asked to often translate because they can be clueless. But as you said we should appreciate them and give them a voice to show their feelings , and way of thinking , it is truly not their fault in having no knowledge in speaking english in their way . Many parents intend to atleast try and express themselves with their broken english , we can help them and teach them basics to expand their knowledge little by little , it can make a big impact in the long run. We are their biggest inspiraton at the end of the day and they look up to us .
In this writing “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan she expresses her feelings about the “different Englishes” she knows based on her mom and her being a writer. To Amy it was something regular speaking and writing perfect English but she realized that when she spoke to her mom the level of professionalism decreased “the kind of English I have never used with her”. As to why Amy used the term “mother tongue” I feel like it was to show the reader that English wasn’t her mom’s first language but they managed to survive and she provided us with an example “When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she” and as a reader I can relate to this because just like Amy’s mom my parents speak “broken” English. Her perspective on her mother English as a child was to be ashamed because her mom English was taken as a joke to others but as she grew other she understood that it was nothing wrong “my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It’s my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery. That was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world”. I feel like Amy Tan wrote this article to the people that not speaking perfect English is a crime so that they can understand that speaking broken English doesn’t make less of a person and she also wrote this for people like me that can relate to her dealing with some of her mom problems. To me there are two different ways I speak, there is the professional and the regular way. For example when I speak to a professor I might say “ Good morning professor- how you doing” and when it comes to my friends I might say “what’s good” so the way you speak it changes based on the level of professionalism.
Joscar, I love how you describe Amy Tan’s relationship with English, her mother tongue and her mom. You express so well how we all change the way we speak depending on who we are speaking with, we are going to talk a lot more about this over the next few weeks! I also love how you explain who you think she is writing this piece for. I would love it if you could speak more about her intended audience in class today! Thanks!
Amy tan expresses her love a of language throughout the passage. She also expresses her childhood thoughts of her mother who spoke a broken form of english. As someone who also has immigrant parents i can relate to Amys use of “Englishes” . My parents can communicate well but their English is very broken especially when it come to pronunciation . I find my self almost matching their broken English when i speak to them but outside of my house i speak a more formal form of English. Throughout Amys childhood she found herself somewhat ashamed of her mothers broken English. I too went through these feelings with my parents who have a string accent. It was too a point where i would talk for my parents at stores or when getting food because often times the worker would have trouble understanding my parents. When Amy quotes the “Mothers Tongue ” i believe she is referring to the cultural aspect to her mothers speaking . Since her mother wasn’t raised in a setting where English is forced upon you(unlike Amy) her mother takes her culture and mixes it within her day to day English. For me growing up in the most diverse cities in the world i experienced a lot of different forms of English. From common slang I use amongst friends to standard English to different types of Broken Englishes based on culture , i see where Amys opinion may have changed. These different Englishes give people definition and character , it makes them who they are. I believe Amy went through the same realization with her mother and found some form of appreciation for her “Mothers Tongue”. I think the big picture behind this passage is that all forms of writing and English are special. Special to the point where we don’t speak to everyone the same. I believe the way you speak to someone expresses the bond you have with them. Now that my parent have been here for a while they also developed a standard English but they will always speak to me in their broken form . I think that’s due to the raw bond that we have where we can be our true selves but amongst my friends you’d see me speak in shorter phrases using a lot of slang we developed as friends. I too would use the term “englishes” because there are so many ways of speaking the language that it really jus depends on who im talking to , the point i’m trying to make and the feelings i want to express.
Dear Jacob, I absolutely love your description of the many Englishes that we speak and in particular when you wrote: “For me growing up in the most diverse cities in the world i experienced a lot of different forms of English. From common slang I use amongst friends to standard English to different types of Broken Englishes based on culture , i see where Amys opinion may have changed. These different Englishes give people definition and character , it makes them who they are.” I would love for you to discuss this further in class today! I also really like how you connect the story to your personal experience. Thanks!
Amy Tan is a writer who speaks about all the different types of English that she uses every day. Amy Tan writes, “Recently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use.” She explains that when her mother is in the room she feels like she is speaking different English than when she is not in the room. This means that even if she is telling the same story if the audience consists of a certain group of people it will be told differently if a different group was being told the story. Amy uses the term “Mother tongue” as a form of symbolism to describe how her mother has her unique language to speak with. When she was a child, Amy felt uncomfortable because she and her mother had learned to speak English in different ways causing them to basically speak 2 different versions of the language. She eventually realized that her mother’s tongue was the language that helped shape the way she saw things, expressed things, and how she made sense of the world. I think Amy wrote this article to show that language can have multiple different perspectives in life and as a writer, you see them clearly. Being Latino raised, I’ve been through basically the same thing Amy has. I used to always live with my aunts and most of them couldn’t speak English. Sadly I wasn’t too good at speaking Spanish. So when I spoke English to them I had to speak a more slow simplified English so they could understand me. My mother on the other hand speaks fluent English. So when I,m around her I speak east and quiet, But when I’m hanging at my friend’s house I speak a lot more freely and louder. The way I speak does change depending on my audience because I like to give off a good image of myself as a person. So if I’m around a bunch of adults I speak formal and correctly buy its the opposite with friends. I wouldn’t be loud around adults because then they’ll think I’m obnoxious, but it’s normal for my friends.
Dear Isaiah, I love how you describe the different Englishes that Amy Tan and her mom use and also connect it to your experience. I would love it if you would discuss this more in class today!
Amy Tan describes the different englishes as different languages. She describes the proper english as sometimes or most of the times a universal language. She then proceeds to talk about the “broken” down english she was raised with that was spoken by her mother. Explaining to readers how broken down her mother’s english is and how some people can’t understand it putting the mother at a disadvantage in life. Tan uses “mother tongue” in the personal essay to describe the way she understands her mother even when others can’t. As a child Amy despised and was embarrassed by her mother’s language. As she gets older she understand the importance of her helping her mother with her speech with others since they take advantage of her. the fact that she had to handle things for her mom was a turning point of acceptance as she realizes that people such as staff from the hospital are giving her poor treatment. Tan wrote this article to inform those who don’t know that things like this goes on in the world, and to appeal to those who can relate. Which it is relatable, the slang my husband uses when he speaks bothers me so much that I find myself grammatically correcting him habitually. He is Hispanic and was born in America so the reason why he speaks so horribly is beyond me. He has a really hard time articulating himself and so that’s where the bad sentences come from. Although I’m not perfect i speak proper english, not all the time but most of the time and his “language” erkkkkkkksssss meeeeeee.