Amy Tang “Mother Tongue”- Reading Response

When Amy Tan writes, “Recently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use” she is referring to the fact that she has different ways of speaking, some more advanced than others. For example, she, later in that paragraph, says “the forms of English I did not use at home with my mother.” Tan is referring to the extensive use of vocabulary in the speech she gave, to which her mother was able to hear while in the same room, but never heard from her during their conversations. When Amy Tang uses the term “Mother Tongue” she is referring to the English that her mother speaks.  “Some say they understand 80 to 90 percent. 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. 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.” This quote explains how Tang’s mother’s English impacted the way she viewed life. Amy Tang explains “I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say That is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect. And I had plenty of empirical evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.” She also recalls events of her youth where she had to impersonate her mother over the phone when speaking to certain people. Her perception of her mother’s english started to shift as she got older, because she began to understand that knowledge and understanding is not defined by the way one speaks, if that way is still understandable, but not held to a certain standard. Amy Tang also explains that “This was understandable. Math is precise; there is only one correct answer. Whereas, for me at least, the answers on English tests were always a judgment call, a matter of opinion and personal experience.” Amy Tang also explains how “English could not be considered my strong suit,” so she resonated with her mother more because of this. She knew her mother was a very intelligent woman who knew how to fight for herself and stand her ground. Amy Tang wrote this article to show people that even if they are subjected to a certain standard by someone other than themselves, it doesn’t matter, as long as they themselves know and have faith in what they know and can do. Tang is an author, so her intended audience would be her readers. The way I speak is dependent on who I am speaking to, but most of the time I try to speak in a proper form with everyone, even my friends. With this practice, speaking proper would become natural and fluent, while others may have trouble speaking a certain way.