Wednesday, September 7th
Today’s PowerPoint:Â Here is the Link
Homework, Due Monday, Sept. 13th
Read “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, write a response to the questions on OpenLab.Â
- What did you think of this text? Explain!Â
- What is it mostly about? Write a 2-4 sentence summary. Be specific. Refer to the text itself. Use quotes even!Â
- What is the genre of the text? What is the tone?
- Amy Tan writes, “Recently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use.” What does she mean by this? What different “Englishes” does she use? When does she use them?
- What does Amy Tan mean when she uses the term “mother tongue?”  Â
- 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?
I thought the text was well written in that it was easy to understand the author’s main point and intention.
It is mostly about the author’s perception of the different kinds of English she was exposed to. She also talks about personal experiences for her past and how they have led her to write about them.
The text is in an essay format and contains personal anecdotes from the author.
She means that she had a realization that made her come to the conclusion that there are multiple types of Englishes she has seen and used throughout her life, such as the broken, more informal English that she uses with her family and the formal standard English that she learned in school and through reading.
The term refers to her mother’s way of speaking English.
She used to think negatively of the way her mother spoke and was ashamed by it. Her perspective changed when she was able to clearly see the way others would treat her mother poorly because of the way she spoke.
The author wrote this text to share her personal experience and for and audiences that can relate to them, and also for those who haven’t so that they can learn from them.
I tend to have more to say when I write rather than when I speak, and that goes for almost any situation. However, my writing can be more or less formal depending on who I am writing to.
A. I thought the article was pretty interesting to read. I also thought the way the author wrote the article was really good and easy to understand.
B. The article”Mother tongue” is about a relationship between a chinese mother and american daughter and the struggling and complex relationship due to the fact the mother speaks but so much english
C. I think the genre of” mother tongue” is a narrative essay. The overall tone of this is very negative the author sets a negative tone without the whole article
D. When Amy Tan writes” Recently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use” she is referring to the fact that there are many different ways to speak the language english. The different”Englishes” she uses is” Simple”, “Broken” and “Proper” english.
E. When Amy Tan says” Mother tongue”she means the way her mother speaks and the different ways her mom has on speaking english.
F. When Tan’s perspective on her mom’s English was very poor in the text she stated her mother’s English was broken.Over time her perspective changed because she started to understand there are different forms of English and not everyone talks the same.
G. I think Amy Tan wrote the article” Mother’s Tongue” to share her story, she wanted people to learn from her experiences. The intended audience is anyone who is going through what she went through with having a parents who isn’t really in a language.
H. Depending on my audience of course my language and the way I talk change. This is because the language you would use when out with your friends and people your age is very different to the language you would use with someone older or your parents because it is about respect afterall.
1) I liked the facts given by the writer, It’s reliable among immigrants today including myself.
2) The text is mainly about ( mother’s tongue ) where the writer explained the way her mom speaks in English. As stated in the text by Author: Amy Tan ” I do think that the language spoken in the family, especially in immigrant families which are more insular, plays a large role in shaping the language of the child. And I believe that it affected my results on achievement tests, IQ tests… “,
3) The genre of article is narrative. and the tone of the article seem to sound concerning.
4) She would speak to her mom in simple English using simple everyday words which she described as broken English where she would use more correct grammatical orders with perfect tenses as what’s know as standardized English
5) the way her mom speaks English
6) when she was young she used to describe the way her mom speaks as broken Then when she got older she she described it as limited or simple.
7) I think she wrote this article to share with us her experience living a non-native American speakers and how did that impact on the way she speaks.
8) I think the intended Audience are generally everyone including writers with limited English speaking families.
9) With speaking I speak Arabic as my first language and English is my second language. speaking Arabic or English with family or friends is not as formal as when I speak either of both with professors or at my work place. the way I speak or send emails or speak is friends is not as the same as I speak or send emails to professors because the way to connect with professors should be professionally but with friends it can be casual connection.
Sorry I put the same bullet point twice
What I think About “Mother Tongue” By Amy Tan is that the different people she speaks too in English will be different and it’s interesting.
This is mostly about how speaking proper English snd speaking to her mother is 2 different English she speaking even though its still the same.And talks about her experience .
The tone in this text is more negatively and It is a narrative essay on how negative she writes.
She uses broken English with her mom and standardized English in school.
Amy Tan mean when she uses the term “mother tongue” That every mother that comes from a different county tries to speak English.
Amy Tan’s perspective on her mother’s English as a child is she learned broken English but over the years proper English didn’t sound like her mother speaks
Amy write this article because she’s is sharing how she grew up and telling the audience who can relate to the story how her mother spoke broken English and how not to judge other mothers that speak broken English
Different forms of language is important I have to speak to my family in a respectful tone or try to break things slowly because at times they dont understand my english so speaking In spanish also helps but speaking to my friends they can understand what I’m saying even when it doesn’t sound right they know what I’m saying and understand me
I enjoyed learning about different types of Englises one can use to communicate with others. For example, with my parents I speak in more of a formal way. Meanwhile with my friends I’d speak more casually.
“Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, is broken into three parts. The 1st part explains Tans relationship with the different types of Englises she uses to speak with others, such as formal language with others to the English she speaks with her mother. In the 2nd part Tan explains how her mother’s English had influence on her and how her mother was always reliant on her to speak proper English. During the final section Tan expresses how she implemented her mother’s English into her own writing when she quoted her mother “So easy to read.”. This shows that she was able to read like a writer.
The genre of the text is an essay, The piece is broken into three parts which is common when it comes to essays such as an intro, body, conclusion. As for the tone of the piece I believe it’s more towards the downhearted side since Tan always speaks in an unfulfilled way talking about her mother.
By different Englises she means how she chooses to communicate with others. For example, with her husband she might speak more casually, with her mother she might speak more “newly” and with her colleges she might speak more formally.
I believe Tan used the term “mother tongue” to describe how her mother influenced how she viewed English as a whole, Specifically the different types of Englises.
When tan was younger, she was self-conscious about how her mother spoke English. Despite that when she learned there are different forms/types of Englises, she learned to use her mothers English in her own writing.
The article is written for others who are in a similar situation as her when she was younger. I believe this piece is written to describe the different ways of speaking English.
I’m more likely to speak & text in a casual way when it comes to my friends & more formally when speaking or texting my parents.
a. I think the text beautifully captures the ways that we speak and present ourselves in different environments. As someone whose primary language isn’t english, i can really emphasize with the author and the struggles she has faced with language.
b.The text is mainly about the author realizing how differently she speaks with her mother rather than in a formal setting. She describes different situations where she had to speak “broken” english to make it understandable for her mother. Though the author sees no problem with the way her mother communicates, she points out how people treat her mother different because of the way she speaks. We see an example of this in the text when the author had to call for her mother in the hospital. She explains her mother’s frustration with her visit in the hospital and how the hospital had treated her in a cold manner but as soon as her daughter called the hospital gave reassurance and apologized for any inconveniences that they have caused for her mother.
c. I found the text to be comedic in a way not because the author was cracking jokes but because i found myself relating to the stories that the author was telling.
d. By “different Englishes” the author refers to the proficiency of her english. She unpacks the differences in the way she speaks around precessional settings and in a comfortable setting such as with her mother and husband. Amy utilizes the level of her english in a way that would benefit her and those around her. For example she uses “strong” english to speak for her mother but “broken” english to speak to her mother.
e. Amy refers to the language she uses to speak at home with her mother and husband when she says “mother tongue”
f. When Amy was younger she felt embarrassed by her mother’s english, rightfully so, every child that lives in America with a non english speaking parent is conditioned to believe that that something to be ashamed of. As Amy grows older she becomes aware of this. She soon realizes how her mother is doing the best she can and there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
g. I think Amy wrote this article for those who are young and feel how Amy felt about her mother when she was younger. I think Amy could impact anyone who reads this article but especially those who have grown to look down on their parents who struggle with english. She does this in a way that doesn’t shame them but makes them feel understood because Amy did it too when she was younger.
h. I think we all subconsciously change the way we speak in different settings. I too use different tone and language when i speak to my friends or my parents or my professors. For example if i were telling my friend a story i would probably use slang or incorporate some inside jokes we might have where as if i were telling the same story to my parent i would probably strategically leave out some information. If i were emailing a professor or a boss i would use formal english and try to sound as proficient as possible but if i were texting a friend i wouldn’t even bother to correct any spelling errors or grammatical mistakes.
I thought the passage was interesting to read and noticed that it was well written.
The passage “Mother’s Tongue” is mainly about a complex relationship between a Chinese mother and American daughter where the writer explained the way her mom speaks in English.
The genre of the passage “Mother’s Tongue” is a narrative essay. The tone is negative because it is something that she was embarrassed about and shamed until the end where she learns to accept it.
When Amy Tan writes” Recently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use” she is referring to the fact that there are many ways to speak the language English.
The term “mother tongue” is used to describe how her mother influenced how she viewed English as a whole.
Amy Tan’s perspective on her mother’s English was extremely poor in the text she stated her mother’s English was broken. Over the years her perspective changed because she started to understand that there are different forms of English and not everyone talks the same.
Amy Tan wrote this passage to share her personal experience and for an audience that can relate to them and learn from her mistakes.
Two different language forms that I have are texting my family versus texting my friends. When I am texting my family, I tend to speak properly and have good punctuation. On the other hand, when im texting my friends, I use slang to communicate and facetime frequently.
A. I think this piece is great， reflecting people’s real life, which is also something many people are experiencing. The way we talk at home is completely different from when we are outside. We are all casual at home, but more formal outside.
B. This article is mainly about the impact of her mother’s English on her life. She felt that her mother’s broken English had brought shame to her.
C. I think this genre is an essay. This essay makes people feel more negative, and it seems that she blames her mother.
D. She referred that she used two different English， one she had been talking to her mother at home was called “broken English”. The other was the “proper English”.
E. She means the way that her mother speaks.
F. She felt ashamed, but when she saw how others treated her mother, her perspective changed, and began to accept and sympathize with her mother.
G. This is what many people born here and their immigrant parents are experiencing, and her audience is more inclined to immigrant families.
H. The way I talk to my friends is completely different from the way I talk to the professor. The way I send messages to my friends is different from the way I send them to my professor.
I think this text was very interesting and something I can also relate too. I think this because I put myself in his moms shoes. Learning a new language is hard. Having to adapt into this “new world” or things you are not usually use is also hard. This text is mostly about a boy who at one point was embarrassed of his moms “broken English”. He didn’t like it because it would have a negative impact on her life. It made it hard for her to learn. “I think my mothers English almost had an effect on limiting my possibilities in life as well” since he claims that person’s developing language skills are more influence by peers. Not only did it affect him in his life but also the results on achievement test, IQ test and the SAT. The genre of the text is an autobiography. The text is an autobiography because it talks about his struggle and how his moms English had an impact on both of their life’s. Antonio wrote this article because there are people out there that can also relate to him. he wants to inform that theres no need to be embarrassed not knowing how to speak a new “different” language.
Mother tongue both discusses the many types of English languages. At home,at school and with friends they are both are different in there own way but both the author’s make a claim that this can be bad for the many migrants since they are pretty much forced to learn standard English to know important topics. This personal experience and is very targeted towards a crowd of people that speak “Broken English” which might be English not as fluent or even slang. This story connects to my life is pretty similar because my family also sometimes go through the struggle with English. The tone of the text can be very understanding because the author see’s what her mother is going through with her limited amount of speech. The genera of the text is definitely a personal essay. By the different English she uses she’s talking about the English she uses with her mom, school and friends. The author’s perspective of her mother English was broken and as she grew up she’s noticed that about it was more limited since migrants have trouble with important documents since it was more of a standard English. Mother tongue can be the author referring to the original language that her mother uses and isn’t used to English. Personally in school and other business locations I prefer to speak in the standard English but when I’m around my friends I’m more of a goofy person so I would speak with slang since I’m pretty comfortable with them because they know me as a person.