Use commenting and respond to the following: Amy Tan writes, âRecently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use.â What are these different Englishes; when, where and how does she use them? What does this piece illustrate about Tanâs responsibility to and feelings about her different communities and the way she moves between these groups?
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Professor: Dr. Ruth G. Garcia
Email: RGarcia@citytech.cuny.edu
Office hours: Monday 11:00am – 1:00pm
An advanced course in expository essay writing that includes a required library paper. This course further develops research and documentation skills (MLA style). Demanding literary and expository readings are assigned for classroom discussion and as a basis for essay writing.
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New York City College of Technology, C.U.N.Y
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The different types of Englishes are the English that she talks with her mother and the English that she is talking to the audience about her writing, her life, and the book that she published. The English that she uses with her mother is basically imperfect English. When they are talking about the furniture price, Amy Tan heard herself saying “Not waste money that way”. This is how she communicates with her mother in English and it is in a way that her mother will understand it. The English that she use with others are perfect English. When she was calling the stockbroker, she had to pretend that she is the mother and have to translate the English used between the two of them into perfect English so that the stockbroker can understand. This piece illustrate about Tan’s responsibility to be a translator for her mother and pretend that she is the mother through the phone by asking about questions and complain and yell at the people who had been rude to her mother. She feels ashamed because her mother’s English reflected the quality of what her mother had to say and embarrassed when her mother is complaining about the stockbroker’s boss.
The different types of Englishes, author, Amy Tan is referring to, is the difference in way she speaks to certain people depending on who they are and what social setting she’s in. Amy Tan is an Asian-American author, raised by her mother whose first language is Chinese. The way she speaks to her mother who does not speak English fluently versus the way she speaks to her co-workers are very different. In a work setting, Amy Tan speaks in perfect fluent English, that is grammatically correct, whereas with her mother she does not. Amy Tan acknowledges that this does not mean her communication with her mother is less than, but instead, over the years they created what I would describe as a sort of intimacy language between themselves that many children of immigrant parents, myself included, can relate to. She mentions times in her childhood where she had to help her mom make various phone calls. For example, she had to make a call to a NY stockbroker for her mother regarding a late check and had to translate what her mother was saying, in her broken English, into a formal way as she spoke to the stock broker. She knew exactly what her mother was trying to express to the stock broker in that instance despite her broken English. This is a great example of how she had to navigate through these different situations while code switching as a young girl. She saw from a very young age the importance of language in society. Many people in America look down on languages other than English or people who are not fluent in English. She saw her mother disrespected, ignored, and looked over because of her broken English. I think because she had the experience of being an Asian American child, she has a different perspective as a writer in terms of how people understand language. I think because of her experiences, she realized how inaccessible the English language is to many and more importantly, as a writer, she realized big words weren’t always the best way to get the essence of her writing truly across. It made no difference what certain negative reviews said about her book. What is important to author, Amy Tan, is that her words are so universal that when her mother read her book she said, “so easy to read”.
Tan writes that she uses different Englishes when giving speeches and when talking to her mother/husband. Tan says she uses âcarefully wrought grammatical phrases, burdened,it suddenly seemed to me, with nominalized forms,past perfect tenses, conditional phrases, forms of standard English that I had learned in school and through books, the forms of English I did not use at home with my mother. âTan describes different types of English she would use at home and outside her home. She would use âsimpleâ, âbrokenâ, âlimitedâ, and âproperâ English, but didn’t like to use the word broken because broken means there is something that needs to be fixed. This piece illustrates how challenging it can be for an individual to be raised by parents who speak âlimited Englishâ and also she feels a sense of responsibility for teaching others that the language that her mother speaks isnât really any different.
In âAmy Tanâs âMother Tongue” by Amy Tan, the author talks about she is not a scholar of English and that she does not have a lot of prior knowledge on the language itself. Later on, Tan becomes aware of all the different types of English she speaks. She talks about how one type of English is her mom’s broken English and the struggles with that type of communication. Another one, is the proper English Tan uses when she speaks with scholars, gives speeches and even in her own writing pieces. Lastly, she talks the half-broken English that Tan and her husband have been accustomed to because of their relationships with family and the language they grew up with. She illustrates her events and experiences by providing the reader with examples of her mom’s struggles with English and explains how that made their lives tougher. In one example, Tan talks about how she had to become the “mom” and talk to the stockbroker. She also states that, “In this guise, I was forced to ask for information or even to complain and yell at people who had been rude to her.” (Page One) Tan shows the frustration she receives when dealing with people that cannot understand her mom’s English and how she has to switch between the groups. These groups are her mom’s broken English, as well as the proper and grammatically correct English that she has to use with the stockbroker and many other people for her mom. Also, the type of English she uses with her husband. Tan also says how she feels about her communities and how other Asian-American students are being steered away from writing and into math and science. This made Tan want to write in all different types of English, so everybody can understand. To sum it up, Amy Tan is an Asian-American who has to use many different types of English in her everyday life. One of those times is when she has to help her mom on the phone with other people. Tan mentions the frustration she feels as as result.
When Amy Tan writes “Recently I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use” she was referring to the different type of English she uses to talk to her mother and husband, and the English she uses to communicate with her readers. Whenever she communicates with her mother, husband or I’m guessing anyone who is close to her, she uses this “simple” English and when she talks to her readers, she used to use this more sophisticated English with “carefully wrought grammatical phrases” but she later realized she wanted to “envision a reader for the stories [she] would write”. The reader she chose to envision was her mother. When she wrote these new stories with her mother as the reader in mind, she combined all the styles of English she knew. She did not care what any critic thought, because she knew she succeeded when her mothers verdict on her writing was “So easy to read” This piece illustrates the struggle of being a part of an immigrant family. Amy talks about a time where she had to complain to her mothers stockbroker and pretend she was her mother because Amy’s mother spoke this “broken” English. While I was reading this article, I saw myself relating a lot because I come from an immigrant family myself and being a first generation born in the United States, I had my own experiences of pretending to be my father complaining to businesses over the phone, etc.
When Amy Tan stated that she noticed the various englishes she uses she meant the english she uses with her mother and the english she uses in her writings when she is trying to communicate with the audience. The mother of Amy Tan is judged by her English because it doesn’t sound ideal or perfect to other people which makes it hard for her to communicate. But when Amy speaks to her mother she is able to understand her perfectly and doesn’t find anything wrong with how she communicates. She speaks to her mother in a different english that can be considered wrong to other people but for her is completely normal. The English she uses with her mother can be considered imperfect because she mentions her mom’s english has been described as “broked” or “Limited English”. However, these terms are not how she really feels about her mom’s english, to her this type of english is not missing anything and doesn’t need fixing. Another type of English mentioned is when Amy writes she notices the use of formal and sophisticated language which is stated as “standard english”‘, an english that she would never use with her mother. The usage of standard english is used when Amy is sharing her work to an audience. Her use of words is different from the way she speaks to her mother. Amy Tan has also spoken to other people in “perfect english” when speaking to a banker or ordering in a restaurant because they sometimes don’t understand her mothers english and completely neglect her because of it. This makes Amy feel enraged, displeased, and hurt that people treat her mother differently because of the different english that she speaks, as if speaking perfect english determines your worth.
Amy Tan loved languages due to the fact that she is a writer and she notices things that most people wouldnât. She talks about the fact that there are multiple English languages, different ways to speak and interact with people. When Amy Tan wrote “Recently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use” she is referring to the different types of way people talk with each other. She speaks to her mother in a way that is different from how she speaks to her friends and/ or her teachers. Like she pointed out in her article, language is a very powerful tool depending how itâs used. She talks to her mother in a broken English type of way that makes sense to them, as if she was to speak to someone else she would talk to them in proper English.
The different of Englishes that Amy Tan uses are the different perspectives that we are given when Amy is with her mother versus the way she uses English to communicate with other people. She uses these different forms of English to understand her mother and to Amy, her mother’s form of communicating with her is the language she grew up with. What this piece illustrates about Amy Tan’s feelings is that language barriers discriminate against people whose English is considered âbrokenâ or have complications expressing themselves using proper grammar from those who donât understand the message they are receiving. Therefore their opportunities are limited to those who have âlimited English”, are mistreated and viewed as not enough for society. Society only see whatâs on the surface, disregarding a person such as Amy Tan’s mother’s intellect. Amy Tan’s responsibility is to make sure her mother’s struggles won’t be a way for others to take advantage of her or make her feel less.
The different Englishes that Amy Tan uses is simple English which she used to talk to her mother who is originally from China and doesn’t have a tremendous understanding of the English language so she has to talk to her more simplistically so she can better understand what she is trying to say. She also speaks English in the more traditional way that people in America are more accustomed to hearing she uses this English when she talks to people outside of her mother an example of this is when she was talking to the stockbroker pretending to be her mom so that the stockbroker could understand her mom’s problem. What This piece illustrates about Tan’s responsibility to and feeling about her different communities and the way she moves between these groups is that she feels like she needed to shed light on how immigrants can be mistreated by their accents or lack of command of the language and by being in both communities she can see the mistreatment first hand.
The different types of English that Amy Tan uses in her everyday life are quite different from one another. When it comes to her speaking to her audience in her writing, she is very proficient and the “English” is well-spoken. However, another type of English that she uses is the “broken” English when she speaks to her mother. In the text, she describes talking to her as a “different sort of English that relates to family talk, the language she grew up with.” One example of her using her “broken” English is when they were talking about the price of a furniture and she ” heard myself saying this: “Not waste money that way.”” The thing that this piece illustrates about Tan’s responsibility to and feelings about her different communities and the way she moves between these groups is that she is versatile when it comes to speaking to others. She is able to communicate to her mother in a “English” that she is about to understand the best. She’s also able to speak to her audience through her pieces of fiction the way it suits her. I believe that the way she carries these thoughts of being able to translate to others is great.
Amy Tan uses different types of English, one is the language she grew up with at home which is mainly influenced by her Chinese momâs âbrokenâ English, and the other is the one she learned from her American environment. She uses âbrokenâ English with her mom because she is used to this code growing up with her. This way the communication between her and her mom is better because if she speaks in âbrokenâ English her mom would understand her clearly. The exchange of messages is much easier. Sometimes she also uses this language with her husband and she also noticed that her husband doesnât even realize that sheâs using this type of âbrokenâ English with him because theyâve been together for so long that he got used to it and he understands her very well that way as well. On the other hand, Amy uses standard English in her academic writings and in public speaking.
This piece illustrates that Amy switches codes or changes her type of English depending on who she is communicating with. She also does more than that like toning down her momâs language whenever she is asked to speak to anyone on the phone for her like when they had to call her momâs stockbroker. I understand this part because Iâm a first-generation immigrant kid and my mom would ask me sometimes to call her bank and speak to them for her. I have to translate everything that she wants me to tell them and itâs not an easy job. Sometimes I have to tone down my translation especially when sheâs mad so that the customer service would better understand my point and get to help me resolve the concern thoroughly and effectively. And most of the time I have to modify or revise the translation in my head. My goal is to deliver my momâs intent of message in my way of speaking. All of this listening, translating, revising, and speaking, take place in my brain all at once. It stresses me out for sure. The responsibility as a child of an immigrant parent is not as easy as it seems and this is something both Amy and I have in common. Not only that we have to adapt both cultures, but we also have to live with both cultures especially in terms of language and communication. I have to switch codes every single day. My English at home is different from my English when Iâm with my friends. But my inner language is the same. My inner language is developed and influenced both by my mom and my New York friends.
In Amy Tanâs writing, she expresses her own opinions about âmother tongueâ, the
language a child grows up speaking. When Amy Tan writes, âRecently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use.â The different Englishes that Tan is referring to is the kind of English her mother speaks which she described as being broken, fractured, broken, and limited. As a Chinese American she grew up speaking standardized or proper English. This proper English has been used in educational and professional settings as well as throughout her writing. Tan describes within her piece mother tongue herself as a culprit of judgment toward her mother tongue; relaying past feelings of shame. One can infer that Tan preferred to identify with standard English as a means to differentiate herself from a broken English speaker. In practicing this code-switching from broken Chinese-English mother tongue to standardized English, Tan created a double identity for herself where she would not feel comfortable speaking opposing languages with the wrong community.
These different types of Englishes are the way she talks to her mother and the way she talks âformallyâ to others that understand English completely because these complex words she uses wouldnât be the type her mother would understand. In the story, it states âMy 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.â meaning she only spoke with her English that she would understand. Tan feels very offended when people say they are speaking broken English when it truly isn’t because it’s their way of speaking it, she gets frustrated when people do not take her mother seriously because of the way she speaks this language. The English language is very diverse with many people and I understand where she is coming from speaking different types of Englishes in different places for example at college it has to be very formal instead of the way I talk to my siblings which is very understanding between each other but not others. Tan created this to explain that English is very diverse and does not have a specific way to be spoken, if someone speaks it with words in different orders then they understand English that way.
In Amy Tan’s “Mother tongue” she states âRecently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use.â Are somewhat the different ways Amy would formulate herself with other groups compared to how she speaks with her mother. The first time her mother ever heard speak a different version of the English they’re used to communicate with was at one of Amy’s talks, where she would explain her life, her book, her writing and it was a way of speaking she never heard from her daughter before. Amy mentions how her vocabulary would change when speaking to her mother and husband only she would notice the change but her husband would not. Amy feels that it’s her responsibility to keep up the formality of English in her household because it’s what she grew up with, it’s even the language she uses with her husband and found it’s somewhat like their love language, they share intimacy through their English. It’s important for Amy to use these different types of Englishes to communicate with different groups and people because some may view the way she speaks to her mother as a broken version of English and not acceptable to society and the public eye. People out of state who come over to America and have language barriers might be discriminated against or seen as inadequate because they aren’t able to communicate as well as most Americans but they are just as capable if not more than what some Americans might deem them as.
In Amy Tanâs âMother Tongueâ she refers to two different types of Englishes. The first being informal English that she mostly uses with her mother and at times with her husband.This is also referred to as broken / limited English. The second being a more refined English as Tan says it â a speech filled with carefully wrought grammatical phrases, burdened, it suddenly seemed to me, with nominalized forms, past perfect tenses, conditional phrases, forms of standard English that I had learned in school and through books, the forms of English I did not use at home with my mother.â This being the kind of English that she uses in a formal setting or when she is speaking for her mother. This piece illustrates Tanâs understanding of the power of language and how the way you communicate can be viewed in different settings with different individuals. It is told from the perspective of a true child of an immigrant. Tan has one feet in both worlds and swims between them effortlessly. Just as she did from her home life and school life. She understands that both Englishes are English and yet one is seen as the correct way despite conveying the same thing.
In Amy Tan’s “Motherâs Tongue” she uses a different type of English depending on the situation and the person she is speaking with. An example of this when she is walking with her mother down the street and she says âNot waste money that way.â Although that phrase is not correct she uses it with her mother so she can understand her better since her mothers english is not as formal as her’s. Another example of the different type of english she uses is when has to make a call for her mom to speak to her stockbroker about an issue. This time instead of telling the guy what her mother told her to say âwhy he donât send me check, already two weeks lateâ she uses the correct formal type of english and rewords it to âYes, Iâm getting rather concerned. You had agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasnât arrivedâ. The reason why she used the correct way of english was because her mothers english is rather “broken” and “limited” in a way where only her daughter can understand it. This piece illustrates a lot of the struggles that immigrant families face from all around the world that come into the United States. It shows how the parents can have a very âlimited englishâ that canât be understood or be considered âbrokenâ by anyone outside of the family.
In the story mother tongue Amy states that , ârecently I was made keenly aware of the different englishes I do useâ she meant that she has been using informal language when interacting with others. One occurrence was when her mother heard her when Amy was expressing her life, her feelings and her stories to others. Amyâs mother was a bit confused of the way she was speaking this informal English. Another would be when she is communicating with her husband, only then she notices that her English is improper and no one else around her does. This is crucial to her because many in the outside world may view Amyâa different versions of englishes as broken English and some may not view it as acceptable in the outside world . Tan created this to portray the image that the world is imperfect and that we all have our flaws and that what makes our culture diverse.
The different types of English Tans talking about is referring to how she speaks and how she articulates her words around her mother or husband as opposed to how she speaks to her readers and others. She uses the term “family talk” as a way to simplify this idea but it also shows us she has adopted code-switching between family and more sophisticated and proper English when talking to people who aren’t her loved ones. For example when Tan’s mother had to let Tan talk to people over the phone while her mother was frustrated saying “Why he don’t send me check, already two weeks late. So mad he lie to me, losing me money.” which Amy had to change what her mother really said to “Yes, I’m getting rather concerned. You had agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived”. This shows the way Amy spoke with her mother and to people who aren’t her family in a clear cut example of code-switching.
Iâd like to begin by saying what a great job you all did here addressing all parts of the discussion questionâanswering thoughtfully, in detail, and with reference to the text. In my response here, I am only going to highlight a handful of comments, not because they are the only correct ones but because they tie together nicely to develop a point about what Tan is doing in her piece with regard to language and why she feels the need to do this.
As many of you point out, Tan exists in two different worlds when it comes to her language and this gives her a unique perspective. She is, as Odaly points out, âenraged, displeased, and hurt that people treat her mother differently because of the different English that she speaks, as if speaking perfect English determines your worth.â For this reason, as Jeff explains she wants to show that âthe image that the world [has of these different Englishes] is imperfect.â And, as Johash tells us, she wants âto shed light on how immigrants can be mistreated.â To accomplish this, as many of you note, she uses her writing. As Juan says, Tan uses her writing to show âthat English is very diverseâ and to show, as Keneshia writes, that âthe language that her mother speaks isnât really any differentââor at least not inferior. Instead, as Sarah writes, âThis piece illustrates Tanâs understanding of the power of language and how the way you communicate can be viewed in different settings with different individuals.â Moreover, as Alexsandra explains, Tan is challenging the hierarchy that exists among the different Englishes: âI think because she had the experience of being an Asian American child, she has a different perspective as a writer in terms of how people understand language…. importantly, as a writer, she realized big words werenât always the best way to get the essence of her writing truly across.â
Amy Tan’s English ranges from a language endowed with the linguistical trimmings of grammar to a language intertwined with her mother tongue. The more grammatically intricate the English, the less intimate the interaction. The more her culture colors her English, the more personal the interaction. This piece highlights how Tan’s mother was judged by people in department stores, restaurants, and bank tellers, on how “broken” her English sounded despite her innate intellect. In response, Tan used code-switching as a shield to enforce and ensure a level of respect as she communicates with others. It was a means to navigate the majority. Someone whose primary language is different from the language used by the general population could benefit from reading this essay. Tan’s experience shed light on their reality, giving a voice and name to this linguistic, social play that we acknowledge as code-switching.