Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Burr, Instructor
14 November 2017
The possibility of there being different Englishes is intriguing. “Mother Tongue” by Amy
Tan, a Chinese-American writer, is an essay on her mother and the English she speaks. Tan
informs the audience, individuals who have described her mother’s English as “broken” or
“limited”and have prejudged her mother as ignorant, of her experiences with this English and its
affect on her. Additionally, to explain that her mother’s language does not show ignorance but
intelligence. Throughout the essay, Amy Tan tells of her experiences with no lack for detail,
appealing to the reader’s ethos through the credibility of her mother, pathos in family relations,
In the beginning of the essay, Tan says “Recently, I was made keenly aware of the
different Englishes I do use” (par. 2 line 1). She then proceeds to explain two different Englishes
she uses; one used when talking to her mother or family talk, and one used when conversing to
others not included in her family, and not her mother. The language difference is remarkable.
Language of a writer giving a talk contrasts to everyday speech between her mother and herself
clearly in the diction and language. “I was saying things like, ‘The intersection of memory upon
imagination’ and ‘There is an aspect of my fiction that relates to thus-and-thus’ (par. 2 lines 6,7).
And in conversation with her mother, “I heard myself saying this: “Not waste money that way.”
(par. 3 line 3). Compared to each other, the language used with her mother is seen as
Amy Tan writes with no absence of detail in order to inform the reader of her
circumstance. Her experiences growing up with a mother that has “limited” English creates an
understanding between herself and the audience. Those who made assumptions regarding her
mother, may find themselves guilty for having a judgemental attitude. She tells a story, at the
mere age of fifteen, about resolving an issue between her mother and her mother’s stockbroker,
explaining this as only one of the times she has called on the phone pretending to be her mother.
The situation could not be corrected on the phone, resulting in a meeting between the manager
and her mother, with Tan by her side. “And sure enough, the following week there we were in
front of this astonished stockbroker, and I was sitting there red-faced and quiet, and my mother,
the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting at his boss in her impeccable broken English” (par. 12 line 4). In
this passage, the embarrassment felt by Tan is felt by the reader. Adding in the description of the
stockbroker referring to him as an astonished, contributes to the details; imagery here is vivid.
Moreover, the repetition of the word broken in describing the English of Mrs.Tan shows the idea
that it is not necessarily “broken” but identified as broken, and the repetition in the essay, is like
The re-telling of past experiences is not the only tool that Tan uses in her writing. After
yet another story about helping her mother with a difficulty in being understood, Amy precedes
life as well…. 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
In contrast to American children born in the U.S., Tan seems to be at a disadvantage in the area
of English because of her Chinese background, and the language used, referred by Tan as
“family-talk”, in the household. The idea of multiple types of English is resurfaced, and Tan’s
exposure to these different ways of speaking English, to her, were limiting in the possibilities of
life. Tests as she described in this passage are often tests affecting one’s future and so the
The appeal to ethos is prominent in the essay, through credibility to Tan’s mother. The
essay begins as an insight into Tan’s life with different types of English, then details explaining
her experiences with her mother, growing up with her mother’s language, and concluding in a
positive way that gives credit to her mother’s true intelligence and guised understanding. Using
beautiful diction in describing how her mother’s English is described by others, Tan admits to
the unavoidable words “broken”, “fractured”, and “limited” spoken from her mouth. “It has
always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than”broken’’, as if it were
damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness” (par. 7 lines
2-4). Her thoughts continue: “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” (par. 8 lines 1,2). At first it seems that Amy credits her mother in a negative
way, yet she further explains that although this perception of language may be the literal
description, the capability of a different perspective shows her mother in positive light. The
perspective of her mother’s speech- her mother’s internal language, Chinese perfectly translated
into English, uncovers the truth of intelligence; this language even given a name: 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”
(par. 6 lines 7-8). Furthermore, her stories are written for her mother, or with Mother Tongue
conscious in her mind. “I wanted to capture what language ability tests can never reveal: her
intent, her passion, her imagery, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts” (par.
20 lines 8-10). Tan concludes the essay with an admiring tone, defying all prejudged thoughts of
Pathos, in appeal to the reader’s emotions is seen mainly in Tan’s family relationships,
and the entirety of the essay in context of a mother-daughter relationship. Tan briefly discusses
her husband, and makes a connection between her family and the language used growing up,
mentioned earlier as “family-talk”. Throughout the essay the audience discovers the relationship
growth of Tan and her mother. Her thoughts shameful and her perception misguided when she
was younger, developed into admirable thoughts and a new perception of her mother ultimately
strengthening their bond. This relates to the reader in a sense that many people create better
relationships with their mothers as they grow older. In another appeal to one’s emotions, Tan
poetically describes the language between her and her husband as their language of intimacy.
The choice of diction in this sentence, specifically the word intimacy, prompts the audience to
think of their own significant others and the powerful emotions in connection to the word.
The last appeal, logos, is effective in the reasoning of Mother Tongue intending for the
audience, those who view her mother as unintelligible, to understand. “You should know that my
mother’s expressive command of English belies how much she actually understands” (par. 6 line
1). Following up on this claim, Tan gives examples of things not expectedly understood by her
mother. She also uses reasoning in describing the limitations of her mother’s English, and the
limitations on herself while growing up. Mother Tongue, not sensible by a considerable amount
of people, is not what should define her mother’s level of knowledge or understanding.