Amy Tan Mother Language Essay

Language has always been a barrier for many families especially those who have immigrated to new countries and are raising children who don't speak their “Mother Tongue”. In the passage Mother Tongue by Amy Tan she uses many symbols to explain the different types of English she has grown up with and how it has influenced her life. At first Amy believes that her mothers English was embarrassing or thought of as “broken” but as she grew up she began to embrace this “broken” English because it truly shows her background. In the beginning of the passage Amy uses the phrase, “Power of language” then proceeds to explain it as, “The way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth.” The way Amy uses this phrase throughout

By using this as an example of the “Power of language” it really shows how even if you don't speak the language clearly you can use words that help portray the idea you're trying to put out. Another phrase Tan uses throughout the story is “Different Englishes'' and she uses this to describe the different choice of words she uses for different kinds of people around her. Although there is only one English language, the way people interpret or understand certain words can also be used to define different Englishes. As Tan grew up listening to her mother's broken English she began to realize that there are people who need these certain ways of talking to help get their point across and one example she used was, “Not waste money that way.” Although she isn't using “Proper English '' she uses this form of “Different Englishes” to make her point and allow others to understand it very easily as well. She showed how this has changed her life and influenced her to keep this “Broken English'' as she grew up and became a professional writer. Lastly a phrase/sentence that Tan states in the passage is, “You should know that my mother’s expressive command of English