Analysis of Mother Tongue written by Amy Tan - Assignment Example

In the sixth paragraph, Tan gives the readers an overview of how her mother speaks English, so they will “have some idea of what family talk [she] heard sounds like” (77). This excerpt gives the impression that her mother’s English is “broken” or “fractured,” or “limited,” which does not make the two previous adjectives better, for the implication that there is a “limited English speaker” (Tan 77). This article shows the power of language, English specifically, in society.

Similar to what is shown, people who are relatively “good” in English tend to ignore those comparatively “poor” in communicating their ideas. In communities, today individuals likely equate the inability of “perfect” verbalization to lack of comprehension, which is unlikely in most cases. The complexity of language contributes to how one may find it difficult to speak flawlessly, but does not necessarily imply one’s being “limited.” This essay, showing the author’s vivid understanding of her mother’s imperfect English as a daughter rather than a writer, gives readers an eye-opener of how they should pattern their language depending on who they are talking to, without judgment.