What is the message of mother tongue?

The primary purpose of Tan’s “Mother Tongue” is to orient the readers about the author’s intepretation of differentiating Standard English and broken English. Another purpose of writing such book is the fact that Amy Tan has spent much of her time in America, but she was born in China.

Why do you think Tan concludes her essay by quoting her mother?

By using a direct quotation from her mother, Tan showcases the brutality and shrewdness of her mother’s “broken” English. It allows the audience to, in some way, experience how broken her mother’s English truly was. Simply rephrasing what she said would not have had the same zeal and emotions.

Who is the audience of mother tongue by Amy Tan?

Tan’s intended audience are people like her mother such as immigrants who have fractured English and different dialects. Amy Tan’s essay is almost too freakishly relatable to me.

Who is the target reader of the text audience mother tongue?

The intended audience of Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue” is the people who criticize and judge Tan’s mother’s version of spoken English. Tan uses the essay to convince her audience that her mother’s version of English communicates effectively and is a powerful language.

What does Mother Tongue mean to Amy Tan?

Mother tongue commonly means the language first learned by a person, but for the author, Amy Tan, it has special meaning. Tan expresses this when saying she wanted to capture what language ability tests cannot reveal about her mother.

What does Amy Tan say about language?

Amy agrees with me saying that language “can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth” (Tan 76).

What is language and power?

Language power (LP) is a measure of one’s ability to communicate effectively in a given language, specifically one that is not native to the speaker. Language Power consists of two key components: 1) an ability to speak and be understood, and 2) an ability to listen and understand.

What are the different Englishes Tan describes in this essay?

The different Englishes Tan describes in her essay include: the “simple” English, the “broken” English, the “watered down” English, and the English filled with “wrought grammatical phrases” or the standard, formal English (418, 422, 423).

What does language is the tool of my trade mean?

phrase. The tools of your trade or the tools of the trade are the skills, instruments, and other equipment that you need in order to do your job properly. These organisations use bugging and tapping as everyday tools of their trade. Poets are infatuated with language, the tools of the trade.

What main kind of detail does Amy Tan use in her essay?

The main detail that Amy Tan’s constantly describes, is the various types of english, and how her diction differs from her mother’s. Tan’s english is very confident and speaking the language is no problem to her.

What is Tan’s purpose in writing this essay?

Does she just want to entertain readers, or might she have a weightier goal? Tan’s purpose in writing this essay was to convey the embarrassment many children of immigrants experience. She wants to address the shame felt by those living between two cultures. The reading is not mere entertainment; it has a lesson.

What does Tan mean when she says I think my mother’s English?

Tan tells reader that “I think my mother’s English almost had an effect on limiting my possibilities in life as well.” (Tan 14) This gives readers an idea of how language affects our everyday lives. It also gives a general idea that language is possibly the “limits” that a person can have.