Mother Tongue - 767 Words

Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan Comprehension 1. What Tan is classifying in this essay is the different kinds of English she uses. 2. Tan identify the different categories she discusses in â€Å"Mother Tongue† almost in the last paragraph, where she named all the kind of English she uses. 3. Tan does illustrate each category she identifies 4. Some specific situations where Tan says her mother’s â€Å"limited English† was a handicap is when her mother could not be able to talk directly with people, or would not be taken serious by the people she talked to. 5. One of the effects that her mother’s limited English has had on Tan’s life is the fact that, that was the language that helped shape the way she saw things, expressed things, and†¦show more content†¦Style and Structure 1. This essay’s style is relatively informal. I do not think a more formal style would strengthen her credibility, at least not necessarily, because more than anything, she narrates a personal experience. 2. In paragraph 6, Tan quotes a passage of her mother’s speech. With this quotation, the purpose that she wants to serve is show how her mother uses the English language to express herself. 3. In paragraphs 10 through 13, Tan juxtaposes her mother’s English with her own. The point these quoted passages make is to show how different was her mother’s English from her English. 4. Considerer the expression Mother Tongue in Tan’s title. This expression usually refers to the first language learned at home in childhood. In this case, I think it has a literally meaning, it refers to her mother tongue in specific. 5. In paragraph 20, Tan quotes a â€Å"terrible line† from an early draft of part of her novel The Joy Luck Club. I suppose she quote this line to give an example of she used to write. This line is different from the writing style she uses in â€Å"Mother Tongue† in the complexity; â€Å"Mother Tongue† is easier to read. Vocabulary Projects Nominalized: To convert (another part of speech) into a noun, as in changing the adjective lowly into the lowly or the verb legalize into legalization. // to convert (an underlying clause) into a noun phrase, as in changing he drinks to his drinkingShow MoreRelatedMother Tongue1199 Words   |  5 PagesRhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Mother Tongue† written by Amy Tan â€Å"So easy to read†(p.4). Amy Tan ends her essay, â€Å"Mother Tongue† with this short and even grammatically wrong sentence. She tells us this mother’s brief review is a proof of success of her writing. Why does she think that easiness is an essence of her writing? She suggests answers to this question by her essay. In her essay, Amy Tan effectively convinces her readers that â€Å"broken English† is not an inferior language, but justRead MoreMother Tongue Essay795 Words   |  4 Pagesmulticultural people in the world today. For many, the choices of which language they use, and how they use it, correspond to what social or cultural community they belong to. Amy Tan, a Chinese American novelist, portrays this well in her short essay Mother Tongue. Tan grew up in two vastly different worlds, using different Englishes. The first world, which consists of her close family, she speaks what we may call broken or limited English. The second world, which is her business and professionalRead MoreMother Tongue Essay644 Words   |  3 Pagesin her story, â€Å"Mother Tongue†. Tan uses pathos to portray to her audience how through her experiences with her mother and the Chinese language she came to realize who she wanted to be and how she wanted to write. In â€Å"Mother Tongue†, Tan discusses the many ways in which the language that she was taught affected her life. 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However, she changes her thoughtRead MoreMother Tongue By Amy Tan883 Words   |  4 PagesIn Amy Tan’s essay â€Å"Mother Tongue,† it is obvious that language plays an enormous role in our life. Language can influence and give us an insight into another culture different from our own. Amy Tan discusses the many ways in which the language she was taught and native to was important and powerful throughout her life. Language can be defined in various forms, but I hold and acknowledge Amy Tan’s explanation: â€Å"Language can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth.† I canRead MoreMother Tongue By Demetria Martinez1448 Words   |  6 Pa gesAs the words of our founding fathers, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is the American dream that many pursue, whether immigrated to the United States or born here. 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Amy Tan is an American writer and her works probe the Chinese-American experience, especially the relationship between a mother andRead MoreMother Tongue By Amy Tan967 Words   |  4 PagesIn â€Å"Mother Tongue†, Amy Tan describes the several different kinds of English her that she speaks. It is an interesting concept to think about the fact that more than one variation of a single language exist. After reading â€Å"Mother Tongue† I began looking at my own life and seeing if I could recognize the different variation of English that I have come in contact with. After some serious thought, I realized that I have not only come into contact with many different kinds of English, but I speak many