Mother Tongue Response Questions

1.       What occasion caused Amy Tan to become “keenly aware of the different Englishes” she used?

She became aware of the different Englishes she used when she was giving a speech and her mom was present in the audience.

2.       The expression used in Amy Tan’s title, “Mother Tongue,” is also used in paragraph seven. What does this expression generally mean?  What does it seem to mean in this essay?

Her “Mother Tongue” is the way her mother communicates to her and how she can understand it so easily.  The word tongue generally means a different language and in the essay it means her mother’s “broken” English which is the way she communicates to her daughter.

3.       Tan uses dialogue throughout the essay…why do you think she does this?  What purpose does it serve?  Which sentences of dialogue do you find particularly effective, and why? 

Most of the dialogue she uses expresses the way her mother talked giving the readers a relatable example.  The purpose it serves is that the reader then understands why Amy would get upset with her mother and sometimes embarrassed when out in public because of the way she talked.  I found all of the dialogue effective because it flows together and shows why her mother was not a valued customer until her daughter translated into what she actually wanted to say.  It gives the reader the ability to compare her English to her mother’s English.

4.       In what ways did outsiders (like bankers and waiters) make judgments of Tan’s mother because of her language?  Do you think the judgments where deliberate or unconscious on their part?  Explain.

They made judgments of her and wouldn’t offer her the customer services as they would for other people.  They could have thought since she didn’t talk perfectly she didn’t deserve such respect.  I think the judgments were deliberate on their part because once Amy was called to clear up the situation it was clear the business started treating her with the respect she deserves.

5.       Growing up, how was Tan’s perception of her mother influenced by the way she spoke?

Amy’s perception of her mother, as she grew older, started to improve.  When she was younger she stated how she was embarrassed to go places with her mother because of her mother’s “broken” English.  As she aged she realized that was childish and started to respect her mother for more of who she was than the way she talked.