Amy tan is an asianamerican writer whose works focus a lot on relationships between mothers and daughters. We use language to communicate with others, convey our emotions, solve everyday problems, prevent the outbreak of war, and educate us in such ways that require communication. In tans essay she quotes her mothers speech to demonstrate her mothers broken english, it was a very trivial story but the thing that is worth looking at was her mothers grammar. Mother tongue by amy tan 2006 is about informing the audience about the different forms of english there is within our everyday lives. She also speaks smart english, but she also speaks her childhood english. Take your hr comms to the next level with prezi video. In the text tan uses a variety of stylistic devices to express herself, tans use of parallel structures is used frequently throughout the piece, for example she starts the first paragraph with the phrase i am not a scholar of english and the second with i am a writer. Mother tongue definition of mother tongue by merriamwebster.
Arrange for copies of the essay mother tongue by amy tan. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. One is the group of asian americans who might have felt the same way as she had, that is, who might have thought that their asian parents use broken or fractured english and felt ashamed of. Tan describes the way clerks treat her mother and her own embarrassment at her mothers english skills. Mother tongue gives an example of a woman struggling with various identities bestowed upon her. With dazzling wit and astonishing insight, bill brysonthe acclaimed author of the lost continentbrilliantly explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience and sheer fun of the english language. Tan identify the different categories she discusses in mother tongue almost in the last paragraph, where she named all the kind of english she uses. Amy tan, mother tongue by jiinlee in my personal opinion, the audiences of tans essay mother tongue are two groups of people. She spends a great deal of her time thinking about the power of language the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth.
Tan describes her mothers english as broken or fractured 40. Great art takes inspiration, and inspiration comes from many different sources. Essay on amy tans a mothers tongue 973 words bartleby. K to 12 grade 2 learning material in mother tongue based mtbmle 1. The author is a fictional writer who is fascinated by language in daily life and uses language as a daily part of her work as a writer. Amy tan talks about how people have different language structure for each part of their lives. It is an invitation to see english as a variety of ideas and expressions of oneself. A few examples of this was with amys friends, the stock broker, and the doctor. Reflection on mother tongue by amy tan premium essay help. Reflection on mother tongue by amy tan mother tongue, prepared by amy tan is about a woman who comes from a household of asian americans who traveled to america later in their lives. The principal method of organization amy tan uses in mother tongue is that of comparison and contrast. I had no idea that only a few years ago, people of chinese origin were being discriminated against in the united states. Amy tans article called mother tongue the new world reader is very enlightening and opened my eyes to the struggles that asian american families go through on a day to day basis. His mother tongue is a relatively conservative dialect of aramaic.
If the authors name is included in a signal phrase, you only need to cite the page number in parentheses. In the amy tans mother tongue, she states that she is someone who has always loved language. And by that definition, i am someone who has always loved languagetan 76. In the article mother tongue, amy tan emphasizes the idea that we all speak different languages unconsciously and that we are categorized by the way we speak. The main characters of this non fiction, history story are. Parallelism fix the following sentences so that they are parallel. In her article mother tongue, tan shows that english, like other languages is a form of expression and communication, and that it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, and a simple truth. As i was reading mother tongue i picked up on the reflective tone amy tan was using to convey the message to her readers.
Shift the discussion by asking why tan speaks a different english with her mother than with her husband. And by that definition, i am someone who has always loved language. The essay contrasts two types of english, the formal variety filled with carefully. A rhetoric and reader for writers, edited by marjorie ford and jon ford, 7th ed. Judging the character of a person because of their ability to speak is a mistake everyone is guilty of.
In 1993, tans adaptation of her most popular fiction work, the joy luck club, became a commercially successful film. Make an overhead transparency of the discussion questions for mother tongue, or arrange for an lcd projector to show the questions to the class. Amy tan mother tongue soapstone example speaker identify the voice narrator and the point of view from which he or she is speaking. Where words come from if you have a morbid fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth, there is a word for it. Amy tan is an accomplished fictional writer with five books in her name among other literary works. She was reflecting on her past experiences with her mother and those that interacted with her. A threepenny consulting editor and a major american poet, frank bidart is the winner of numerous poetry prizes.
The first edition of the novel was published in 1990, and was written by bill bryson. Hand out copies of mother tongue, and read the first two paragraphs aloud. Identify the speakers values, biases, and beliefs if you are able. Essay mother tongue by amy tan amy tan a wellknown english author, grew up experiencing language barriers. Mother tongue by amy tan summary free download as word doc.
K to 12 grade 2 learning material in mother tongue based. The story two kinds by amy tan denotation and connotation on the basis of amy tan s mother tongue analytic response to amy tan s short story entitled two kinds amy tan s fish cheeks and brent. Amy tan explains in her story about her love of literature and how her mothers broken english has inspired her to write. I believe tan wrote this article not only toward her critics, but also towards herself as a reflection of her relationship with her. In mother tongue, tan suggests that asian americans might do better on math tests than on english tests because. Analysis of mother tongue by amy tan in the narrative essay, mother tongue by amy tan, the author sets out the story between her mother, whose english is her second language, and tan herself can speak native english very well.
She loves writing and thinks about how language influences everything. Societies ability to run smoothly, efficiently and benefit as many people as possible, hinges greatly on communication and how effectively it is used. I cannot give you much more than personal opinions on the english language and its variations in this country or others. Mother tongue, by amy tan university of missourist. Discuss why tan opens with an explanation of what she is not. Amy tans mother tongue language is a powerful tool that can either bring people together or set them apart from each other. The struggles of communication communication is arguably the most essential and powerful part of everyday life. The impact of mother tongue on students achievement in english language in junior secondary certificate examination in western nigeria. From the first descent of the larynx into the throat why you can talk but your dog cant, to the fine lost art of swearing, bryson tells the fascinating, often uproarious story of. In the essay tan explores the different englishes that she has come into contact with in her everyday life. Hopefully this list leaves you feeling like youre no longer short on. Amy tan has ethos on the subject of english and how it is used in a variety of tongues because her mother is chinese and immigrated to california. However, after further analysis, i see she could have been targeting specific groups.
Read this english essay and over 89,000 other research documents. The point that made the essay stand out to me was her talking about giving a speech that she had done many times before but this time was. In amy tans mother tongue, tan describes how language has. In the essay mother tongue by amy tan shows how english does not have only one type, but a variety of ways to be used and understood.
What organizational pattern does tan use in mother tongue. Ask students to explain what tan means by different englishes. She holds a bachelors degree in english and a masters degree in linguistics 1973 from san jose state university. In mother tongue by amy tan, tan discusses her mothers way of speaking through broken english. Term paper on mother tongue, by amy tan assignment unfortunately, as tan eloquently notes in her essay, these divergent types of english can often lead to feelings of alienation to members of the family. Mother tongue by amy tan was very surprising to me. Bilingual education and sign language as the mother tongue of deaf children. My maternal grandmother is from france and i dont think she has had any similar experiences to those of tans mother. However, the extreme behavior that it can promote must be combatted in order for it to play a productive role in society.
The purpose of amy tan writing this essay was to explain to people her love for language in and of itself and to make people aware that just. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 270 pages and is available in paperback format. Mother tongue by amy tan by sharon charles on prezi. In mother tongue, tan writes about the awareness and discrimination about broken english compared to standard english. We need to communicate to get new and innovative ideas across, to state opinions, to sort our arguments and most.
Mother tongue, by amy tan i am not a scholar of english or literature. She has written several other books, including the kitchen gods wife, the amy tan chinese. A summary of amy tan s mother tongue essay studymoose. Amy tans a mothers tongue the purpose of amy tans essay, mother tongue, is to show how challenging it can be if an individual is raised by a parent who speaks limited english 36 as tans mother does, partially because it can result in people being judged poorly by others. Even amy tan, the author of mother tongue changed the way she perceived her mother as a result of harsh attitudes others displayed against her.