Yaqueline Hernandez

ENG 101A

Mother Tongue by Amy Tan

“It’s my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery. That
was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world.”

Amy Tan expresses her struggles with English through the text; how it’s more difficult to

unlearn the “broken” English that came with being part of an immigrant family. The overall

meaning of the passage is how she comes to the realization that she doesn’t just speak Chinese

and English, but speaks many versions of English. Because of her life experiences with her

mother, she realizes that these versions of English are valid and, more importantly, her truth. She

explains that this “limited” English helped her become the writer she is today, and all thanks to

her mom. Tan creates the meaning of the text by telling stories of her mother speaking said

English. She uses dialogue to recreate moments in her life where she has used that English and

even when she had to “fix” her mom’s English. She lets the reader know the struggles that come

with knowing a different truth, like with standardized tests. But, she also expresses the fun

moments she’s experienced in her life when using the English she learned at home, like the scene

with her mother’s stockbroker. Tan, overall, creates a positive setting for her message of the text.