Sienna Austin

Burr, Instructor

English 1010, Section 4

14 November 2017

Mother Tongue: A Different English

The possibility of there being different Englishes is intriguing. “Mother Tongue” by Amy

Tan, a Chinese-American writer, is an essay on her mother and the English she speaks. Tan

informs the audience, individuals who have described her mother’s English as “broken” or

“limited”and have prejudged her mother as ignorant, of her experiences with this English and its

affect on her. Additionally, to explain that her mother’s language does not show ignorance but

intelligence. Throughout the essay, Amy Tan tells of her experiences with no lack for detail,

appealing to the reader’s ethos through the credibility of her mother, pathos in family relations​,

and logos in the reasoning behind her mother’s tongue.

In the beginning of the essay, Tan says “Recently, I was made keenly aware of the

different Englishes I do use” (par. 2 line 1). She then proceeds to explain two different Englishes

she uses; one used when talking to her mother or family talk, and one used when conversing to

others not included in her family, and not her mother. The language difference is remarkable.

Language of a writer giving a talk contrasts to everyday speech between her mother and herself

clearly in the diction and language. “I was saying things like, ‘The intersection of memory upon

imagination’ and ‘There is an aspect of my fiction that relates to thus-and-thus’ (par. 2 lines 6,7).

And in conversation with her mother, “I heard myself saying this: “Not waste money that way.”
(par. 3 line 3). Compared to each other, the language used with her mother is seen as

unintelligent and “watered-down” English.

Amy Tan writes with no absence of detail in order to inform the reader of her

circumstance. Her experiences growing up with a mother that has “limited” English creates an

understanding between herself and the audience. Those who made assumptions regarding her

mother, may find themselves guilty for having a judgemental attitude. She tells a story, at the

mere age of fifteen, about resolving an issue between her mother and her mother’s stockbroker,

explaining this as only one of the times she has called on the phone pretending to be her mother.

The situation could not be corrected on the phone, resulting in a meeting between the manager

and her mother, with Tan by her side. “And sure enough, the following week there we were in

front of this astonished stockbroker, and I was sitting there red-faced and quiet, and my mother,

the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting at his boss in her impeccable broken English” (par. 12 line 4). In

this passage, the embarrassment felt by Tan is felt by the reader. Adding in the description of the

stockbroker referring to him as an astonished, contributes to the details; imagery here is vivid.

Moreover, the repetition of the word broken in describing the English of Mrs.Tan shows the idea

that it is not necessarily “broken” but identified as broken, and the repetition in the essay, is like

the repetition of Tan hearing people degrade her mother’s English.

The re-telling of past experiences is not the only tool that Tan uses in her writing. After

yet another story about helping her mother with a difficulty in being understood, Amy precedes

to reflect on how her mother’s English has affected her:

I think my mother’s English almost had an effect on limiting my possibilities in

life as well…. I do think that the language spoken in the family, especially in
 immigrant families which are more insular, plays a large role in shaping the

language of the child. And I believe that it affected my results on achievement

tests, I.Q. tests, and the SAT. (par. 14 lines 1-4)

In contrast to American children born in the U.S., Tan seems to be at a disadvantage in the area

of English because of her Chinese background, and the language used, referred by Tan as

“family-talk”, in the household. The idea of multiple types of English is resurfaced, and Tan’s

exposure to these different ways of speaking English, to her, were limiting in the possibilities of

life. Tests as she described in this passage are often tests affecting one’s future and so the

difficulty of growing up with this exposure is emphasized.

The appeal to ethos is prominent in the essay, through credibility to Tan’s mother. The

essay begins as an insight into Tan’s life with different types of English, then details explaining

her experiences with her mother, growing up with her mother’s language, and concluding in a

positive way that gives credit to her mother’s true intelligence and guised understanding. Using

beautiful diction in describing how her mother’s English is described by others, Tan admits to

the unavoidable words “broken”, “fractured”, and “limited” spoken from her mouth. “It has

always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than”broken’’, as if it were

damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness” (par. 7 lines

2-4). Her thoughts continue: “I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected

the quality of what she had to say that is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts

were imperfect” (par. 8 lines 1,2). At first it seems that Amy credits her mother in a negative

way, yet she further explains that although this perception of language may be the literal

description, the capability of a different perspective shows her mother in positive light. The
perspective of her mother’s speech- her mother’s internal language, Chinese perfectly translated

into English, uncovers the truth of intelligence; this language even given a name: 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”

(par. 6 lines 7-8). Furthermore, her stories are written for her mother, or with Mother Tongue

conscious in her mind. “I wanted to capture what language ability tests can never reveal: her

intent, her passion, her imagery, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts” (par.

20 lines 8-10). Tan concludes the essay with an admiring tone, defying all prejudged thoughts of

her mother's supposed ignorance.

Pathos, in appeal to the reader’s emotions is seen mainly in Tan’s family relationships,

and the entirety of the essay in context of a mother-daughter relationship. Tan briefly discusses

her husband, and makes a connection between her family and the language used growing up,

mentioned earlier as “family-talk”. Throughout the essay the audience discovers the relationship

growth of Tan and her mother. Her thoughts shameful and her perception misguided when she

was younger, developed into admirable thoughts and a new perception of her mother ultimately

strengthening their bond. This relates to the reader in a sense that many people create better

relationships with their mothers as they grow older. In another appeal to one’s emotions, Tan

poetically describes the language between her and her husband as their language of intimacy.

The choice of diction in this sentence, specifically the word intimacy, prompts the audience to

think of their own significant others and the powerful emotions in connection to the word.
 The last appeal, logos, is effective in the reasoning of Mother Tongue intending for the

audience, those who view her mother as unintelligible, to understand. “You should know that my

mother’s expressive command of English belies how much she actually understands” (par. 6 line

1). Following up on this claim, Tan gives examples of things not expectedly understood by her

mother. She also uses reasoning in describing the limitations of her mother’s English, and the

limitations on herself while growing up. Mother Tongue, not sensible by a considerable amount

of people, is not what should define her mother’s level of knowledge or understanding.