Bilingual education and sign language as the mother tongue of deaf children. 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. Societies ability to run smoothly, efficiently and benefit as many people as possible, hinges greatly on communication and how effectively it is used. 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. 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. K to 12 grade 2 learning material in mother tongue based. 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. Hopefully this list leaves you feeling like youre no longer short on. Great art takes inspiration, and inspiration comes from many different sources. The essay covers the tonal shift of amy tan s psychological change, from grudge to understanding.
The main characters of this non fiction, history story are. Mother tongue analysis essay living in america does not necessarily mean that someone is american and regardless of being born in california amy tan knew that she is not simply american, at least, not all of the time. I believe tan wrote this article not only toward her critics, but also towards herself as a reflection of her relationship with her. The principal method of organization amy tan uses in mother tongue is that of comparison and contrast. Mother tongue by amy tan summary free download as word doc. In 1993, tans adaptation of her most popular fiction work, the joy luck club, became a commercially successful film. Mother tongue gives an example of a woman struggling with various identities bestowed upon her.
The struggles of communication communication is arguably the most essential and powerful part of everyday life. A summary of amy tan s mother tongue essay studymoose. 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. Ask students to explain what tan means by different englishes. Amy tan is an accomplished fictional writer with five books in her name among other literary works. Tan describes her mothers english as broken or fractured 40. Mother tongue by amy tan was very surprising to me.
She also speaks smart english, but she also speaks her childhood english. 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. Essay mother tongue by amy tan amy tan a wellknown english author, grew up experiencing language barriers. A rhetoric and reader for writers, edited by marjorie ford and jon ford, 7th ed. Essay on amy tans a mothers tongue 973 words bartleby. Arrange for copies of the essay mother tongue by amy tan.
Shift the discussion by asking why tan speaks a different english with her mother than with her husband. Mother tongue, by amy tan university of missourist. The impact of mother tongue on students achievement in english language in junior secondary certificate examination in western nigeria. A threepenny consulting editor and a major american poet, frank bidart is the winner of numerous poetry prizes. 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. Hand out copies of mother tongue, and read the first two paragraphs aloud. Amy tans mother tongue language is a powerful tool that can either bring people together or set them apart from each other.
If the authors name is included in a signal phrase, you only need to cite the page number in parentheses. She holds a bachelors degree in english and a masters degree in linguistics 1973 from san jose state university. 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. 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. In mother tongue, tan suggests that asian americans might do better on math tests than on english tests because. 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. Amy tan is an asianamerican writer whose works focus a lot on relationships between mothers and daughters. In the essay tan explores the different englishes that she has come into contact with in her everyday life. She was reflecting on her past experiences with her mother and those that interacted with her. And by that definition, i am someone who has always loved language.
The first edition of the novel was published in 1990, and was written by bill bryson. In mother tongue, tan writes about the awareness and discrimination about broken english compared to standard english. Reflection on mother tongue by amy tan premium essay help. K to 12 grade 2 learning material in mother tongue based mtbmle 1. And by that definition, i am someone who has always loved languagetan 76. 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. In the amy tans mother tongue, she states that she is someone who has always loved language. 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.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. I cannot give you much more than personal opinions on the english language and its variations in this country or others. 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. However, the extreme behavior that it can promote must be combatted in order for it to play a productive role in society. Judging the character of a person because of their ability to speak is a mistake everyone is guilty of. 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. We need to communicate to get new and innovative ideas across, to state opinions, to sort our arguments and most.
Make an overhead transparency of the discussion questions for mother tongue, or arrange for an lcd projector to show the questions to the class. His mother tongue is a relatively conservative dialect of aramaic. She has written several other books, including the kitchen gods wife, the amy tan chinese. 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. 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. 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. Discuss why tan opens with an explanation of what she is not. What tan is classifying in this essay is the different kinds of english she uses. She loves writing and thinks about how language influences everything. I had no idea that only a few years ago, people of chinese origin were being discriminated against in the united states. Amy tan, mother tongue by jiinlee in my personal opinion, the audiences of tans essay mother tongue are two groups of people. Parallelism fix the following sentences so that they are parallel.
The essay contrasts two types of english, the formal variety filled with carefully. In amy tans mother tongue, tan describes how language has. My maternal grandmother is from france and i dont think she has had any similar experiences to those of tans mother. It is an invitation to see english as a variety of ideas and expressions of oneself. Pdf the impact of mother tongue on students achievement.
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. In mother tongue by amy tan, tan discusses her mothers way of speaking through broken english. Tan describes the way clerks treat her mother and her own embarrassment at her mothers english skills. The origin is dictates their first language or mother tongue and is the main reason why they do not express themselves in english remarkably well. Take your hr comms to the next level with prezi video. 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. Amy tan talks about how people have different language structure for each part of their lives.
What organizational pattern does tan use in mother tongue. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 270 pages and is available in paperback format. Mother tongue by amy tan 2006 is about informing the audience about the different forms of english there is within our everyday lives. Amy tan explains in her story about her love of literature and how her mothers broken english has inspired her to write. Read this english essay and over 89,000 other research documents. Mother tongue definition of mother tongue by merriamwebster. In mother tongue, tan posing as her mother on the telephone reveals that tan feels empathy for her mother. 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. 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. A few examples of this was with amys friends, the stock broker, and the doctor.
Amy tan mother tongue soapstone example speaker identify the voice narrator and the point of view from which he or she is speaking. Mother tongue by amy tan by sharon charles on prezi. 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. Identify the speakers values, biases, and beliefs if you are able.
Mother tongue, by amy tan i am not a scholar of english or literature. 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. After reading amy tans essay mother tongue, i have come to several conclusions. As i was reading mother tongue i picked up on the reflective tone amy tan was using to convey the message to her readers. However, after further analysis, i see she could have been targeting specific groups.