Summative assignment

3

Summary of ‘Mother Tongue’

Michael Priebe

Southern New Hampshire University

Prof Bacho

ENG-122

1

09/23/2021

Summary of ‘Mother Tongue’

Amy Tan, in her short story 'Mother Tongue', seeks to examine how the use of language varies according to contexts. She writes that whenever she is conversing with her mother she uses a different kind of English, compared to the one she uses when she is delivering a speech. She proposes the idea that the kind of English used at her home had an impact on her studies. She observes that most Asian Americans are more inclined to science-related careers due to their language limit. In the case of her mother, the limit of language hinders her from getting the services that she needs to get. Amy Tan, however, rises above the language limit by exploring and using the 'broken' or 'limited' English. She triumphs when her mother tells her that it is easy to read (Tan, Amy.2016)

References

Tan, Amy. 2016, "Mother Tongue.” The Norton Field Guide to Writing. 4th ed., W. W. Norton, pp.