1) The significance of the title, "Mother Tongue," comes from Amy Tan's use of the

English language she learned in school and English that her mother would speak at
home. She labeled her mother's English as mother tongue because she did not feel
comfortable labeling it "broken" or "limited. It suggests the intimate language that
she shares with her mother while also more objectively observing the complications
of being raised with one language and being forced to learn a new one as an adult
immigrant

2) She wrote using the broken English her mother spoke, and the watered-down
Chinese Amy spoke, and the internal language her mother spoke. All of these
Englishes needed to be represented because they were all a part of her life; they had
all shaped her experiences; they were her family language. Referring to her own
experience, the author describes how her mother’s language affected people’s
perception of her. Moreover, she analyzes her speech and how it differs in various
circumstances.

3) The purpose of Amy Tan’s essay, “Mother Tongue,” is to show how challenging it
can be if an individual is raised by a parent who speaks “limited English”as Tan’s
mother does, partially because it can result in people being judged poorly by others.
As Tan’s primary care giver, her mother was a significant part of her childhood,
and she has a strong influence over Tan’s writing style. Being raised by her mother
taught her that one’s perception of the world is heavily based upon the language
spoken at home. Alternately, people’s perceptions of one another are based largely
on the language used. Her mother understood English extremely well, but the
English she spoke was “broken.” Many people not familiar with her way of
speaking found it very difficult to understand her. As a result of this, Tan would
have to pretend to be her mother, and she called people up to yell at them while her
mother stood behind her and prompted her. This caused Tan to be ashamed of her
mother throughout her youth, but as she grew, she realized that the language she
shares with her mother is a “language of intimacy” that she even uses when
speaking with her husband.

4) Amy included this quote with the intention of showing the reader the kind of
English she grew up with. From this section of her mother's speech, one can
understand how some might have difficulty understanding what her mother says.
Tan goes on to talk about how her mother's speech can make it easy for people to
underestimate how much English her mother understands.

5) In her essay, “Mother Tongue” Amy Tan contemplates how her background shaped
her life, her education, and brought her shame, but ultimately, she learns to embrace
her background. Tan describes the way that she was stuck between two worlds.
When she is with her mother, she speaks in simple English, but while she is in the
public eye, she shifts to an English that is more formal and acceptable; one that
English-speaking people accept. Tan relates her story of her mother talking about a
gangster that wanted her family in China to adopt him because her family had more
 status. She tells us the story using her mother’s language, so we can see how
expressive her mother’s broken English is. Even though the language is not what
we may be used to, her story is something we can follow. It is vivid with detail and
images. For Tan, her mother’s language is the language of her childhood, and it is
clear, and full of imagery. She has no difficulties understanding exactly what her
mother is saying. She knows that this simple English is the same language that
helped her understand the world, helped her formulate her views, and helped her
learn to express herself. English shaped Amy’s perception of herself because she
used English as a way to manifest the lifestyle she wanted to live and the goals she
wanted to set for herself. Amy not liking her mother’s version of English allowed
her to learn the “correct” way to speak the language but it also revealed to her the
people in society that treat her mother negatively because of it and I think it opened
her eyes to be more empathetic towards her mother and actually support her and no
longer be embarrassed but more of an advocate for her mother at the store, over the
phone, in the hospital when she wasn’t getting her MRI scans and even at the bank
when they wouldn’t provide the mother her check. All results of English speakers
not taking Amy’s mother seriously due to her lack of English skills.

6) Amy tan 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." And furthermore, most of the stories which she used to write were
about mothers. In the end too Amy mentions that she wants her mother to
complete reading the book she had written and to say that it was a easy book to
read.

7) People who learn English as a second language or are raised in non- English
households are constantly aware of the language that is used around them. People
are always listening to the conversations of others. While they are listening, they
notice the slang people use and the way people say certain sentences. Hearing others
talk in their community can influence the way they speak. Everyone grows up
different and grows up speaking a language a certain way.

8) Language politics is the way language and linguistic differences between peoples
are dealt with in the political arena. This could manifest as government recognition,
as well as how language is treated in official capacities while Linguistic identity
refers to a person’s identification as a speaker of one or more languages. The
linguistic identity is part and often an important part of our identity. And this is
especially true for multilingual individuals. It is influenced by different factors and
usually contains aspects such as linguistic expertise, affiliation, and also familial
inheritance

9) Tan illustrates how the language spoken amongst family varies from the language
spoken in public. As Tan communicates the language utilized in a child’s
environment outside of an educational institution plays a part in how that child
performs academically but that does not have to mean that child is below standards.
The language used in a child's home can be as beneficial them in school as it can be
detrimental. At some point in their lives these children will have to take
standardized or achievement exams to assess what they have learned. Having
English as a second language or as a language one is not as versed in can pose
challenges on the writing, reading and even vocabulary portions of examinations.
As Tan recalls from her personal experience “Math is precise; there is only one
correct answer. Whereas, for me at least, the answers on English tests were always
a judgement call, a matter of opinion and personal experience”