“Mother Tongue” questions

1. What does Amy Tan mean when she says that she grew up with many Englishes?

2. Why is Tan very conscious of the English she uses?

3. What does Amy Tan think about her mother’s English? What do her friends say about
it?

4. Why does Tan think about the word “broken” when describing her mother’s English?
Why does she not like to use it?

5. Describe two examples when Tan helped her mother with speaking to people?

6. What stereotype of Asian Americans does Tan discuss? How did she break that?

7. What important idea (theme) was developed through this piece?

8. Provide one line that best shows this idea.