Amy Tan

Broken English
“Mother Tongue” is a short story written by Amy Tan, in which she explains some of the conflicts associated with a mother who doesn’t speak English very well.   Tan has great respect for her mother, even though the language barrier between her mother and the rest of the world has created conflicts in her life.
While reading this story, it is very obvious the respect that Tan has for her mother.   Several times in the story she reveals how her own speaking habits change while her mother is present, for example, shopping for furniture with her mother and husband or while her mom is in the audience of one of her lectures.   Later in her career, Tan began writing stories with her mother as the “envisioned” reader.   So, she wrote stories about mothers.   While writing these stories she used all the forms of broken, fractured and, even, limited English she learned from her mother growing up.
Growing up listening and learning these forms of English did,   however, come with consequences.   She would sometimes have to pose as her mother on the phone, as to get the point across in a way that the other person could understand. Tan, along with many other Chinese-American children, never exceeded in grade school classes, such as English and grammar.   They would excel more in studies of math and science.   Even though there are few Asian-American writers within American literature, she refused to let these conflicts stand in her way of doing what she loved - writing.  
Language barriers are all over the world.   Tan knew she wasn’t the only person dealing with this, so, she decided to embrace it and use it in her own stories.   She realized that by using different forms of English she grew up with, it would help her reach and be understood by her readers.

Works Cited
Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” The Short Prose Reader, ED. Gilbert H. Muller and Harvey S. Weiner. 12th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2009. 40-46.