Mother Tongue by Amy Tan

Mother Tongue by Amy Tan

Experienced writer, Amy Tan, in her moving analysis of her personal experiences Mother Tongue, describes the different forms of English that she has experienced and how they can be used to affect her writing. Tan’s purpose is to inform her readers how diction can influence the way people read your work, and that it is important to stay I touch with your roots. She utilizes diction, syntax, and quotes, in order to convey to her readers the importance of staying in touch with your heritage, no matter what obstacles are in the way.

Amy Tan begins her essay with simple diction. “I am not a scholar of English or Literature”, she writes. By not employing any complicated language Tan effectively appeals to her readers ethos. This makes the reader trust her because she is on the same level as they are. This simple language also connects with her later theme of her mother’s tongue. This sense of familiarity and comfort from simple straightforward language makes the reader feel at home Thus emphasizing the important qualities of home-life and connecting with where you came from.

Towards the middle of the personal narration Tan uses varying sentence lengths to focus attention to her theme of familiar and unfamiliar language. “It’s my mother tongue.”, she writes. This short sentence in the midst of long and medium length sentences makes it stand out like a diamond on a donkey’s butt. This effectively sets up how important her mother’s speech is to her and the importance of connecting with your roots.

            Further into her essay Amy Tan quote to stress certain words such as “broken” and “limited English” these are words that people would describe her mother’s English as and it bothered her greatly, especially when she found that she was using those explanations as well. By placing the quotes around the words you can feel Tan’s discomfort and bitterness because her mother’s tongue was not broken or limited, but simple. She grew up with this language and it seemed perfectly clear to her.

            Amy Tan grew up with many Englishes, and through the process of growing up she realized that although some people may not be able to understand her mother, that does not mean that she is broken. This revelation allows her to connect to her past in ways that she was unable to do before.