Amy Tan's mother's language variety played a significant role in shaping Tan's identity. Which excerpt from her reflective essay "Mother Tongue" shows her admiration and appreciation of her mother's broken English?And sure enough, the following week, there we were in front of this astonished stockbroker, and I was sitting there red-faced and quiet, and my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting at his boss in her impeccable broken English.Sociologists and linguists probably will tell you that a person's developing language skills are more influenced by peers than by family. But I do think that the language spoken in the family, especially in immigrant families which are more insular, plays a large role in shaping the language of the child.Lately, I've been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as "broken" or "fractured" English.I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English I spoke to my mother, which for lack of a better term might be described as "simple”. . .  I 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.

How did the language variety of Tan's mother affect Tan's perception of her mother? A. Tan was embarrassed by her mother's broken English while growing up; however, she eventually began to appreciate the language variety. B. Tan was always immensely proud of her mother's unique way of communicating in the English language, which is why she chose to discuss her mom in the book. C. Tan was embarrassed by her mother's language variety, and Tan was ashamed that she also lapsed into broken English at times. D. Tan was neutral about her mother's language variety, but she chose to speak proper English that she learned at school. E. Tan was initially proud of her mother's language variety, but she began to dislike it when she noticed how others reacted to it.

How does the poet use language and imagery to convey the struggle between mother tongue and the adopted language in 'Search for My Tongue'? Provide one example from the poem.

1. How does the poet use language and imagery to convey the struggle between mother tongue and the adopted language in 'Search for My Tongue'? Provide one example from the poem.

How does the comparison between not loving one's native tongue and a foul-smelling fish convey the poet's message?In what ways can we interpret the line, "To make our language richer ought to be our wish, the same as any mother loves to feed her young"?

People assumed that Grandmother didn't know English, but she could understand and speak it well. She was just proud. I tried to convince her that no one cared about her accent, but she disagreed. I told her this wasn't like back home, where she would be looked down upon for any little grammatical error. But she didn't believe me. She had lived too long in a country where one's speech reflected his or her status.Which best explains how this passage presents a cultural conflict?A.It highlights the many difficulties a person encounters when adapting to a new culture.B.It illustrates two different attitudes toward language and a person's image.C.It reveals that the grandmother's pride leads to disagreements with the narrator.D.It shows how younger generations are less formal and respectful than older ones.SUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS