First English

Mother tongue, by Amy Tan.

In the article, “mother tongue’ described a woman who isn’t professor of English or literature but a writer. In the article that she wrote is about her critic her language, or how she behaving around people; especially her mother differently. Amy described to us the tongue of her mother. Amy speaks differently to her family than she speaks to people outside her house. Amy families are immigrant from China. Her mother was intelligent but had trouble with broken English, many described how much they understand her speech. Amy would have to speak for her because people wouldn't listen to her broken English. Amy brings in the article the term “limited English”, saying her knowledge wasn’t enough to communicate. She also how shame she was because her mother English wasn’t good. She gives examples of how they were treating outside her house because her mother English speech wasn’t good. But also how Amy helps her mother, for example, she described the reaction of every time when she calls to people and pretend it was her. On the SAT tests, she couldn't understand the grammar of English. Even thought her English wasn’t poor, she still doubts her English. According to a survey she found, Asian students are better on math than in English, so mostly they go into engineering, but she decides to break the circle and major in English.
This article gives an excellent example for immigrant families. When I read it the first time, it was for me very funny, she described the experiences it happen to my family. Amy described her live with her mother when she was very young. Her life wasn’t easy during her early days. But still she work hard to defend her mother from getting any discrimination. She gives many examples of how her life with her mother, theses example still happen to any immigrant family in the United States. Half of my family including my parent is from Mexico, most part they live here. But it wasn’t until I was born that my mother decides to learn English, the reason she decide to learn is because she want to understand everything they said to her about me, like teachers and doctors. While she was learning my older brothers and sister help her interpreter everything they said. No matter how long people spend learning English sometimes English natives are always looking for the perfect pronunciation. I was wonder if my pronunciation is good enough to satisfy theses people. It’s interesting in how Amy learn English. She described everything she learns from school and books, with limit of her mother. I didn’t have the same problem because my older brother/sister was advance in their English.