Amy Tan in Mother Tongue argues that children of immigrant parents speak different Englishes, and that these Englishes shape their identity. Her evidence for her argument come mainly from her past experiences as a daughter of an immigrant and as a writer. Tan creates a huge emotional appeal, particularly when she describes her attitudes toward her mother’s broken English: “ I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say” (78). She tells the reader of instances when her mother was mistreated for her English, and when Tan, herself, struggled in English class because it was not practiced at home. Her essay focuses on her mother and how, to Tan, her mother’s English is perfectly clear— “vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery.” All of that is stripped away when attempting to value what she has to say based on standard English. This is why the title, Mother Tongue, is of particular importance. Tan seeks to satisfy her mother in her writing, as she sees her as an important audience.

Her audience may include children of immigrant parents, and tell them that there is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of. They are to embrace the beauty of their native language. Similarly, her audience may include those who assume that unless someone speaks proper English, he or she is uneducated. To those people, she exemplifies the mistreatment of those who don’t speak English well without any justifiable reason; just because a person can’t speak English well, doesn’t mean he or she is not educated. While the purpose of her piece may be to inform her audience of the different Englishes she and other  bilingual people use, I believe she is also persuading people to withhold judgement and be more understanding. She persuades them that using complex words does not define intelligence.

Tan divides her Englishes into the following: the simple English she spoke to her mother, the broken English Tan’s mother spoke back to her, the water down translation of her Chinese into English, ad the perfect and imagined internal language of her mother’s Chinese if she could speak perfect English (standard English). Incorporating these different Englishes allowed her to reach out to her main reader, her mother, the most. She went beyond the superficial, pretentious complicated words. She delivered her message in a more simple manner.

In my own life, I remember speaking to my mother in a more simple English when I was younger. She would respond to me using English words , but often using Russian grammar. As I began to gain more knowledge in vocabulary and grammar, I began to share this information with my mom. My mom’s English is now a lot better than it was before, but I would say that our conversations include a mixture of Russian words and English words. The English I use in class and with my professors is much more complex and thought out, and is more in line with the standard English. I find the English I use with my close friends to be a mixture of complex and formal words, mixed in with slang that is predominant in Brooklyn [This depends on what we’re talking about.]