What is Amy Tan’s purpose in mother tongue?

The primary purpose of Tan’s “Mother Tongue” is to orient the readers about the author’s intepretation of differentiating Standard English and broken English. Another purpose of writing such book is the fact that Amy Tan has spent much of her time in America, but she was born in China.

In the essay, “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan analyses how the societies judge people by the way they speak. Tan talks about her mother having limited English, since that people give her less priority than needed.

The primary purpose of Tan’s “Mother Tongue” is to orient the readers about the author’s intepretation of differentiating Standard English and broken English. Another purpose of writing such book is the fact that Amy Tan has spent much of her time in America, but she was born in China.

⚡Tan uses the diction in her work to show the reader her mothers troubles mastering the English language. In addition, her tone is defensive, remorseful, and angry. Using this diction, emotion, and tone she is able to feel what its like to be in her shoes and to see from her point of view.

Mother tongue is the language which a child starts hearing after being born and thus, it also helps in providing a definite shape to our emotions and thoughts. Learning in your mother tongue also is crucial in enhancing other skills such as critical thinking, skills to learn a second language and literacy skills.

Learning to speak in the mother tongue is very important for a child’s overall development. Being fluent in the mother tongue, which is also known as the native language, benefits the child in many ways. It connects him to his culture, ensures better cognitive development, and aids in the learning of other languages.

The intended audience of Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue” is the people who criticize and judge Tan’s mother’s version of spoken English. Tan uses the essay to convince her audience that her mother’s version of English communicates effectively and is a powerful language.

An author’s purpose may be to amuse the reader, to persuade the reader, to inform the reader, or to satirize a condition. An author writes with one of four general purposes in mind: 1. To relate a story or to recount events, an author uses narrative writing.

Tan’s thesis statement – “I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth”(Tan 633) – sets the tone for the article.

Some problems encountered by the teachers in implementing mother tongue – based instruction include absence of books written in mother tongue, lack of vocabulary, and lack of teacher-training. Nevertheless, the study indicated that major attention and effort are still necessary to be given to the approach.

The majority of high school students are still in the early stages of learning English, there are many disadvantages such as the environment of English learning is poor, limited vocabulary, lack of knowledge and ability to use English, so is vulnerable to mother tongue.

The factors include vocabulary, grammar, and interference of mother tongue (L1), self-efficacy and motivation. These factors are vital to research for the process of acquiring second language.

Mother tongue is the in-born language, which a baby has already familiarized even in the gestation of mother before it was born. The first language is the language which a child acquires either through schooling or socialization, such as family.

Mother tongue develops a child’s personal, social and cultural identity. Using mother tongue helps a child develop their critical thinking and literacy skills. Research shows that children learning in mother tongue adopt a better understanding of the curriculum.