In "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan explains that she uses multiple "Englishes" in her daily life. What is your response to Amy Tan's point about the value...

Your answer to this question will depend on your own perception of language and whether language should be changed according to audience. Amy Tan, according to her essay, believes that language can be altered based on context. When she is speaking in front of a large audience, for example, her language is characterized by "forms of standard English that (she) had learned in school and through books." The kind of English she uses with her...

Your answer to this question will depend on your own perception of language and whether language should be changed according to audience. Amy Tan, according to her essay, believes that language can be altered based on context. When she is speaking in front of a large audience, for example, her language is characterized by "forms of standard English that (she) had learned in school and through books." The kind of English she uses with her mother, however, is much different and more like the kind of English her own mother speaks, which she describes as "'broken'" or "'fractured.'" She argues that this does not make her mother's language inferior. In fact, Tan values it as "the language that helped shape the way (she) saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world." Tan feels that, though her mother's language might seem confusing or inferior to those who may not be familiar with it, it connects Tan to her past and isn't a true indicator of her mother's ability to understand English.

Tan's argument centers around the idea that different audiences will be more receptive to different kinds of language, so as a speaker she alters her language to cater to that audience. Some might disagree with this argument, saying that a person shouldn't have to alter his or her language to cater to an audience- that the audience is responsible for making the effort to understand the speaker. Others might say that a person should always use "correct" English and never revert back to his or her "mother tongue" because it isn't accepted by society. Again, your answer to this question will depend on your personal opinion about language.