Mother Tongue

Reading Check

1. As a writer, it is unusual for Tan to claim she isn’t a scholar of literature or language. (Paragraph 1)

2. Tan begins to reflect on her English when her mother attends a lecture and hears Tan speaking academic English. (Paragraph 3)

3. When Tan says “different Englishes,” she means the English she uses at home with family and the English she uses with others. (Paragraph 3)

4. Tan’s mother counterbalances her English when communicating with native speakers by asking her daughter to pretend to be her mother. (Paragraph 10)

5. Tan’s boss tells her writing is her worst skill and that she should turn her attention to account management. (Paragraph 19)

Short Answer

1. The phrase “mother tongue” means both “a first language” and literally Tan’s mother’s English. (Paragraph 7)

2. Tan doesn’t want to describe her mother’s English as “broken” or “fractured” because it implies limitation. (Paragraph 8)

3. Based on how she speaks English, Tan’s mother is perceived as unintelligent, lacking in seriousness, and undeserving of service or attention. (Paragraph 9)

4.  Her mother’s English limits Tan’s possibilities as she was directed toward math and science fields rather than language. (Paragraph 15)

5. Tan struggles with standardized English tests because she thinks about language differently than the test writers. (Paragraphs 16-17)