With the language barrier that comes from learning English as a second language, many immigrants have contrasting views between English and their native tongue. However, in her essay “Mother Tongue,” Amy Tan presents an alternate language that resides somewhere in the liminal space between immigrants’ native language and English; although commonly referred to as “limited” or “broken” English, Tan demonstrates in her essay that there is nothing about this alternate English that is insufficient or requires fixing. By juxtaposing vivid anecdotes with linguistic details, Tan creates tangible examples that effectively convey the significant role both Englishes play in her life to a variety of audiences.

From the beginning of her essay, Tan establishes “broken” English as a different form of English, not a lesser substitute. By using specific wording, referring to both languages collectively as “Englishes,” Tan portrays the two as inherently distinct and not variations of each other. She also expresses her disdain for people referring to the alternate English Tan’s mother uses as “limited,” since it is not a reflection of her mother’s intelligence. Using lists as a rhetorical device, Tan lists the variety of writings her mother fluently understands in quick succession: the Forbes reports, Wall Street Week, and Shirley MacLaine’s books. By using literal examples of writing that are considered more academically difficult, Tan is able to provide a physical reference for her audiences of how, while her mother’s speaking skills may seem insufficient to native speakers, the alternate English is just as valid since it does not limit her mother’s intellectual understanding of English.

However, Tan didn’t always view her mother’s alternate English with the understanding she currently does. By using the rhetorical device syllepsis: “When I was growing up, my mother’s ‘limited’ English limited my perception of her,” Tan effectively connects how society’s negative view of her mother’s English affected her personal view since Tan began to feel ashamed that her mother didn’t adhere to the standard, “proper” English native speakers did. Tan expresses her frustration as a child through a series of detailed anecdotes of her calling people in English for her mother. Within her anecdotes, Tan contrasts action with significance so that her audience, which may include native speakers, can understand the heightened emotions she felt at the time. When explaining her experience calling the New York stockbroker, Tan used vivid imagery to portray the embarrassment she felt as her mother yelled at the stockbroker: “I was sitting there red-faced and quiet, and my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting at his boss in her impeccable broken English.” By using a story from her life, Tan perfectly exemplifies the impact her mother’s English had on her as she grew up. The shame Tan felt reflects and results from how society looks down on those immigrant parents and their English.

Besides her emotional response to her mother’s English, Tan stressed that there were also very real consequences due to the way American society viewed “broken English.” When Tan’s mother called the hospital for her CAT scan, the hospital was not sympathetic or apologetic at all, even though Tan’s mother had informed them of the seriousness of the situation and “said she had spoken very good English, her best English, no mistakes.” However, when Tan called the hospital using her English, the hospital took immediate action to find the scan. Tan interjected the story with her current realizations of how horrible it was for her mother to be treated that way, which provides further empathy since the audience can experience firsthand the racism people face when their language isn’t taken seriously,especially for native speakers of English who haven’t experienced it. 

The anecdotes Tan chose are very relatable to the children of immigrants since they often have to translate for their parents and have to shoulder that responsibility from a young age, especially since the children often have to translate “adult” documents like tax forms and citizenship documents. Another literary device Tan uses is introducing data and then stating her opinion on it from her personal experience: “Sociologists and linguists probably will tell you that a person’s developing language skills are more influenced by peers. But I do think that the language spoken in the family, especially in immigrant families that are more insular, plays a large role in shaping the language of the child.” By presenting the commonly accepted view and then stating her own opinion, Tan places her situation into perspective for a larger audience.

Tan later realizes that to appeal to different audiences in some aspects of her life, she has to use different languages. When describing her own life, which included her mother’s impact as she grew up, Tan slowly realized that she had subconsciously changed her speech around her mother. Instead of speaking the proper English that she studied in college, she decides to use broken English. She says, “not waste money that way.” The English she uses with her mother has transcended language to become her comfort language that she uses with the people she loves when she becomes comfortable, which she calls the language of intimacy.

The fact that Tan’s mother said that her book was “So easy to read” mattered more to Tan than any critic’s review because it showed she was able to connect with her mother. This essay, which is about the nuances of different languages, is written in the scholarly language Tan notices herself using, yet she still appreciates the broken English she grew up with and expresses the impacts of both on her life.