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Amy Tan
Mrs. Tan is Amy Tan’s mother. She immigrated to the U.S. from Shanghai, China before giving birth to Tan and her siblings. Though English is not her first language, Mrs. Tan’s understanding is far beyond what most give her credit for; she reads Forbes and Shirley MacLaine’s books and watches Wall Street Week. However, the English Mrs. Tan speaks is much different than the standardized English that surrounds her in the United States—and, for that matter, much different than the English that Amy Tan learns at school. As a result, Mrs. Tan is not treated with the same respect that her daughter receives. Many people see Mrs. Tan’s English as “broken” or “simple,” and, because of this, they make the unfair assumption that her intellectual abilities are rudimentary. For instance, her stockbroker doesn’t take her seriously, and medical professionals ignore her concerns. As part of Mrs. Tan’s intimate circle, Amy Tan flips the script on society’s expectation and demand for “standard English,” giving value to the English Mrs. Tan speaks and applying it to her writing by emulating her mother to preserve the rhythm and passion of her speech.
Tan’s Mother (Mrs. Tan) Quotes in Mother Tongue
The Mother Tongue quotes below are all either spoken by Tan’s Mother (Mrs. Tan) or refer to Tan’s Mother (Mrs. Tan). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Mother Tongue Quotes
And it was perhaps the first time she had heard me give a lengthy speech, using the kind of English I have never used with her […] —a speech filled with carefully wrought grammatical phrases, burdened, it suddenly seemed to me, with nominalized forms, past perfect tenses, conditional phrases, forms of standard English that I had learned in school and through books, the forms of English I did not use at home with my mother.
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This passage contextualizes Tan’s relationship with language. Tan realizes some of the tensions in her life surrounding language while giving one of her talks for The Joy Luck Club. Inspired by her mother’s presence at the talk, Tan notes the vastness of the English language and—in this essay—illustrates the ways in which the “Englishes” she speaks at home and in public are not the same. Here, Tan describes the kind of English she typically speaks in settings where her mother is not present—the public, academic, sphere. With The Joy Luck Club in the early stages of its popularity, Tan’s mother Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessit
It has become our language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to family talk, the language I grew up with.
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In this passage, Tan reflects on the form of English that she grew up speaking with her mother. In a conversation about furniture prices with her mother and her husband, Tan responds in the English her mother speaks. She realizes that her husband overhears this but doesn’t seem to find it strange, but this is because he’s used to it. He knows, in other words, that this is intimate linguistic mode for her—the kind of comfortable linguistic mode that she uses with her mother. However, this “mother tongue” is not solely a mother-daughter language, but a familial one. Tan’s husband Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus ea
But to me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It’s my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery. That was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world.
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In this passage, Tan explains how she feels about her mother’s English after describing the difficulty others have understanding her. Contrasting the language Tan speaks at talks and book events—an English she describes as “burdened” and “standardized”—her “mother tongue” is expansive and expressive. Responsible for the way Tan engages with the world, her “mother tongue” influences the way she problem solves and conceptualizes things, such as the grammar exercises of her childhood. Though Tan’s mother has gifted her with the ability to see the world from a different perspective, this perspective is challenged by others’ limited ability to listen, understand, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occae
It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than “broken,” as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness. I’ve heard other terms used […] But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions of the limited-English speaker.
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This passage highlights the complexity of Mrs. Tan’s understanding of English. In this moment, Tan also notes that she experiences her own difficulty in understanding the media her mother digests. Still, Tan hesitates to describe the language her mother speaks as “broken.” The limited perceptions of others—Mrs. Tan’s society—are ultimately what exacerbate Tan’s complicated feelings about her mother’s relationship with language. Though Tan does not view her mother’s way of speaking as lacking or incomplete, she recognizes the fact that the surrounding society unfortunately does judge people like her mother based on their use of non-standard English. And yet, Tan Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis
I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is, because she expressed them imperfectly, her thoughts were imperfect.
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This passage follows Tan’s discussion of the limitations placed upon her mother for her English-speaking abilities. Tan acknowledges the way society and those around her have influenced her own perceptions of her mother. Tan absorbs the attitudes and frustrations of the people she sees interacting with her mother, coopting them to form her own ideas and using them to inform the way she engages with her. Tan’s shame and limited perceptions of her mother are side effects of society’s demand that Mrs. Tan speak an altogether different English when engaging with them. “Standardized” English requires that its speakers use full Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde en
Math is precise; there is only one correct answer. Whereas, for me at least, the answers on English tests were always a judgement call, a matter of opinion and personal experience.
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In this passage, Tan describes the qualitative value of language in the educational sphere. From a young age, Tan was taught that there is a wrong way to read and speak English. Referencing her struggle to perform just as well in English as she appeared to perform in math and science, Tan explains the irony in needing to arrive at the same answers as her peers on English assessments. “Standardized” English is formulaic, requiring its speakers to think the same way and draw the same conclusions. Tan does not share the experiences of her peers or the imagined experiences that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempor
Fortunately, I happen to be rebellious and enjoy the challenge of disproving assumptions made about me.
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This passage comes after Tan’s story of frustration with English composition rules in school. Receiving poor marks on English exercises in classes and thus appearing to perform better in science and math, Tan stubbornly resists defeat by mastering the “standardized” English language. In many ways, Tan’s pushback is an attempt to resist narratives about non-native English speakers, but it also creates even more tension between the various “Englishes” she grew up with—and, more importantly, has implications for the ways in which language interacts with identity. The journey to grammatical perfection disrupts Tan’s relationship not only with her mother, but also Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde en
I wrote what I thought to be wittily crafted sentences, sentences that would finally prove I had mastery over the English language.
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This line pertains to Tan’s discussion of her work on The Joy Luck Club and her eventual arrival at what she believed to be the ultimate representation of success; ornately constructed sentences that follow the “standard” form of English to such a degree that the sentences ultimately fail to express ideas very well. In other words, Tan reaches a climactic point in her creative writing career where language and expression diverge. Tan’s belief that masterful writing refers to the traditional—“standardized”—conventions of the English language begins to shift. Gradually, Tan realizes that “standard” English can be stiff and limiting and that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Exp
I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English I spoke to my mother, which for lack of a better term might be described as “simple”; the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described as “broken”; my translation of her Chinese, which could certainly be described as “watered down”; and what I imagined to be her translation of her Chinese if she could speak in perfect English, her internal language, and for that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure.
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This passage covers Tan’s marked shift in writing style. Tan comes to the realization that “standard” English does not enhance her writing—rather, it limits it. As a daughter of Chinese immigrants writing about the experiences of Chinese mothers and daughters, Tan finds that “standard” forms of English do not adequately portray the stories she intends to write; she cannot imagine the way that her mother speaks if that language is translated into a version that is inauthentic to her. As such, Tan adjusts the way she approaches the subjects of English and creative writing. Instead of writing in a single Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Co
I wanted to capture what language ability tests could never reveal: her intent, her passion, her imagery, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts.
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This quote follows Tan’s detailed reconciliation with her “mother tongue” through her creative writing. Tan’s acceptance of herself—of her multicultural background and her complex linguistic relationship to her identity—is fully realized in her attempt to do “what language ability tests could never” do: that is, close the gap between unfair cultural assumptions about non-native English speakers and the intelligent, expressive linguistic talents that people like her mother have always possessed, regardless of their level of mastery over standardized English. With this in mind, Tan finds space in her writing to include the alternative modes of thinking and expression that come Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae volu
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Tan’s Mother (Mrs. Tan) Character Timeline in Mother Tongue
The timeline below shows where the character Tan’s Mother (Mrs. Tan) appears in Mother Tongue. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Mother Tongue
...wrong, despite having given the same address multiple times before. For the first time, Tan’s mother was present, and Tan realized that her mother had never heard her daughter speak with...
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Tan recalls a walk with her mother during which they discuss the topic of furniture prices. Tan’s response, “not waste money that...
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Tan records a recent conversation with her mother to illustrate the rhythm of her speech. First, Tan briefly narrates a version of her...
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Tan experiences a complicated relationship with her mother and her mother’s English; she doesn’t like using the words “broken” and “fractured” to describe...
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Her mother is aware of how people perceive and misunderstand her and, as a result, Tan must...
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In a more recent event, despite speaking “very good English,” her mother’s English is misunderstood. While visiting the hospital to follow up on CAT scan results, hospital...
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...experience.” There are more ways than one to answer common grammar exercises, according to Tan’s mother, therefore influencing and complicating the way Tan thinks and responds to the English used in...
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Tan meditates on her relationship and experience with her mother’s English in response to questions about Asian American representation in American literature. Though she cannot,...
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...she writes, one who will understand the many “Englishes” she grew up with. Imagining her mother, Tan writes for an audience of mothers and daughters, using a voice that she has...
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