My Thoughts on "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan

After reading “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, I thought that this text could be relatable for many people who are in a similar “language” situation. The reason I say this is due to how within my own household, most of my family members speak Spanish as their main language while English was their secondary language. Just so that I can communicate with most of family, I use some form of Spanglish which is a combination of words from both the Spanish and English language. This personal life experience is comparable to Amy Tan’s who stated this, “the “simple” English “I spoke to my mother.”” I interpret this statement as Amy Tan using a variation of the English language, just like Spanglish, to communicate with her own mother.

There are even times where people would have to act as translators for their own family members. I am aware that Amy Tan didn’t exactly act as a “translator” in the text but she did take on the role of “grammar checker” for her mother in one instance. This instance was stated in this line, “When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was her.” In some similar scenarios, I would have to translate English into Spanish for my parents so that they could understand whatever I translated. Overall, I believe that there could many people who can relate to what was written in Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue.”