SPCOM223 By: Amy Tan

• her mother’s version of English shaped her perspective and understanding of the world

But to me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It’s my mother’s tongue … it is the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world.

• the language spoken in (especially immigrant) families play a large role in shaping the language of the child
• using ability for someone to express themselves as a way to gauge their actual intelligence or understanding
• the limitations of her “impaired” English
  • phone calls (bank, stores, etc.) → receiving bad service