In her short story, Mother Tongue, Amy Tan claims her Chinese decent mother uses as what people say a very broken type of English

        I found the story to be very amusing and something I could very much relate to. I for one am not bilingual but my mother, who speaks both English and Spanish on the other hand is. The only difference is my mother speaks English perfectly well as if she doesn’t even know Spanish at all. I couldn’t really relate to Amy’s feeling of embarrassment but while reading her scenarios I could understand why she felt that way.

        Amy Tan states that, “Math is precise; there is one answer. Whereas, for me at least, the answers on English tests were always a judgment call, a matter of opinion and personal experience.” (66). Judgment is a huge word that sticks out because that is what people do on a daily basis. People will judge you on the way you speak and Amy Tan has learned how to embrace the way she speaks. There are not many Asian Americans represented in English literature but surveys say Asian students do significantly better on math achievement test than in English (67). This may very well be because there are other Asian-American students whose English at home could be described as “broken” (67).  This story may very well be relatable and inspiring for anyone experiencing the same issue. Amy Tan later became an English major wring about her mother because in the end she wants people to see her mother the way she perceives her (68).