Final answer:
The 'Water Names' story uses the granddaughter's point of view for intimacy and discovery, and changing the narrator would alter the narrative's emotional impact and reader connection.
Step-by-step explanation:
The story "Water Names" by Lan Samantha Chang is told from the point of view of the granddaughter to impart a certain intimacy and generational perspective to the narrative. If the story were told from a third-person point of view or the grandmother's point of view, it would significantly alter the reader's connection to the characters and events. A first-person narrative allows the granddaughter to share personal reflections and a sense of discovering the past, which can affect the emotional impact of the story. An omniscient third-person narrator would provide a broader view but potentially lessen the reader's emotional engagement, while the grandmother's perspective would offer a more direct but possibly less exploratory narrative.