Question

Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue." Just last week, I was walking down the street with my mother, and I again found myself conscious of the English I was using, the English I do use with her. We were talking about the price of new and used furniture and I heard myself saying this: “Not waste money that way.” My husband was with us as well, and he didn’t notice any switch in my English. And then I realized why. It’s because over the twenty years we’ve been together I’ve often used that same kind of English with him, and sometimes he even uses it with me. It has become our language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to family talk, the language I grew up with. How does Tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt? Tan discusses the form of language she uses with her family to support the idea that nonstandard English is only appropriate at home. Tan describes a realization she makes while with her husband to support the idea that nonstandard forms of English are important forms of communication. Tan compares the English of her childhood with the English of her adulthood to support the idea that adults should use standard English with children. Tan relates a story about her husband to support the idea that people do not always understand each other, even when they speak the same language.

Answer 1

Question asked :

"How does the writer build a big idea in her story?"

• Talks about how she speaks differently with her family

• Shows how special language is used at home

• Compares how she talked as a kid to how she talks now

• Shows that people can still have trouble understanding each other

Answer:

Tan shares a personal experience with her mother and husband to show how she uses a nonstandard form of English with her family, making it a language of intimacy and highlighting the importance of diverse forms of communication.

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