"Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan by Kim Loan Tran https://padlet.com/kimlbui/hyfaplrih5cq Reading Summary Card 3, pgs. 169-173 en-us 2018-08-01 16:46:37 UTC 2025-05-23 18:36:46 UTC hello@padlet.com kimlbui https://padlet.com/kimlbui/hyfaplrih5cq/wish/271686534 Key Words/Phrases- broken English, limited English, fractured English, mother tongue, Englishes]]> 2018-08-01 16:49:38 UTC https://padlet.com/kimlbui/hyfaplrih5cq/wish/271686534 kimlbui https://padlet.com/kimlbui/hyfaplrih5cq/wish/271686959 Summary- The author describes the different "Englishes" she uses.  One English is proper, academic, and grammatically correct. The other English is the English she learned from her mother, a Chinese immigrant uses.  This English can be referred to as "broken" English, is not grammatically correct, but yet the author understands what her mom is saying.  The author does not like the term "broken" because it implies that something needs to be fixed.  When she was younger, she sometimes had to be a child translator for her mom.  Her mom was often not respected or taken seriously because she could not speak English fluently.  The author also explains that many Asian Americans do better on math tests than English tests.  Lastly, the author wrote a book, The Joy Luck Club, using "broken" English because she wanted a book that her mother could read and understand, especially since the story is inspired by her mother. ]]> 2018-08-01 16:53:50 UTC https://padlet.com/kimlbui/hyfaplrih5cq/wish/271686959 kimlbui https://padlet.com/kimlbui/hyfaplrih5cq/wish/271687484 Response: I can relate to the author because my mother is also an immigrant from Asia.  She speaks broken English, but I can understand her.  She makes the common errors of ESL students, subject noun agreement, switching the adjective and noun, etc.  Sometimes I wonder, how did I not end up learning and speaking broken English? How did I end up doing well in school, even in English classes? 
Being an elementary school teacher, listening to students read, checking their writing and speaking, I am used to identifying errors. Therefore, I can't help but notice these errors when my mom speaks.  I don't mind it and I don't think any less of her.  However, during my observations of adult ESL classes I was struggling to understand what they are saying. Therefore, I can see why people may view them as less intelligent because they can't speak English fluently with correct grammar. But I know that the ELs are intelligent and have a wealth of funds of knowledge.  My question is as a teacher, what would you do if your student's parents speak broken English? How would go about communicating? How would you go about understanding them? 
]]> 2018-08-01 17:00:10 UTC https://padlet.com/kimlbui/hyfaplrih5cq/wish/271687484 kimlbui https://padlet.com/kimlbui/hyfaplrih5cq/wish/271687801 2018-08-01 17:03:41 UTC https://padlet.com/kimlbui/hyfaplrih5cq/wish/271687801 kimlbui https://padlet.com/kimlbui/hyfaplrih5cq/wish/271687851 2018-08-01 17:04:22 UTC https://padlet.com/kimlbui/hyfaplrih5cq/wish/271687851 kimlbui https://padlet.com/kimlbui/hyfaplrih5cq/wish/271687936 2018-08-01 17:05:32 UTC https://padlet.com/kimlbui/hyfaplrih5cq/wish/271687936