This paper explains that in Amy Tan's essay "Mother Tongue", Tan reflects on the linguistic tensions which plagued her childhood
and adolescence and made her believe that her parents' broken English was having a negative impact on her performance in school. The author points out that her difficulties with English made her intensely aware of the different versions of the language she had seen, spoken and found acceptable. The paper states that Amy Tan's essay is definitely an effective and powerful statement not only on variations of English and her exposure to the same but also on class and cultural
discrimination, which people encounter because of their inability to use proper
standardized English.