@ehsuwcomp Amy Tan's Mother Tongue was an inspirational and eye-opening read to understanding the prejudice immigrant families experience and their interactions with others solely due to the way they speak #allamericansareamericans

All forms of English are real English, and no one is to say that it is "broken". I agree with Tan when she writes, "no way to describe [her English] other than "broken," as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed"

Why do Americans, who speak English, or are doing their best to do so need fixing? Understanding and perfecting English is something that takes time, as English is considered one of the hardest languages to learn and master

Language is a part of one's identity, and there is no fixing one's identity, only molding. However, there is only one person who has the choice in molding the identity and that is the speaker in question

We should influence the English speakers of America, but only with positivity and encouragement, we should help their understanding and give them tips when appropriate, and do our best to be patient with them

It's uttermostly inappropriate to "not give [speakers] good service, pretend to not understand [them], or even [act] as if [you] did not hear [them]". In no way should "Americans" be treating other Americans with disrespect with how they present themselves

Identity is a freedom we all possess as Americans, and we have no right to deny it to others

Tan's mother tongue has "become [her] language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to family talk, the language [she] grew up with." Unless you are a part of that family, no person has a say in what English is correct

Lastly, it is up to the American School System to teach Academic English, but not how to correct other students' ways of speaking the language. F*ck standardized testing! Why do we have that anymore?

Anyways Tan, you a queen and a star, keep spreading your legacy and making change in our oppressive society!

For any of you weirdos that made it through this thread, this if for my UW Composition class for an essay about writing to different audiences, hope you enjoyed it!