Question

read the excerpt from \mother tongue.\

lately, ive been giving more thought to the kind of english my mother speaks. like others, i have described it to people as \broken\ or \fractured\ english. but i wince when i say that. it has always bothered me that i can think of no other way to describe it other than \broken,\ as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness.

how does tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt?

• tan discusses her thoughts about language to build the idea that the english language does not have words to match some chinese terms.
• tan discusses her relationship with her mother to build the idea that mothers and daughters in all cultures often have misunderstandings.
• tan discusses her mother’s use of english to build the idea that a form of language can be purposeful and meaningful even if it is nonstandard.
• tan discusses the english language to build the idea that there is a lack of appropriate synonyms for the word \broken.\

Explanation:

The excerpt focuses on Tan's discomfort with labeling her mother's nonstandard English as "broken," implying this form of language has inherent value despite not fitting standard norms. The correct option aligns with this by linking her mother's English to the idea that nonstandard language can be meaningful. Other options are incorrect: the excerpt does not mention Chinese terms, mother-daughter misunderstandings across cultures, or a lack of synonyms for "broken" as the central focus.

Answer:

Tan discusses her mother's use of English to build the idea that a form of language can be purposeful and meaningful even if it is nonstandard.