Question

select the correct answer.
in \mother tongue,\ amy tan describes her mothers language as being \impeccable broken english.\ in the context of this essay, which of the following best describes the meaning of this statement?
a. though tans mother speaks with an accent, her english is actually grammatically perfect.
b. people with language bias cannot understand tans mother, but people without bias can understand her.
c. tans mother fluently speaks a language variety known as \broken english.\
d. tans mother does not speak standard english, but she is able to convey the ideas behind her words.

Explanation:

In Amy Tan's Mother Tongue, "impeccable broken English" refers to the fact that while Tan's mother's English does not follow standard grammatical rules (so it is "broken"), she uses it effectively to communicate her thoughts and meaning clearly (making it "impeccable" for its purpose of conveying ideas). Option A is incorrect because her English is not grammatically perfect. Option B is wrong because the statement is not about bias-based understanding. Option C is inaccurate as it frames "broken English" as a defined language variety rather than describing the tension between non-standard structure and effective communication.

Answer:

D. Tan's mother does not speak standard English, but she is able to convey the ideas behind her words.