Just last week, I was walking down the street with my mother, and I again found myself conscious of the English I was using, the English I do use with her. We were talking about the price of new and used furniture
and I heard myself saying this: "Not waste money that way." My husband was with us as well, and he didn't
notice any switch in my English. And then I realized why. It's because over the twenty years we've been
together I've often used that same kind of English with him, and sometimes he even uses it with me. It has
become our language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to family talk, the language I grew up
with.
How does Tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt?
Tan discusses the form of language she uses with her family to support the idea that nonstandard English is only
appropriate at home
Tan describes a realization she makes while with her husband to support the idea that nonstandard forms of
English are important forms of communication
Tan compares the English of her childhood with the English of her adulthood to support the idea that adults should
use standard English with children.
Tan relates a story about her husband to support the idea that people do not always understand each other, even
when they speak the same language.