Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue." 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. Which information from the excerpt best supports the inference that nonstandard forms of English can express relationship nuances that standard English cannot?
Answer
A
Tan encourages her husband to use nonstandard English so her mother can understand him.
B
Tan uses nonstandard English with her husband so that he can better understand what she is saying.
C
Tan uses the nonstandard English of her childhood with her husband because it expresses intimacy.
D
Tan forces herself to use nonstandard English with her family to make them feel more comfortable.
Explanation
Tan says that she has often used this kind of English with her husband, and that it has become “our language of intimacy.” This directly supports the inference that nonstandard English can express a particular relationship nuance—in this case, closeness—rather than simply helping someone understand. Choice C captures this idea: Tan uses the nonstandard English of her childhood with her husband because it expresses intimacy.
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