Question

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 best summarizes the central idea of the excerpt?

Nonstandard forms of English are only appropriate among family members.

Standard forms of English imply a lack of family values and closeness.

Nonstandard forms of English imply close relationships and family values.

Standard forms of English are not appropriate among family members.

Answer 1

"Nonstandard forms of English imply close relationships and family values" best summarizes the central idea of the excerpt.

The narrator describes the customized version of English she uses with her mother and how she has developed a derivative of it with her husband over time ("over the twenty years we’ve been together I’ve often used that same kind of English with him").

You could call it "nonstandard" because it may appear as grammatically incorrect to native English speakers ("Not waste money that way").

This nonstandard form of English is closely linked to family relationships because we are told that it is "the language [the narrator] grew up with," her "family talk." Moreover, from this family talk, she developed a "language of intimacy" with her husband, who we can guess is a native English speaker used to hearing her speak that way.

Answer 2

Answer:

Nonstandard forms of English imply close relationships and family values

Explanation: