What is defined as "correct writing" or "Standard English"? How do writers or even linguists create certain guidelines that define correct methods of grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary usage? Vershawn Young creates an essay that illustratively and boldly depicts his point of view on the standard model presented by Fish in his New York Times article, "What College Should Teach". From the very start on page 61, words such as "cuz", "sho", "tryin", and "don't no". Yet the point that Young presents that really stood out to me is the "dominant language ideology" (62), which is the "belief that there is one set of dominant language rules that stem from a single dominant discourse". Young refutes this in Pages 64 and 65 specifically with the promotion of exploration of English as a multi-dialect culture rather than discriminating all other English and relying on one standard model for writing
A lot of this reminds me of my high school years in the suburbs. Many people I knew would speak in this sort of way to everyone, including to teachers and the administration. Even some of the honor students, including myself, would the same because of its powerful presence in our everyday lives. The connection between this and Young that I am trying to make is that this view of English among scholars and education is so singular and structured and it refuses to acknowledge the other forms of English. English, as said by Young (64) and even Canagarajah (8 & 9 of his book), is a melting pot of regional and cultural dialects and if this is neglected, it shows the ignorance of those who believe these forms of English are of those who cannot speak correctly. I myself can speak standard, common, black, and southern English, as well as Spanglish. So why is English viewed so strictly and proper, but other forms that are commonly spoken and written by everyone are being rejected? Where is the sense in that?!?!
3 Comments
1/31/2015 07:33:10 am
You make some very strong and valid arguments, and I think Motha would agree with a lot of what you say. Motha states that there are "numerous ways in which the spread of English has been conceived of as having negative consequences" (Motha 5). In addition, many people invest time and money to become competent in English, believing that learning English will make them seem more smart and competent, giving them more job opportunities. However, I would say the "English" that Motha is the same "Standard English" that Young refers to. The formal, grammatically-correct English that all English-speakers should conform to. Motha and Young support the argument that placing too much emphasis on the English language takes away the power and usefulness of other language. My question is, how might society reform to make English less important, not just in school, but in society in general? After all most business corporations, hospitals, law firms, and other institutions primarily speak English. How can we assert the importance of other languages when English is so dominant? I think American pedagogy needs to rethink its approach on teaching not only ESL students but every student the importance of his or her culture and language, but also make clear the importance of English.
Reply
2/2/2015 01:55:58 am
I see Jesse's point, that English is used widely in the professional world in both the U.S. and globally, so it would be difficult to negate its importance. But I think one crucial step to leveling the playing field for languages is the acceptance of codemeshing in schools, as Young calls for (67). As Selwyn says, she can speak standard English, but can also speak in many different dialects of English. Since everyone uses dialects, schools should acknowledge and teach various dialects of English, standard included.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHere is where I blog about my course and things that relate to multilingualism. Archives
April 2015
Categories |