Final Paper Eng 226 - english 226 PDF

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1 19th Feb 2016

Is it the Correct Way?

English has been the dominant global language since the nineteenth century. As a result of British imperialism, the language was spread to every region of the world. Since the twentieth century the United States’ role as the global economic and cultural power, has helped to maintain the global influence of the English language. Various dialects of English reflect cultural, racial and socioeconomic aspects of these groups (“What Privilege”) Standard English has often been defined as the correct form of the English language. This is emphasized everywhere from public schools to mass media. In the United States it is viewed as the default dialect, providing a linguistic common ground for all speakers. Despite this Standard English is not grammatically or expressively superior to any other English dialect. Today, many English-speaking countries view Standard English as the superior or preferred dialect. However this was not always the truth. In 1066 when the Normans invaded England, the lower class spoke English, while the upper class spoke French.(Blast From the Past) As a result of migration and war, new words and phrases changed the dialect. Historically the dominant societal group has dictated what dialect is accepted as standard. For example the Norman elite began to speak English in the 1400s to distinguish themselves from the French during the Hundred Years War (Freeman). Sociolinguistic rules were then established to maintain the class division in England. (Stroppy Editor) For example, Received Pronunciation became the accent of the elite during the 1700s. It is characterized by the lack of “r” pronunciation in words. In a Received Pronunciation accent the words lord and laud or lawn and lorn, would sound like a group of two words rather than four distinct words in other dialects. Despite, proponents of this dialect claiming that it has extra-insular varieties and mirrors Old English pronunciation, the

facts show that this assertion is false. Throughout history the social elite tend to dictate what is the correct form of a language. Many of the language rules found in Standard English reflect social status (Freeman, "A Ridiculously Brief, Outrageously Selective and Painfully Simplified History of Standard English."). Many ethnic and socioeconomic stereotypes linked to dialect, arise from social conditioning as a result of this hierarchy. For example a typical commercial in the United States would generally have actors use Standard English. The speaker would use words and phrases that reflect the normal dialogue of the dominant ethnic groups in this country. In the United States a white male is considered the stereotypical image of success (Butler, Ashby Chpt 8). Speaking Standard English goes along with it. Every other group in the country mimics Standard English in order to appear more “intellectual.” In schools, low income and racial minority groups have been told that they use “bad” grammar or speak “incorrectly.” The fact is that many of these students do posses the knowledge of Standard English. However, the “bad grammar” is instead a reflection of the dialect that is spoken in the home (Friedman, “The Magazine”). In many cases, different dialects have grammatical rules that are deviate from Standard English, but are still correct in their own respect (Friedman, “The Magazine”). These notions originate from an ignorant and misinformed viewpoint about the diversity of the English language. The media has conditioned the general public to believe that certain dialects, such as African American Vernacular English, are the wrong way of speaking English. Media influence throughout the years has served as a method of racial division by stigmatizing ethnic dialects. In Oakland in the mid-1990s, a law was created to legitimize Ebonics as an official dialect. The media attacked by labeling it as incorrect and the “dumbing” of the English language. (Stigmas surrounding Ebonics) The importance of getting educators to

3 teach in Ebonics to certain underprivileged groups is to more easily connect with the students. Children that do not hear Standard English tend to be behind students that hear it in their households on a daily basis. Therefore many African American children have been incorrectly labeled as less proficient because of their inability to grasp a dialect that is unfamiliar to them (Baron 2). Standard English has been given a title deeming it superior to other forms of dialects, serving as a gatekeeper of linguistic acceptance in America. This exclusivity also prevents certain groups from fully achieving success in the U.S. Many immigrant populations face rampant discrimination based on their perceived inability to speak “proper English”(Freeman, “More workers claiming job discrimination over language”). Many immigrants, who speak English as a second-language, tend to have accents that are more associated with a non-English language. This has led to various cases of bias because their dialect is perceived as a foreign language. In 1998, editors of the San Jose Mercury News determined that A.L. Hahn, a Korean American, was unfit to be a councilman because of his thick accent (Nguyen, Accent Discrimination.). Despite agreeing, with his stance on major issues, they allowed his accent to dictate their viewpoint of him. Unfortunately, this belief in accent and dialect discrimination is still viewed as acceptable by many people. They believe that immigrants should become integrated into U.S. society by learning how to speak English with a Standard dialect (Ingram). Research has shown that intonation and phonological features in an individual’s accent are deeply ingrained from a person’s childhood (Ingram). Over time, these linguistic features become very difficult to unlearn. Since Mr. Hahn grew up speaking another language, it becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible to develop these a new accent as an adult. In addition, as an American citizen he should be guaranteed the right to run for political office, despite his tone of speech.

Changing an accent that has developed over years is quite difficult. In the speech “Ain’t I a Woman” by Sojourner Truth, she speaks in a clearly non-standard dialect of English (National Park Service). Since she was a slave from her birth to the age of thirty, it was quite insane to expect her to speak in a dialect so different from her own. From the perspective of Truth, using the word Ain’t correctly reflects the African American dialect of that time period. Changing the title to “Am I not a woman” would not correct but instead remove the personality, experiences and message of the speaker. The speech was written by Sojourner Truth to address the discrimination that she faced as a black woman in America (National Park Service). This dialect of English reflected the average daily discourse and accents of slaves in the United States at the time. Trying to correct this essay would simply defeat its purpose (Beeler). Standard English has laid claim to the position of a default global language since the nineteenth century. However, in today’s world hardly anyone actually speaks the correct form of Standard English. For example in the United Kingdom, only fifteen percent of the population uses the correct grammatical phrases found in the Standard British English dialect (Ritchie). Despite this, the United Kingdom has historically been more ethnically and linguistically homogenous than the United States. How then can the U.S. founded by millions of immigrants, bringing languages and dialects from every region of the planet, claim that one dialect is superior to all others? From the colonial era to the modern era, Standard English simply reflects a form of English that is constantly changing throughout history. The standard dialects are not correct but instead socially accepted as a result of media and economic influence. Standard English should not be viewed as superior. However, Standard English should be the common language taught in the United States. It serves a purpose of making communication between different regions simpler. Without a common language for jobs, schools and businesses,

5 it would become more difficult to conduct daily tasks. Despite this, different dialects from various nationalities and ethnicities should also be accepted as simple variations of the overall family of the English language. It is important for English speakers to realize that the language is always in constant motion. For example, Old English is so remote from modern Standard English that the two appear nearly in different language groups. In the United States, immigrant groups have been altering English for years. It is shortsighted to believe that a dialect of the language is superior or inferior to any other. Instead, we should embrace each dialect in order to better understand the cultural, economic, and ethnic origins of each group.

Work Cited 1. Beeler, Lucy. "Rhetorical Analysis of Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman" Prezi.com. 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 14 Feb. 2016 2. Butler, Lee H., and Ashby, Homer. Listen My Son- Wisdom to Help African American Fathers. Google.com. Abingdon Press, 2010. Web. 16 Feb. 2016. 3. Freeman, Tom. "A Ridiculously Brief, Outrageously Selective and Painfully Simplified History of Standard English." Stroppy Editor. 06 Feb. 2016. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. 4. Ingram, Patreese. "Are Accents One of the Last Acceptable Areas for Discrimination?" Are Accents One of the Last Acceptable Areas for Discrimination? Feb. 2009. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. 5. Kesler, Jennifer "Language Privilege and Regionalism." What Privilege. 10 Aug. 2011. Web. 14 Feb. 2016 6. More Workers Claiming Job Discrimination Over Language, Accents." Insurance Journal News. 4 Dec. 2012. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. 7. Nguyen, Beatrice Bich, Dao. Accent Discrimination and the Test of Spoken English 1 (1994): 128-32. Web. 16 Feb. 2016. 8. Ritchie, Harry. "It's Time to Challenge the Notion That There Is Only One Way to Speak English." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. 9. United States. National Park Service, NPS. "Sojourner Truth." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.

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