Describe some of the communities of practice in which you participate. What are your intuitions about whether you speak differently in different communities? Provide specific examples. One of the communities that I had participated in the past was in the religious education at church with the 1st graders group and my awareness about speaking differently in the small group community is that in order to deliver the appropriate message to the children my tone of voice and the vocabulary must be at a level they all can understand. For example, while reading the Sacred Scriptures, I created visual pictures, worksheets, and coloring pages, therefore the reading would be understood efficiently. Moreover, while participating at church with the adolescents my intuitions about speaking differently in the youth …show more content…
Imagine that in a conversation with a friend, you describe what you have been reading about in this book: that all dialects, both standard and nonstandard, are linguistically equal. Your friend says.” Oh come on, that is not true. Those nonstandard dialects are just ignorant- people who don’t know how to use the English right” How would you explain to your friend the linguistic equality of dialects? What examples or analogies do you think might be useful in making the case? First and foremost, I will explain that a dialect function as a language in relations of its configuration and verbal features, therefore, a dialect is a diversity of a linguistic vocalized by a group of individuals that is analytically diverse from multiplicities of the language in relationships of phonological, morphological and syntactic. Therefore, Standard English itself is a social dialect, Chicano English is another social dialect for instance, and in Chicano English, the vowel in the word school shortens it sounds like “skul” Moreover, according to Walt Wolfram (1991, 2) “to speak a language is to speak some dialect of that language” all speakers of American English speak a
In Richard Lederer’s article “All American Dialects”, he states the ironic truth that “most of us are aware that large numbers of people in the U.S. speak very differently than we do.” (152) How is it that one language can have so many speech communities? It is because of the way our nation was developed. Our language is a mixture of culture and lifestyle that has diverted our English dialect, so that each region’s speech is unique. How I speak can define who I am, determine what I do, and locate exactly where I’m from in the U.S. This is the value of my, and my language’s speech communities. If one was to travel to Germany they would be constantly hearing German. What they wouldn’t notice is that each city within Germany tends to have their
Wright, Katy M. “The Role of Dialect Representation in Speaking from the Margins: “The Lesson” of Toni Cade Bambara.” Style. 42.1 (2008): 73-87. Proquest. SEMO Kent Lib., Cape Girardeau, MO. 12 April 2009. .
The reason Robert MacNeil wrote “Do You Speak American?” was because he wants to reach his audience, the educated and/or interested people of the United States that have some form of interest in the modern English that is being developed. Especially those who have seen the PBS version of this article. With this article MacNeil wants to convey that diversity in American English should be tolerated and accepted as a whole. MacNeil uses many examples to explain this why the diversity of the English language is essential and unique to the United States. He wants to prove that this is a good thing for the United States to go through.
It is apparent that there are many types of dialect within American English. The coexisting of two or more languages, either serving together in the same area or servicing different areas, is as old as language itself (Pei 106). This has happened throughout time and appears to be inevitable. It is impossible to believe an entire country could conform to one language, and then only one dialect of that language. Throughout history societies have survived for some time using different languages until these language barriers tore territories apart. It is apparent how, in America, barriers between dialects separate black men from white men even more than physical conditions.
Language in the South varies according to which area someone is in and what the person’s ethnic background is. Most white people that live in the South have a country draw in their accent or talk very proper. Most black people in the South talk using Ebonics or are really proper, but some do have a draw in their accent. The other ethnic groups talk in their native language or in English with a distinct accent associated with their ethnicity. If one is in Southern Louisiana their accent will be Cajun. The language in the South is alike in most places according to the person’s race except in Southern Louisiana.
The statistics of those not speaking English could lead to the idea that English is diminishing in certain sections of the United States. An example of this is shown in the article “Why the U.S. Needs an Official Languag...
Children absorb the world around them as they see it. Due to this reason, judgment of different dialects within the English language exists. Walt Wolfram, the author of the essay, “Challenging Language Prejudice in the Classroom,” states that, “Children acquire attitudes about language differences early and these attitudes quickly become entrenched” (27). This problem has gone on for a long period of time as Wolfram quotes Linguist Rosina Lippi-Green warning that, “Accent discrimination can be found everywhere. In fact, such behavior is so commonly accepted, so widely perceived as appropriate, that it must be seen as the last back door to discrimination” (28). Unfortunately, language prejudice has not been dealt with on a serious note. Linguistic discrimination has become one of the only forms of judgement that experiences promotion. Granted, this happens because adults do not see it as a problem. “Challenging Language Prejudice in the Classroom” points out that, “Adults use words such as “right,” “wrong,” “correct,” and “incorrect” to label speech” (Wolfram 28). This gives children the idea from an early point in life that language is either right or wrong. Hence Wolfram comments that, “Language that “falls short” of Standard English is thrown into a single wastebasket, even when the phrases represent natural regional and socioethnic dialect traits” (28). The school system drills this idea into the
Language is universal, but there are different meanings and sounds, which vary from one culture to another. In China citizens speak many languages, but about 94% speak the Chinese language. The difference in dialects was overcome by the written word and eventually a version of Mandrin became the “official speech” (The Cambridge Illustrated History of China, 1996,p.304). In America there are many ethnic groups with many varieties of language. The U.S. was created through many people from different countries migrating to the new states. In the U.S. there is an “official speech” which is the English language. The language of both these countries are not only different in meaning and sound, but also reflect the way in which the people in these societies live, believe, and function.
The article Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan is a personal look into how language, and the dialects of that language, can affect a person 's life. It 's a look into how the people inside the cultural circles who use dialect derivatives of a major language are treated by people who exist outside of those cultural circles. It shows us how society treats a person using a "broken" or "limited" dialect, and how society 's treatment of these people can also affect the children who grow up using these "broken" dialects. Tan wrote this article try and convey to the reader that English is a colorful, and ever-changing language that has many dialects. Tan makes the point, several times throughout the article, that society judges you based on the type of English that you use. Throughout the article, Tan uses both her mother, herself and society 's treatment of them as evidence to support her idea. The purpose of pointing this out is to show the reader that the language a person uses, whether it be taught to them in school or by a parent at home, isn 't indicative of a person 's intelligence or value, and they shouldn 't be judged as less for using it.
Standard English is the structure of language acknowledged for being intelligent and accepted as the national norm in English speaking countries. Alterations in pronunciation
Language and dialects as unintelligent and not beautiful. Folk linguistics can be visible when comparing Standard English and African American language. Some individuals
Analyzing dialects can be difficult due to the fact that is it hard to transcribe the pronunciation of an individual dialect because English is not spelled the same way it is pronounced. Furthermore, one person’s interpretation of spelling a dialect might not match up with another’s, so the reader might not “hear” the dialect properly. Regardless, written versions of dialects are essential to discussing dialectical differences.
Miscommunication is a huge part of it because not being able to understand someone while speaking to them can be a problem and hard to accept. Dialects are different in vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and speech. People are very judgmental when it comes to dialects and often think it is a broken form of language which it isn’t (Ronald). It is a different form of that same language. Dialects tend to be favored by people because some dialects get more attention and are more popular. No dialect dominates another because everyone who speaks a language has a dialect, but people may have favorites. Another problem with dialects is when it comes for someone to apply for a job; it is difficult to get approved if he/she speaks a different
Building Blocks of Communication. January 22, 2018). As a leader in my church community, I’ve experienced this illusion of communication taking place (Smith, Cheryl. Building Blocks of Communication. January 22, 2018). Before attending this interpersonal communication course, I blamed others for I thought the problem was a lack of listening on their part. However, during the last five weeks, I concluded my communication skills need improvement. Aspects of verbal communication which need improvement include, developing my language skills, so the messages I send are clear and sensitive, keeping in mind the subgroups I work with and the potential language differences (Galvin, 1999). Additionally, speaking more clearly is also an aspect which I need to improve and can improve by expanding my vocabulary, speaking appropriately, avoiding jargon, slang and using language that is specific, concrete and precise as well as statements that are dated and indexed (Galvin, 1999). Facial expressions, vocal behavior, and working towards my voice, face and my body supporting my words are areas of nonverbal communication that need improvement (Galvin, 1999). As my family and mentor have provided feedback on how I verbally communicate a message, but my nonverbal communication does not support my words. Gaining this insight helped me understand why my son
In a sociolinguist perspective “the idea of a spoken standardized language is a hypothetical construct” (Lippi-Green, 2012, pp. 57). They are the form of Britain English and American English that are used in textbooks and on broadcasting. Giles and Coupland observe that “A standard variety is the one that is most often associated with high socioeconomic status, power and media usage in a particular community” (1991, p. 38). Both native speakers and learners of English, where English is taught as a second or foreign language (hereafter ESL/EFL), speak dialect of English in everyday conversation (Kachru, 2006, pp. 10-11; Owens 2012, p.