Language In My Home

People say that parents are teachers of good and bad English. People also judge people on how they speak, whether the language is incorrect or just simply inappropriate. I think I had the best of both worlds with my parents.

First of all, my mother is very articulate and has a very large vocabulary. Ever since I can remember she was correcting me on how I spoke and how I wrote. I always would get so mad at her for doing that, but I realize now that my vocabulary and English skills are better than that of many people I associate with. I feel much more confident with my writing and speeches because of my mother’s influence on my grammar. I know I can speak publicly and people will take me seriously and understand what I have to say because of my background in “good” English.

Secondly, my father is from Jersey City and never graduated college so his way of speaking is different than my mother’s. He speaks more of the vernacular he grew up with and he isn’t worried about what people think when he talks. He says he is more interested in getting his point across than worrying about whether or not people think he is brilliant. My father taught me that in situations of everyday life, you do not have to be articulate all the time. He teaches me everyday that speaking in my own way makes me who I am. He is not instilling upon me to talk “bad” but different situations call for different languages.

I do feel that my parents encourage me to use correct English whenever I can. They know that with my future plans in life, correct English usage is imperative. They also understand that sometimes I am just going to speak however I want in order to get my point across. I have noticed that even when I have conversations with friends, we all seem to sound so much more intelligent because we are finally using everything we have always been taught to use when speaking.

Because of everything I have learned from my parents, I do feel adequately trained in English. I know, depending on my surroundings, how I am suppose to talk and I feel that if I am just hanging outside my house with my friends or giving a presentation to the CEO of a major corporation I can do it.