Diversity Within English
In order to understand how language variation descriptors are used, we first must understand what language variation is. We can say that the U.S. is linguistically diverse because of the multitude of languages spoken here, but we can also find diversity within these languages. All languages have both dialectical variations and registral variations. These variations, or dialects, can differ in lexicon, phonology, and/or syntax from the Standard Language that we often think of as Œcorrect' Language, although they are not necessarily less proper than, say, Standard English. It depends on where, by whom, and in what situation the dialect is used as to whether or not it is appropriate.
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There are three main types of reactions to these socially significant items. 1. Social indicators - the speaker, and often the listener, is not aware that these items are socially significant in revealing one's social status, so the speaker makes no attempt to avoid them when speaking in a more formal style. This would be someone who wants to take your picture, rather than your photograph. 2. Social markers - the speaker is sensitive to these items and will avoid them in a more formal style of speech, although the speaker may not be fully aware of why. Examples would be avoiding contractions, and phrases like gonna or didja. Social markers are much more prevalent in American English than social indicators.
3. Social stereotypes - even speakers who regularly use these types of dialects are fully aware of the stigma attached to them. Social stereotypes would include the copula deletion in Black English, and the loosing of sounds a la Joe Pesci that produce phrases such as doze tree guys.
Closely related to these social class factors are education and occupation. While occupations often produce their own jargons, a person's occupation will also determine what style of speech is used. A lawyer and a laborer would not be likely to use the same dialect on the job. Likewise, a person with little education is not likely to use the same style of speech as a college professor. This does not imply that
The most obvious way the maxim of manner is flouted is when a character does not understand a word another
Previously to this class, I was not aware of the different dialects that were common in California. If I were to hear someone speaking Chicano English or African American English I would unrightfully assume that they were speaking English incorrectly. However, throughout this course I learned each of these dialects contains their own unique rules, which make them grammatically and linguistically correct. Even though these dialects are linguistically equal, that does not make them socially equal. Besides accented English, non- English speakers are generally judged based on their accent. This however, is linguistic profiling, which is illegal in the United States. It is hard
While reading chapter six from Beyond Grammar Language, Power, and the Classroom, written by Mary R. Harmon and Marilyn J. Wilson, I began to realize how much we become caught up in the rules of the so-called Standard American English. It is sad because people are being judged on their dialect, which is a representation of who people are and where they are from. I have found myself correcting people that have a different dialect, or correcting people that say words that I have been told were not proper language, such as the word ain’t. Standard American English is something that is embedded in our brains at a young age and as we go through school; language is something teachers are constantly correcting children on. Reading about dialect has
The United States has always been considered a “melting pot”, but how true is that statement now? While there is growing diversity among the population of the United States, the different people may not be blending together as well as they should. Many people are unaware of how many students are English language learners. According to authors Katharine Davies Samway and Denise McKeon, the largest growing group of students in our country is the language minority students (2007). There are many negative ideas that people have regarding those students. However, those students deserve a quality education as much as native English speaking students. The responsibility to provide this falls on the families, the government, and the teachers of those students.
“Language changes for several reasons. First, it changes because the needs of its speakers change. New technologies, new products, and new experiences require new words to refer to them clearly and efficiently.” The way we learn English will change completely when technology takes over. Accepting change in the American language will help people from different backgrounds communicate more efficiently.
Another example of the difference in linguistics is people from the Midwest use the word “pop” while people from New England use “soda”. I haven’t had many issues with this word, however, I recieve unusual looks when I slip up and say pop. The pop vs. soda is a widely know difference, so people still know what I
A professor from a well-known college is not expected to speak like a person who works in a garment factory. A businessman can never use a beggar's accent while talking with his partner. We can easily identify who belongs to which level. From their professions, we can infer their economic conditions and thus their belonging social classes can be identified. Therefore, a clear distinction of using semantics, syntax, phonology, phonetics, vocabulary or style helps us to distinguish any particular person and his\her position in the society.
In chapter 4, Window on Humanity, it is stated that “Just as social situation influence our speech, so do geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic differences. Many dialects coexist in the United States with SE, which itself is a dialect that differs from, say, ‘BBC English,’ the preferred dialect in Great Britain. Different dialects are equally effective as system of communication, which is the main job of language. Our tendency to think of particular dialects as cruder or more sophisticated than others is a social rather than a linguistic judgment. We rank certain speech patterns as better or worse because we recognize that they are used by groups that we also rank….However, this form of speech has become in indicator of low social rank. We
Termed by Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers, mitigated speech refers to the exercise of minimizing the harshness of expression, and differ in an array of power distance cultures. There are levels in mitigated speech that range from issuing a command with no use of mitigation to offering a hint using mitigation to its fullest potential. For example, two friends in a car are travelling and approach a pothole, the passenger uses non mitigated speech to command his friend to switch lanes immediately. Whereas, if the passenger uses mitigated language, “Oh boy, that pothole up ahead looks like a mean one.” to merely suggest the pothole’s existence. The best time to use mitigated speech would be to soften language when giving bad news, or being supportive to the adolescent.
Our schools are full of a variety of children who are diverse in their own ways. What comes to mind when you hear the word diversity within schools? Many people think of race or culture, but diversity in our schools is more than that. Diversity can include race, religion, culture, and even learning styles in a classroom. In the past classrooms where not that diverse consisting of white protestant students. Currently diversity in classrooms is on the rise big time. Today’s classrooms are more effective in diversity, learning styles, and influences than past years.
At UC-Berkeley, the course description for "Politics and Poetics" (Fall Course 2002) stated that "conservative thinkers are encouraged to seek other sections." (SAF 1). Though the instructor later apologized for the description, this is the sort of encouragement conservative-minded students are greeted with many times during their college experience. It is said that in class, students are taught that their country -- and Western culture in general -- is tainted by racism, sexism, and oppression (Stearn 2).
U.S. schools and colleges vary from numerous points of view. Some are open, others are independently employed individual; some are huge urban colleges, some are two-yr. group universities, others little rustic grounds. Some offer alumna and expert political stage, others point of convergence basically on undergrad instruction. Each of our more than 3, 000 schools and colleges has its particular and dissimilar mission. This aggregate differing qualities around organizations is one of the extraordinary strength of America's higher instruction framework, and has helped make it the best in the people. Protecting that assorted qualities is key on the off chance that we plan to serve the needs of our just social order.
In America there are many people who don't practice polite speech, but are still plenty successful, but when I say this it's really about some people in the one percent of America. I remember when Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were running for president and Hillary would open a debate with “How’s everyone doing”, occasionally switching it up to “Welcome to the debate”. Trump on the other hand would just immediately hop right into the topic, and that drove people just like the anthropologist absolutely crazy. After the election, or the day after they would sit and argue with each other on the news saying stuff like, “He is the first nominee to ever casually talk to America, and at times it seems as if he doesn't care”. At the same time they would sing their praises to Hillary stating how, “As opposed to Trump it seems like she has been here before,” and boisterous things like, “It's become appallingly obvious that we will have our first female president”. Sounds like Hillary was gonna win the election doesn't it. Not so fast. The election of Trump demonstrates that polite speech has already lost much of its face value, because if someone like Trump can get elected, to the most power position in the world, all without using it, what is it really for.
Firstly, it will avoid you to be misunderstood by other people. In other word, you want to avoid being seen as a thoughtless, stupid or non-intellectual person. I know that many of you will not agree with me on this one. But
The thing is that Crowell and Moto are coming from two different cultures. American culture is a low context culture, where people spell things out and where communication is explicit. Japanese culture is a high context culture. In such a culture many things are not discussed but assumed, and the communication is implicit.