Language is powerful. In reading these articles, it was interesting to see the different ways the language affects people. Unfortunately, many people view language as being either: right or wrong, even black or white. These articles made me think of the teaching profession. Everyday teachers are mediators. They work to help children sees our differences as positive attributes. We want students to learn embrace these differences and learn from each other’s cultures. Educators do not want our next generation of leaders get comfortable developing culture biases. As I was reading Delpit’s “No Kinda Sense”, I found Lisa Delpit’s reaction to her daughter’s new language very interesting. I found myself wondering, does anyone truly know why these intense feelings arise, even from the lips of your daughter? What causes this?
After reading Dowdy’s “Ovuh Dyuh” and seeing that language was again a crucial factor. Dowdy’s mastery of the British English language seemed to be much like a double-edged sword. She had done exactly as her family wished but language was hindering her from developing close relationships with her peers. I also see this happening within my school. I have several ESL students who have difficulty with the English language. When these students speak in their native language, I have heard other English speaking students say negative comments like, “Why aren’t you talking in English?”, “You sound weird”, “Can’t you speak English like everybody else?” I know that many students hear these negative comments from their parents and this affects students’ own opinions and biases. I realize that dialect and second languages are different but to me it still relates because they can both demonstrate the power of language.
Michelle Obama’s discussion of how language caused ridicule for her as a child was very similar to Dowdy’s description. When Mrs. Obama stated that other children told her that she “sounded white”, she confessed that she did not know what that meant. I believe that many people today and in the past have had difficulty determining what exactly that means. Language is and has been a touchy subject for many people for a long time. The roots of this subject are deep. Perhaps so deep, that many people are unable to give a clear reason for their feelings of animosity towards differences in language?
Stacy Durham
Comments (4)
It's interesting that you questioned the intense feelings about language. Maybe the feelings stem from the way we were raised. I was expected to speak grammatically correct growing up, but I'm not sure if I ever caught on 100%. For example, I was corrected if I used the word "ain't". Now I find myself thinking of the correct word if I hear someone use an incorrect verb tense or some other word. I'm secretly correctly them "in my mind".
Posted by Carol Holt | June 6, 2011 6:56 PM
Posted on June 6, 2011 18:56
Mentioning the Delpit article, I found it interesting that her daughter so easily reacted to her mother's inquisitiveness by stating she had successfully code-switched in order to relate to her African-American peers while maintaining and rising to the level of expectations from her parents and society. For a child to be able to distinguish this suggests that they do listen when we think they aren't, and it backs up the importance for us to model and be accepting of who they are no matter what. This demonstrates to them that we as teachers are interested in who they really are, and while doing so, we are able to build their self-confidence along with their friends and guide them to success while instructing them in the standard language without offending them. Sometimes, I don't think we realize just how touchy language is until it is brought to our attention, which has been done through these articles and video.
Posted by Melissa Riley | June 6, 2011 9:12 PM
Posted on June 6, 2011 21:12
Stacy,
Like Carol, it was interesting to reflect on your thoughts about peoples inability to clearly state why they may feel negatively towards differences in languages. I feel that the roots of this subject do run very deep and the issues surrounding it are very much the 'elephant in the room' that we find uncomfortable to talk about.
I think it is also because there are so many strands connected to the issue of language. It is tied up with our upbringing, our cultural experiences and references, our family role models and much more. It is difficult to separate it all out, examine ourselves and consider how we truly feel about just the language a person uses.
The issue is made all the more complex because we are educators who know the importance of valuing private and public languages in our classrooms and also the importance of code switching. However, we live in a society that continues to perpetuate the notion that standard english equals greater intelligence than other 'languages' we choose to use.
Posted by Karen Massey-Cerda | June 6, 2011 11:40 PM
Posted on June 6, 2011 23:40
You raise some important points here, Stacy! I especially appreciated the anecdote that you included regarding the students in your classroom reacting to non-native speakers of English. It made me think how I might react if someone said that any part of my identity was "weird" or "funny" or "wrong." Language is such an important part of identity and you really capture that intricacy in your post.
Posted by Dr. Jackson | June 9, 2011 9:41 AM
Posted on June 9, 2011 09:41