Language is an interesting concept. It can be a uniting factor in a group of people but also a dividing factor. I remember the first time I traveled outside of the southern United States. I went to Washington DC with a group of peers. I noticed quickly that we sometimes received strange stares from people as we conversed. Then, I went on to make the tragic mistake of ordering sweet tea at a local restaurant. It was a unique cultural experience, and it made me realize that people had differences, even those of similar ethnicities, races, backgrounds, religion, and more. Language and dialect are parts of who we are as people.
While reading, I thought of my own experiences with different dialects and languages. Just as in the reading, I had learned to "code switch." I learned to speak standard English in professional settings and keep my "Southern" dialect with family and friends. Although my experiences were not as extreme as working on the streets then gaining professional degrees as in The Skin that We Speak, I knew that I was labeled the moment I opened my mouth using my acquired Southern dialect. Therefore, I was quick to learn standard English before college and scholarship interviews. On p. 10-11, there was a quote that really seemed like a profound realization to me. "I could travel up and down the continental shift, moving from Caribbean to English intonations, without anyone being offended. All the shades of my existence could be called into the performance medium, and I, at last, could feel integrated." It is powerful to hear that someone who has struggled throughout school and life because of misconceptions associated with dialect could successfully balance a new and old identity. I have often considered myself as two different beings in this same way.
Overall, I think the reading showed the difficulty and damage associated with misconceptions and prejudices, especially those with language and dialect. Although we may need a standard way of communicating, it is extremely important that people are allowed to keep their own identity. On p. 13, there were a couple of lines that really provided a main idea for the reading. It said, "The central concern is about having the freedom to go back and forth frm the home language to the public language without feeling a sense of inferiority."
As educators, it is important that we attempt to let go of preconceptions about children or groups of people. A person's background says very little about their intelligence or potential in life. The lesson is that in life or in the microcosms of our classrooms, we should keep an open mind regarding culture, language, and background. Our biases can become self-fulfilling prophecies in the people we come in contact with throughout our personal and professional lives.
Brittany Guy
Comments (5)
Brittany,
I think everyone, in some way or another, learns to "code switch" like you mentioned. We speak much more informally, letting our dialect slip through when we're with our friends & family than when we're in a professional setting. But you're right--language and dialect are part of who we are! It is our identity! So when we code switch, essentially part of our personality is left behind. Think of how much we have missed out on certain students because they have been forced to code switch in our classrooms.
Posted by Christy Rivers | January 23, 2009 6:02 PM
Posted on January 23, 2009 18:02
I had to comment on your post since we seemed to make similar observations about language both dividing and uniting. I, too, grew up in the South and found the need to hide my dialect a bit when I first enrolled in college in Florida. Although Florida seems to be a lot farther south than North Carolina, it seemed everyone I met had a Northern accent. I found myself trying to sound less Southern so that I would not be asked to repeat certain words or expressions. Although I would never say I was ridiculed for my accent, I now realize that I was made to feel uncomfortable enough to actually cause me to change how I spoke. In reality, I was made to feel like I needed to change ME just because I spoke differently.
By no means am I trying to equate my experience with Dowdy and Smith, but as I considered this small portion of my life, I realize again how we do judge each other on the basis of language alone. I am just beginning to understand how much we do communicate "inferiority" when we insist that a person change her language. Is there any wonder certain students struggle in the classroom and ultimately withdraw from the learning process?
Posted by Lisa Rasey | January 26, 2009 12:35 AM
Posted on January 26, 2009 00:35
I completely agree with your final statement regarding the "self-fulfilling prophecy." Even though I have only been teaching for a short time, I have seen the effects of preconceptions on a student's behavior/performance.
Prior to the 2007-2008 school year, my team met with the sixth grade teachers regarding students that we were getting. There were two African-American students, in particular, that two of the teachers spent a great deal of time discussing. I remember hearing phrases like, "Oh, I just knew from the beginning, he was going to be trouble." Well, I tried very hard to ignore their comments, and give these kids a clean slate. Honestly, they ended up being two of my favorites from last year. I am not saying that they never got in trouble, but, honestly, what seventh grader doesn't?
As educators, it is very important to give kids a chance before we make judgements.
Posted by Heather Coe | January 26, 2009 2:37 PM
Posted on January 26, 2009 14:37
I have been reading these comments and I continue to hear that by helping one speak more clearly or gramatically correct that we are stripping them of their identity. But, what happens with a child whom we consider to have a speech impediment? How do we know that that child is not just copying what he hears at home? We sit here and refer countless numbers of children to speech pathologists everyday. Is that wrong? Am I stripping a child of their language when I am helping them annunciate sounds and words correctly? Where do we draw the line? In Dowdy, it focused on annunciation. In Ernie's article, the focus was on a whole different word substitution. So I ask, are any of you all not going to send children to speech anymore? I don't think that we are judging children so much as trying to help them in life. Sure, they can survive speaking Ebonics. They can survive with speech issues, but will their true voice and thoughts ever really be heard?
Whitney
Posted by Whitney Gilbert | January 26, 2009 10:02 PM
Posted on January 26, 2009 22:02
Brittany,
I think your comments on the dangers of stereotyping are very important. I work with practicing teachers, and I hear too many times that they are surprised at how intelligent certain children are even though they live "on that side of town" (or other similar comments -- you get my point). I cringe when I hear those comments because it is exactly what you describe as the "preconceptions about people's backgrounds." I hope someday our society will push against inherited stereotypes to see people for their strengths and not their perceived "deficits" (as defined by white, middle class values).
Posted by Alecia Jackson | January 28, 2009 8:35 PM
Posted on January 28, 2009 20:35