I think that Joanne Dowdey's description of the linguistic tension she experienced as an African American trying to climb the ladder of success in a white world is more common than some may imagine. She speaks about the conflict between her inner language (the Trinidadian that her friends were able to speak freely) and the standard English that her mother and teachers urged and expected her to speak in public due to her status of being someone who was striving to become successful in the society in which she lived. This conflict developed into a form of bondage that sometimes prevented her from expressing her innermost thoughts, desires, and the person who she really was on the inside.
Since the inner language she was trained to suppress and avoid was ingrained in her and part of her identity, I can understand why she felt liberated when she rebelled against the system that enslaved her mind, showed off her African heritage, and began switching her speech patterns from Trinidadian to standard English to blend in with any group of people in her environment. The following quote illustrates the sense of freedom she felt as a result of her acceptance of her own identity: "The chains fell from around my tongue, and my brain began to feel as if it were oiled and moving along without hiccups... I could travel up and down the continental shift, moving from Caribbean to English intonations, without anyone being offended. " (pg. 10).
Personally, I think the ability to code switch, fluently switch from one style of speaking to another, is a gift that should not be suppressed but encouraged. Reading about Joanne Dowdy's agility with code switching reminds me of a conversation I had a few months ago with my 15 year old son who was conversing with me in language that contained a few standard English errors that I knew he knew better than to use. When I brought his error to his attention, his response to me was that he talks standard English when he has to, but doesn't feel the need to say everything proper at home. I have to admit, I don't always speak in standard English at home so I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. For me, Dowdy's chapter has given validity to what my son told me. In other words, if the child has learned standard English, it is OK for him/her to speak the informal language he/she is comfortable with around family and friends; but he/she should always be prepared to switch to standard English when it is appropriate.
In regards to Ernie Smith's chapter, I wondered about a few things as I read it. What form of English did his peers speak at the school in South Central LA? Since the school was predominantly black, how different was Ernie's language from the other children? Did he live in the rural south before coming to LA and sound strange to the other children because he was speaking a form of southern Ebonics that his peers and teachers were not use to hearing? Or did he actually have some kind of childhood/ adolescent speech impediment that truly required some kind of speech therapy? It would have been helpful if he was able to include examples of his childhood speech patterns to illustrate the language that so many people, black and white, labeled as being inadequate.
However, his accomplishments in life are proof that he did not have a mental disorder or low intelligence as some suggested. His story makes me wonder how many other children are experiencing similar negative learning experiences due to their language differences. Like Ernie, there is no telling how many of these children possess hidden genius, but need to feel accepted and receive the right kind of instruction to bring their genius to life.
Victoria Howell
Comments (2)
Danielle Griffin:
Vickie, I agree that the situation Joanne faced is shared with many people of different races-many African-America as well as other races. Many times people think that once children learn grammar then they are able to speak proper. I am not sure that this is always the case. If a child has been raised in a community and home, where everyone speaks, what some would label broken English, who is to say that once that child goes to school and learn the correct grammar that he will be able speak Standard English all the time. You take someone that is a teenager and all he/she knows is the way language is used in his family. It would be difficult for that person to adapt to what is being taught. Being that English or language arts are not a major part of the curriculum anymore, children learn what is taught in their homes.
Children do not know how to code switch because they only know what they learn at home. Learning Standard English only comes automatic if it used in the home environment, community, and taught in school. If children do not understand that their way of speaking is incorrect, why should they be mistreated because of it? Your son understands the meaning of code switching. I think your conversation with him was interesting. I must say that I also code switch as many people do. Not that I talk a totally different way at home, but when I am on the phone with family and friends or in the presence of my family I do not always speak Standard English or say words exactly as I would when I converse with a colleague.
It is difficult to think that children who do not have high verbal language skills or demonstrate low expressive language skills are sometimes deemed unintelligent. Many times those children have high aptitudes and are very knowledgeable, but have difficulty expressing themselves because of the lack of language used in their environment outside of school. Being that I am a special education teacher, I hate it when a child is placed and the school does not look at the whole picture (academics, social development, language development, home environment, etc.). The majority of the time, all we do as a system see is low-test scores and that they meet eligibility to be placed in special programs when they do not have significant deficits, just language that has been undeveloped or not learned.
Posted by Danielle Griffin | May 23, 2007 10:29 PM
Posted on May 23, 2007 22:29
I loved Victoria’s open and honest statements about the conversation she had with her son concerning code switching. I feel being able to code switch means you have fully grasped the concept of speaking different forms of the same language. I switch between my formal English and less formal English even at work. I will often see a past student in the hallway and speak to them and most of the time I use a more informal language then anything else. This morning I saw a student and I told him, “You better get to class.” If I were in my classroom I would have slowed it down and added more words so it would have been, “You had better go to class before the tardy bell rings.” But, this was an informal situation, so I felt it was fine to speak a little less formally. I think one of the hardest parts about code switching and Standard English is teaching a child when each is appropriate. I will probably fall out laughing if I heard some of my kindergartners speaking Standard English to their parents. I am sure none of them ask their mother, “Mother, may I please have a glass of juice?” on a regular basis.
I also had the same question about Ernie Smith’s dialect. I took it to mean he had come from the south, meaning south eastern U.S., but now I wonder, did it mean south L.A. or California in general? It amazed me that even though he was speaking a different dialect, a group of people speaking another non-standard English dialect would not be more supportive of him. I guess we all think the way we speak is right regardless of how close or far it is from Standard English.
Posted by Lisa Outland | May 24, 2007 4:15 PM
Posted on May 24, 2007 16:15