After reading these three articles my first thought was African Americans are not the only individuals who are concerned with how they speak. What about people who live in the South. I have spent my whole life trying to overcome my Southern drawl. I grew up in a small, rural community. The words ain’t, ya’ll, and do you reckon are implanted in your mind at birth. Even as a child I didn’t use these words. I did my best to speak correctly. Somehow it didn’t matter. When we traveled north to visit family someone always made fun of my accent. I’ll be honest I felt dumb and self-conscious. Even as an adult I still encounter such instances. My husband’s family is from St. Louis. My brother-in-law always speaks to me using a fake southern drawl. My sister-in-law always jokes wanting to know how many syllables I add to words. I know they are joking but it still makes me feel self-conscious. I find myself rehearsing what I am going to say before speaking to my in-laws. When I return home though I can be myself and speak with ease.
Just like the children in the articles I have learned to code switch. I imagine at some point all adults code switch. We are more careful with our choice of words when interviewing or when speaking with an authority figure than we are when speaking with friends.
I don’t believe the mom in the Ovuh Dyuh article was wrong for wanting her daughter to be grammatically correct when speaking. She only wanted what she believed was best for her daughter. She didn’t want her daughter to be judged. What I don’t understand is why she wanted her to sound “white.” That implies that all white people speak correctly and African Americans do not. Michelle Obama made the comment in her article that she was told as a child, “You talk like a white girl.” She replied, “I don’t even know what that means but I am still getting my A.” I do believe teaching children to speak grammatically correct is necessary in our society. However, using correct grammar should not be considered a black or white quality.
Pam Aubuchon
Comments (2)
I completely agree with all that you said in you response to this weeks reading. What makes the “white way” the right way? That implies all others speak wrong, regardless of whether they are African American, or any other nationality. I have spent most of my life being teased about my southern drawl. In college I was even told by one of my professors I would never get a job because of the way I talk; that I needed to hire a speech coach to help me learn to speak correctly. I was devastated. Well she was wrong, I was hired right after graduation and I have never had a problem with it. I can code switch when it is appropriate and be myself too.
Our students do respond when we can carry on a conversation with them without correcting them when they talk to us like they do with their friends. I think they should have that liberty but know that when doing school work and during discussions in class they are expected to use correct English and grammar.
Posted by Tracy Icenhour | June 6, 2010 9:15 PM
Posted on June 6, 2010 21:15
I am a code switcher too. I almost feel like an actress sometimes. I am glad your professor was wrong. Reading these articles made me feel very judgmental. I am going to make a serious effort to overcome biases and focus on what is being said more than how it is being said.
Posted by Carol Sherrill | June 7, 2010 12:04 PM
Posted on June 7, 2010 12:04