The document discusses language and dialects. It begins by explaining that the way people speak can reveal aspects of their culture and background, similar to how a license provides information. It then discusses the essays "From Outside, In" and "If Black English Isn't a Language Then Tell Me, What Is?" which argue that the way one speaks is a form of cultural identity. The document notes debates around the terms "black English" and "standard English" and finds splitting English into categories to be ridiculous. It concludes that learning a new language can be valid for expanding knowledge but not due to fear of ridicule, as language is tied to assumptions of culture and identity.
1. Black English Essay example
"Black English" Another Way to Classify Humans
"To open your mouth В… You have confessed your parents, your youth, your school, your salary,
your self–esteem, and alas, your future ". After reading the two essays, "From Outside, In" by
Barbara Mellix and "If Black English Isn't a Language Then Tell Me, What Is?" by James Balwin,
I came to realize a few things one of them being that the way we speak, is a means of identifying
somebody's culture and background. Much in how a license can tell a person your name, age, were
you live etc. a person can tell your race, what kind of education you have and were you are going in
life just by hearing you talk.
When slavery began, a time in human history that I assume many people would rather...show more
content...
She would never make me feel "shame" or any less because I was being myself. It must have been
hard on Mellix to be told that your language and the language of your forefathers was not "proper"
by you own mother.
I believe that learning a language is fine for the right reasons. Expanding your knowledge or
going to a different country, these are both legitimate reasons to learn a language. Learning a
language because you will be ridiculed is not a proper reason. As Fanon stated in Mellix's essay
to speak is, "В…above all to assume a culture, to support the weight of a civilization2". So what
Fanon suggest is that when you take on a language it is to become part of the culture almost to
change your identity, and I agree with that. I find when I meet somebody who can speak multiple
languages I look at them with more respect than I would if they only spoke one. Not to say I
would look down on a person who only speaks one language, I just find it admirable for somebody
who would take the time to learn a new language.
Throughout this essay you may have noticed quotations around the terms "black English" and
"standard English". This is because I find it ridiculous to split English into two categories. When an
Australian speaks and we find it hard to understand them we don't call it "aussie English", or when a
person from England comes and we find their English hard to understand we don't call there
language "brit English". You see
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2. Standard English Essay
The question to ask is: 'Why not use Standard English all the time?'
Language is a powerful communication tool the user holds to express their individual identity and
ingroup solidarity. The use of Standard English helps to direct this, as it acts as the structure of
communication, ingroup and between speech communities to effectively present a standard for
mutual understanding. Outside of Standard English comes the use of slang, netspeak and textspeak,
which helps to develop and enrich the language, as well as evolve with contemporary Australia and
its fast paced lifestyle. Using the Standard all the time would be exclusive of the linguistic freedom
formed by the world beyond Standard English with varying ethnolects, but is also a...show more
content...
Other forms of the English language are developed from speech communities with an intention, for
efficiency and to show inclusion, and to exclude others. It also helps to convey a specific identity of
the speaker, with the use of syntactic and phonological differences from Standard English. These
modifications form non–standard dialects, transferring the speaker's cultural background and
language to provide a better perception and reflection of identity. The falling intonation accompanied
with interrogatives in the Asian ethnolect, such as 'Gravy?', is the opposite of the rising intonation
used for the same purpose by Australians, and can quickly cause conflict between the two
communities due to the missing benchmark in language. Pronoun deletion in 'No like' ('I don't like
it') is a feature of many ethnolects (Greek, Aboriginal English), and is differing from the Standard,
yet still helps to get the message across. Ethnolects develop from Standard English, and helps to
express a user's identity through their language use and in–group solidarity within the speech
community.
There are a range of English varieties which are different from the Standard, developed from
communities of speakers all sharing the same use of language. Aboriginal English, a dialect of
Australian English, remains a lingua franca for their speakers, used as a common language to
communicate between tribes for mutual
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3. American English Essays
The question of whether or not English should be an official language has been a controversial topic
since our country was founded. The English language is a tie that helps combine the many pieces of
our society together. Our nation should not acclaim bilingualism, but should enfold English as the
national language spoken in the United States, to secure the future unity of our nation.
The United States is a nation composed of many immigrants from all around the world. We are a
country of many cultural and racial ethnic groups that are constantly reacting to shape the American
culture. The English language binds and unites immigrants with native– born Americans. English
allows us to communicate with each other and discuss each...show more content...
It is starting to become the international language as well. Speaking one language helps the ability of
all backgrounds to communicate with one another. With so much diversity in the United States, we
need something that joins us together. To speak a language that is used by the world, will help all
Americans. English is the common bond of our community, and understanding it is the only way a
citizen will be able to fully participate in democracy, business, and education. It is the language of
international relations, as well as the language of our historical documents, of communication and of
safety. By making English the official language, it will help to bring together Americans, not propel
them farther apart.
Many Americans are composed of Hispanic origin. With such a great number of the population
speaking a second language, bilingualism will more than likely become an even more common
occurrence in many states, in the future. This thought strongly associates with the job market of the
United States. The second generation is becoming more bilingual, using one language for their home
and the other for business. Workers are going to have to be able to communicate with one another to
get the job done. Should native– born American employees learn to speak Spanish to communicate
with other fellow employees? My answer would have to be, no. A system that accommodates
immigrants in their native languages removes the
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4. Essay on English Language Learner
Schools in the United States of America (USA) are facing many challenges, because of the
increasing numbers of the English Language Learner (ELL) students. School administrators are
trying hard to provide an equal opportunity education to their students. Furthermore, educators are
looking forward in providing several methods and technique to help their students to succeed in their
academic learning skills. There are many factors that need to focus on and it can be the fundamental
when trying to build powerful resolutions, such as parents and community resources, social
influences, native language, etc.
ELL Families and Schools
Teaching is a call, where teachers need to have an understanding about each individual student's
cultural...show more content...
By allowing the ELL students to use their native and their second language in reading, and writing it
will make them move along this new process. Reading and writing experience should be context
related and meaningful in order for them to be effective in their learning, even though, they can
transfer the literacy skills that they have obtained in their native language towards their second
language while they are exposed to more learning experiences.
Many challenges are faced by the ELL students and their families by being in a new environment,
such as a new language, school, food, beliefs, life style, etc., where they feel that they need to deviate
from their home language and their culture, absolutely not, they need to be conceited, revered,
treasured. In this matter, our role as educators is to be prepared to work effectively with families
(Katz & Bauch, n.d., p. 189), in providing the effective support, and assistant with the full
understanding of the new changes in their new environments. On the other hand, social cultural
pressure could be increased if students do not have another native individual to relate to; students
need to have a teacher who will assist and guide them in learning new a language; without allowing
them to lose their cultural identity.
Fund of Knowledge for Teaching (FKT) created for teachers, anthropologists, and teacher educators
to gain more knowledge about their students' community experiences, and curricula
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5. The Power of Language Essay examples
The Power of Language Language plays an important role in communication by bringing people
together and enriching their relationships. Language can also alienate those who do not speak it
properly, or at all, from those who do. The essays, Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan, best known for
her book, The Joy Luck Club, and Se Habla Espanol, by Tanya Barrientos, delve into the many
powers that language holds. These essays reflect how by not speaking a language in proper form
and by not speaking a language at all, affects the lives of the subjects of the stories. People who can
speak a certain language, but only in 'broken' form, are generally looked down upon by native
language speakers. In her writing, Mother Tongue, Amy Tan writes about her
...show more content...
However, many Hispanic families were and in some cases, still are viewed as lower–class citizens.
According to Barrientos, "To me, speaking Spanish translated into being poor. It meant waiting
tables and cleaning hotel rooms. It meant being left off the cheerleading squad and receiving a
condescending smile from the guidance counselor when you said you planned on becoming a
lawyer or a doctor" (561). They are not respected in a lot of communities, they live dirty, and they
have bad jobs. These stereotypes are reasons why Barrientos did not want to be called Mexican
and never wanted to learn Spanish. If diversity had been celebrated when Barrientos was a child,
as it is celebrated and honored now, she would have grown up speaking Spanish and being proud of
her heritage. Children are very impressionable and tend to take on others' opinions as their own, but
as they grow older, they develop a greater understanding and perspective of the way things are and
the way they should be. As adults, both Tan and Barrientos learned to accept and embrace the
languages that previously embarrassed them. Barrientos immersed herself in her Mexican heritage
and enrolled in many Spanish classes. With each enrollment, she faced yet another stereotype that
came with being of Mexican ethnicity; her instructors thought she should already know Spanish
since she was Latina. Barrientos is now determined to learn her native language. Tan has learned to
love the way in
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6. English Class Reflective Essay
Since beginning to write papers in English class, I have had countless successes and failures.
While many of my English classes have taught me how to improve my writing, I have not learned
very much in others. My most recent English class was last year, my sophomore year. My class
was particularly undersized; therefore, it gave each student the opportunity to have additional
individual attention. Throughout the class I experienced high points, weaknesses, and even
difficulties that I never overcame. Overall, my writing skills improved, but only marginally. One
of the high points of the class was consistently making high A's. We wrote a variety of different
types of papers, and my grade was always respectable. Succeeding in this class made me feel
adequately prepared to write proper papers. Although I made impressive grades for the class, I
was able to do so with only minimal effort. Therefore, I knew I could execute my papers better.
The quality of my writing seemed to stay stagnant over the course of the year. This class would
have been exponentially more beneficial had it challenged me to improve my writing, however it
never did. Although I was not overly challenged in my last English class, I have several weaknesses
as a writer. My biggest weakness is neglecting to ask important questions that could improve my
writing. Receiving...show more content...
One of the most problematic difficulties I faced and am still facing is self–revision. When writing a
paper, it is extremely important to revise your essay multiple times before submitting the final
version. Every revision helps to build a more polished essay. I feel that my paper fails to progress
enough from the rough draft to the final. To fix this, I need to give myself longer breaks between
revising. Becoming skilled at revising my own papers will allow me to develop into a more
competent, successful
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7. Examples Of Discursive Essay
Discursive Essay Basics
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Introduce the topic. Give some background about the situation in your country/area. Then mention
the possible reasons for the situation.
Crime is one of the most important issues ...
In the last few years, crime has been going up/down.
The most common crimes are ...
The most worrying trend is the increase in ...
One of the reasons for this is possibly the fact that unemployment has risen ...
Another reason is that...
Note: if you are 'for' something, put the arguments 'against' first. If you are 'against' something, put
the arguments 'for' first.
Paragraph 2: A list of arguments 'for7
Express the attitudes and reasons to support this point of view. Provide examples and facts where
possible. (see Style below)...show more content...
Provide examples and facts where possible. (see Style below)
Paragraph 4: Conclusion
Finally, give your own personal opinion about the topic.
In my opinion. ... /All things considered. I believe that...
Style
In a discursive essay it is important to list the points of view of both sides of an argument as
objectively as possible. Only in the conclusion can you express your own point of view. Notice the
use of report structures (e.g. feel that), passives and formal linkers (e.g. moreover, furthermore) in
the sentences below.
Listing arguments:
Many people feel that harder sentences should be brought back.
The American system of 'three strikes and out' has supporters in Britain.
Moreover, some people say that conditions in prisons are too soft.
There are arguments for the restoration of the death penalty.
The wishes of victims' family and friends possibly need to be taken into account.
There are arguments against harder sentences and capital punishment
One of the arguments against longer prison sentence is that the prisons are already full.
Other people disagree and think that prisons should reform