Here is a bad idea about writing that really affects America and causes discrimination upon some millions of Americans til this day. The belief of “There is One Correct Way of Writing and Speaking” is a myth that has ruined families, lives, and opportunities around America easily. Living in the United States of America the most dominant language is English followed by many other languages, but Americans are automatically subjected to speak English fluently or they will be looked at as less of American as if they don’t belong in this country. Most high-class or even middle-class Americans believe that English is the only correct way of speaking or writing and that English should be the only language used in America but that’s not true at all.That belief has caused discrimination amongst minorities , lower-class people and students.
Now here’s a better idea although English is the most dominant language in America other forms of communication should be allowed as well. The way people communicate with family, friends, and other students in the comforts and privacy of their homes where they may use “slang” or a language that is native to their culture shouldn’t be considered as “wrong”. A person should not be looked over just because of a person not speaking “correct” English. That should not dim their light.
Discrimination at First Sound
In this article Anjali Pattanayak argues that “There is One Correct Way of Writing and Speaking” is a myth and how this type of discrimination has corrupted America for years. Pattanayak is a minority and speaks for the minorities to shed light on lower-class individuals’ point of view of life where they are constantly discriminated against because of this myth. She explains that there is not one type of way of writing and speaking for those who are influenced by different backgrounds and upbringings. She gives examples of how people who do not speak proper English are looked upon and how others of a higher class or higher authority would not understand the languages minorities and lower-class individuals would use in their culture is also a correct way of writing a speaking depending on the time, place, and audience.
Middle-Class Enterprise
Lynn Z. Bloom, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor and holder of the Aetna Chair of Writing at the University of Connecticut articulate the ways in which the cultural values of the middle class are being taught in the writing classroom as objectively good or true and the impact of this mentality. Bloom states in her article “Freshman Composition as a Middle-Class Enterprise” that “Literacy is taken for granted; it sustains the ability to read and write well enough to function as a parent, a good citizen, a wise consumer, a capable employee, and more. We teach students that writing conveys power and authority. We teach them that it is the writer’s responsibility to control the language and consequently its message and its effect on the audience, lest that authority be dissipated.” Literacy is a very important and is used daily to communicate and yes English should be spoken articulately everyone does not have the opportunity to go to school to come across the article. Some lower-class people do not have the support at home to go to school to learn proper English or to even take Freshman Composition in school. Yet and still a person that did not have the chance to learn how to speak proper English still is able to be a great parent, citizen, capable employee and more.
Students Rights to Their Own Language.
Editors Austin Jackson, David E. Kirkland, and Staci Perryman-Clark compile short articles for and against the resolution called “Students’ Right to Their Own Language. “In 1974, the Conference for College Composition and Communication passed the resolution Students’ Right to Their Own Language. In this time since it passed, there has been a great deal of discussion around the wisdom of that resolution.” “The Conference on College Composition and Communication first adopted a statement affirming students’ right to “their own patterns and varieties of language. The dialects of their nurture or whatever dialects in which they find their own identity and style.” Literacy and education are not only for middle class or high-class people. Students speak and communicate with each other using “slang” and other forms of English which is their own language but that does not mean they are illiterate. Students having a right to their own language was created for the culture and just for the sake of being young but yet inspired as a student. It gives students something to stand on to let them know they have a place and say so in this country and they will not be ridiculed for the way that they speak. Students having their own language also helps teachers understand and connect with their students to build everlasting relationships with one another.
In Conclusion
So, to answer the question of if there is not one correct way of speaking and writing? The answer is No, as stated previously, there are many ways to communicate for all people minorities, middle-class, lower-class, students and etc. Some may not speak proper English, but it is still a form of communication and is not wrong. To judge people based on the way they speak is discrimination and to believe there is only one correct way of writing and speaking is simply absurd. English is the language we speak but it is not the only language we communicate in. As we go older and time moves on different languages and ways people communicate increases. In 2019 the usual isn’t usual anymore.
References:
Pattanyak,Analji. “There is One Correct Way of Writing and Speaking.” Bad Ideas About Writing, Cheryl E. Ball & Drew M. Loewe. 2017.Digital Publishing Institute, textbooks.lib.wvu.edu/badideas/badideasaboutwriting-book.pdf.
Bloom, Lynn Z. “Freshman Composition as a Middle-Class Enterprise.” College English, Vol. 58, No. 6 (Oct., 1996), pp. 654-675, National Council of Teachers of English, http://www.jstor.org/stable/378392.
Fournel, Jenna. ” Students’ Right to Their Own Language.” National Council of Teachers of English.Jenna Fournel Publisher, 19 March 2015. Web.