This is a great post about language on one of my favorite blogs ever. It points out that each dialect (which includes all forms of slang, "spanglish", etc) has it's own grammar. This makes sense, because if a dialect didn't have it's own form of grammar, then nobody would understand it. However, people do understand different dialects, so why do we consider them to be less legitimate then ours? People often get irritated when people (who tend to be uneducated, poor, or both) use "bad grammar". But is there such a thing as bad grammar? Obviously this form of language has a grammar, because otherwise nobody would understand it.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Response to ETM- "Bad Writing"
While Ed points out that eloquent, verbose language can certainly be "bad writing", I would also like to challenge the notion that one must have a good handle on the "rules of grammar" to be a good writer. I believe that language is created by humans; therefore, there is no wrong way to speak. There are many different dialects in the world, and speaking in professional jargon is really just another dialect, and it is no better or worse than slang, which is another dialect. Each human has a way of expressing him or herself through words. The rules of language are constantly changing and evolving. How can anybody police the way somebody else uses language? This is a kind of elitism, to assume that our way of using language is the best. However, I do realize that we need a basic common ground for grammar in order to understand one another. But there is a fine line (though I will admit I'm not entirely sure where that line is!) between enforcing a common ground and enforcing a specific dialect that one believes to be the "right" way of speaking.
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I haven't read Ed's post yet, but I can see where he's coming from. In our society, intelligence, wealth, and proper speech are all correlated. Slag is more widely used among less wealthy people and in the city.
ReplyDeleteThe way we speak effects other's opinions of us. Look at Obama for example, he is such a good writer. Do you think he, would be in office today if he used slag terms. "Dat,” “yo,” an’ “'ight," ain't that attractive. (This may or may not have been one of his arguments).
I'm not the best writer in the world, so I shouldn't be talking. Yet, there is a difference between the occasional pronoun error or a slightly misspelled word and using double negatives or using the wrong there/their/they’re .
That argument is elitist and classist. As I said, every dialect has it's own grammar and, if you don't respect people for the way they talk, then that is a prejudice.
ReplyDeleteWhether it's predujudice or not, it's the way our society is and the way we view people. In all seriousness, if you were a manager highering for a corperate company, would you be more likly to hire someone who spoke 'correct' english or someone who didn't? There is just as much discrimination in saying that people who speak better english are more likly to get a job as there is in calling me classist and elitist. You are now discriminating against people who are just following the social code.
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