February 1, 2001 Standard English: How Important is it? The Oaks discussion raised several interesting question about Standard English and the apparent "dialect barrier" in the United States. Exactly how prevalent this is, I don't know. I do know that I grew up in Arkansas, where we speak our own dialect. My roommate has even admitted to me that when she found out she had a roommate from Arkansas, she thought, "Great, we're getting a hick." This response makes me very curious about why people who speak differently, who perhaps have a lazy tongue or use "ya'll" instead of "you" and say "fixin' to" for "getting ready to" would ever be considered stupid. Not only that, but here is one student already considering another student inferior, in spite of the fact that both were accepted to the same university. The bias of such a subconsciously made decision is amusing as well as alarming. Now, in my case, it's not such a big deal. I am aware of when I use non-Standard English, and usually I do use it, simply because it is a part of who I am, it defines me. However, I don't have to use it. I don't use it when I write. I don't use it in an interview or when I'm stressed, because then I switch to my formal speech. However, first I had to be made aware that there was even a difference between my colloquial speech and Standard English. Because speech comes so easily, I never realized as a child that the words I used did not exist in English, or if they did not exist, that I even used them. (Of course the same went for the Spanish words my parents incorporated into our vocabulary--I never realized they weren't English!) Is it wrong to use such words and incorrect language? No. I think it is important for a child to become aware at some point in time (the earlier, the better) that the language he or she uses in not formal English (rather than Standard English), but that it's fine to use it, in the home or with friends and family. Much more important that teaching Standard English and trying to eradicate dialects is teaching people not to be biased, not to make judgments about other people. Preconceived notions about people and language are what keep non-Standard English speakers labeled dumb, not the fact that they use a different dialect. |