Arsenio jordan
dec 14 2011
When the semester first began and we started our intro to language course I had many assumptions about language that was more than likely false. I believe this is because the closest I have ever been to studying language was an English class. I never had the chance to actually look at language as a whole and discuss it from a linguistic point of view. There were topics in this course that I had never heard about before like language planning and phonetic transcription, There were also topics that I had learned way back in grade school that I thought I would never see again such as synonyms and antonyms. I would have never known that I would be reunited with those topics my first year of college. Naturally I thought I knew everything there was to know about language and I assumed a lot of things. Thankfully I was introduced to the text Intro To Language By George Yule. In the text The Study of Language By George Yule there are detailed chapters full of Yule's break down of what language really is and where it comes from. He tackles many of society’s assumptions toward language and proofs their negative views to be false. I will use Intro To Language to explain how the assumptions I made at the beginning of class was not exactly the case as far as language is concerned.
One of the assumptions that I had when we first started our intro to language course was that E-Ebonics is not a language. For the longest I have been told my parents as well as society that the use of E-Ebonics was not proper or that it is a bad language. They would say things like “ that is not the proper way to talk”. Lots of times when I used to blast my rap music my mother would come in my room and say something like “ I don't understand what they are saying turn that down”. As I got older It made me feel bad when I spoke this way and even kind of dumb so I would try so hard to break away from this way of speaking. I even went as far as associating myself with peers that did not speak this way so it had an impact on my previous friendships. Although that was my decision not my parents. When I speak E-Ebonics I have a tendency to pronounce words such as “ that” as “dat”. I naturally ignore the theta sound and I replace it with the [d] sound. I also use double negatives when I speak. A good example of that would be when I use the word ain't verbally which would sound like “ I ain't no idiot”. According to yule “ There is nothing inherently illogical about these structures” (Yule 262). Ebonics is worth the same analysis as any other language and can indeed be studied as well as be understood. However it is considered to be a covert prestigious which means that it only holds positive value with lower class speakers. In the text The Study of Language George Yule explains what covert prestige is when he states “ it is the hidden pattern of a speech style as having positive value” (Yule 258). E-Ebonics falls under this category because it is favored mostly by young speakers who were brought up among the low class speakers. It is viewed by the rest of the population as low class vernacular but the actual speakers see it as a prestige in terms of their environment. In other words it is popular only within the urban areas. So Ebonics is a language. it is just not associated with the higher class of individuals. I Don't fault my parents for wanting me to speak like an educated young man because it opens more doors for you than Ebonics could ever do. Although I will not abandon Ebonics or slang because it is naturally a part of me and the areas I grew up in. I just know when and when not to speak it.
Another assumption that I had about language before taking this class was that languages could last forever. I suppose it was quite silly of me to believe that but I look at English and I could never see it ever being in danger of dying. I had no idea that languages were and still are constantly dying everyday. During history actual wars have broken out over language. According to the text The study of language these wars were fought because the government of different countries used language planning to take away the language of a culture living within that area. The people were no longer able to use their language and had to adapt and speak only the language government chooses as a standard. For an example According to Yule “There were National Language Wars in the Philippines before different groups could agree on the name of the national language Filipino)” (Yule 246). The government of some countries made it extremely difficult and near impossible for speakers of a certain culture to use their own language. It would later then result in violent activities such as riots and erupt into war.
Since I have taken this Intro to language class My assumptions towards E-Bonics not being a language have changed. Yule has provided me with enough facts to understand that Ebonics is not improper or abnormal. I think this new understanding will allow me to actually feel better about being myself. Often society will encourage you to follow their way and their rules because the way you do things is not popular. After taking this class I realize that when I choose to speak Ebonics it does not mean I am not educated. It is merely just using another language to communicate with a certain group. I feel that I can actually speak with people who are not very fond of Ebonics and use it while explaining that it is actually a language. This class has given me the opportunity to not pick a side and to actually be a part of an audience that discusses the many features of languages. I think I would even like to teach certain aspects of linguistics especially along the lines of slang and what it truly means versus what society assumes it to be. My eyes have become more wider to the idea that language cannot just be defined as a form of communication but as many other things, including the right as a human being to posses it. More than anything this class has made me feel more confident in speaking with others.
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