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Julian Johnson

Professor Deanna Murphy

English 101

14 September 2018

I believe we should be able to use other variety of English in a professorial setting.

Language in the dictionary is the method of human communication, either spoken or

written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way so if you can

communicate with another person it counts as speaking a language so Why do we need a

standard in any language. In America many people have been pushing standard English to

the point of racism. “No matter the topic, the tone can be affronted, sarcastic,

condescending, servile and, on occasion, silly to the point of absurdity as in an unattributed

adaptation of a Nazi poster originally designed for posting in Holland” (Lippi-Green 55) this

quote takes about the extreme people maybe when it comes and people give them the

nickname grammar Nazi and what the quote by Lippi-Green is describing. Many people

believe having a Standard in English can help with understand each other since we are

speaking the same way but doing so oppresses other who speak differently than the

standard, that is the main problem with having a standard in English.

Lippi-Green “English with an Accent: Language, Ideology and Discrimination in the

United States Chapter the Standard language myth” Talks about how standard and non-

standard is too complex of a matter to just say there must be part of the standard or not it

best stated by Coupland (Qtd. In Lippi-green) “Standardness” and “non-standardness” are

too deeply ingrained into sociolinguistic theory and methods for us to dispense with
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received perspectives and begin again, conceptually. Even so, there are good reasons to

move on from ontological perspectives that reify, describe and account for Standard

American English as a “natural” or “necessary” sociolinguistic reality.” (Lippi-Green 62) this

quote best define the meaning of the chapter saying that finding a standard is complex due

to everyone speaks differently even when speaking the same English which is why you get

some people call soda pop, Fizz, cola, or soda but is there any wrong answer on what it is

called no since there is no real right or wrong answer.

But even when I complain about the standard it is still a right to use “Those who

take it upon themselves to protect English from its speakers are still quite sure of their

right to do so.” (Lippi-Green 55) It is there right to help to use the language in there way,

But they must know that doing so could damage others ways of speaking a quote from

smith (qtd in Anzaldua) "Who is to say that robbing a people of its language is less violent

than war?" (Anzaldúa 34) and another quote “I remember being caught speaking Spanish

at recess - that was good for three licks on the knuckles with a sharp ruler” (Anzaldúa 34)

This show the dangerous effect of having a standard in our language and these effect can be

harmful.

People that support standard English also say that saying other term, slang, and

pronounce things different should be look down or not taken seriously on no matter how

smart you are. The author’s mother was force to use her daughter to pretend to be her just,

so she will be taken seriously on the phone, just because she doesn’t speak standard

English “My mother has long realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was

fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she. In this guise, I
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was forced to ask for information or even to complain and yell at people who had been

rude to her.” (Tan 2) and this woman is intelligent as well ” She reads the Forbes report,

listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker, reads all of Shirley

MacLaine's books with ease--all kinds of things I can't begin to understand.” (Tan 1) yet

people only see her though her English and that she doesn’t speak to their standard. A

woman that is intelligent that must struggle with sociality just because she does meet their

standard of English does seem fair at all “…My mother had gone to the hospital for an

appointment, to find out about a benign brain tumor a CAT scan had revealed a month ago.

She said she had spoken very good English, her best English, no mistakes. Still, she said, the

hospital did not apologize when they said they had lost the CAT scan and she had come for

nothing. She said they did not seem to have any sympathy when she told them she was

anxious to know the exact diagnosis…” (Tan 2) this is sad a woman trying her best trying to

just get a CAT scan nothing more and she struggle with getting on as well because

discrimination on how she speaks. The only way for the woman to get the CAT scan was to

make her daughter to get it and the outcome was very different “And when the doctor finally

called her daughter, me, who spoke in perfect English -- lo and behold -- we had assurances the CAT

scan would be found, promises that a conference call on Monday would be held, and apologies for any

suffering my mother had gone through for a most regrettable mistake.” (Tan 2) Just a change on how

good you are at meeting the standard on English and people will listen to you should that really be the

judge on what happen to people or not.

I explain the danger of standard English and how it can oppress even the smartest of

people because they have don’t meet up to the standard English which leaves them in a

tight spot and force them to stop use their original language and forces themselves to meet
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the standard. it’s said best by Kelpfisz (qtd Tan) ““And our tongues have become dry the

wilderness has dried out our tongues and we have forgotten speech.” (Anzaldúa 2948) So

this is the struggle that many have nothing has change but there must have to so everyone

can express themselves without standard.

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Bibliography
Anzaldúa, Gloria. "How to Tame a Wild Tongue." n.d.

Lippi-Green, Rosina. English with an Accent: Language, Ideology and Discrimination in the United States.
2nd. Routledge, 2012.

Tan, Amy. Mother Tongue. n.d.