The article spoke of “standard” language, or the way you’re supposed to talk, and “nonstandard” language, which doesn’t follow the same rules as standard. The article continues to say that when one uses nonstandard language it leads to the speaker being at a social disadvantage or being kept from more “formal” arenas in addition to unfortunate stereotypes. Standard language is what you are taught in school and is used in formal or official settings. My question regards how standard and nonstandard language came to be. How did we decide what became standard or the preferred language used in formal situations? Is it that nonstandard language was found to be more confusing or like the article suggested of having an “irrational mind”? However as the article also shows “double negatives ain’t no signal of an irrational mind.” So if they are used in all languages and dialects why are they thought of so negatively and where did this negative connotation come from?
Comments (1)
This might sound stupid, but I still think of it as analogous to sports. I know all the rules to tennis, and I know a good player when I see one. At the same time, everyone has a different style of play, and no one is perfect. Even though one person may not be the best or most technically sound player in the world, he may still get the job done just as well--in other words, he can hit the ball over the net and keep the rally going. I see this as similar to someone who maybe doesn't speak "standard" English, but who can communicate just as well as anyone else.
Posted by Jen Wilmore | March 27, 2008 3:08 PM
Posted on March 27, 2008 15:08