Reading, Writing, Teaching

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Posts tagged language

53 notes

girlwithalessonplan: englishteacheronline: Despite the fact that each of the answers will make sense to anyone familiar with text-ese, the correct answer on the Pearon’s test is clearly d).  So, are the answers a) through c) actually wrong?  Who gets to decide what “standard English” is anyway? The whole thing reminds me of the controversies over African American Vernacular English, better known as “ebonics,” in the 1990s.  The idea that some people “talk right” and some people do not is an excellent way to justify prejudice.  Perhaps an employer largely chooses not to hire black people, not because they’re black, of course, but because they don’t “talk right.”  Is the outcome significantly different?  And who decides what “talking right” sounds like anyway? Well, the people who have the power to do so… and they typically side with themselves. So, is text-ese wrong?  Only according to those who are making the rules (and Pearson’s tests).  And what do you want to bet that those young people who are taught to differentiate between the kind of English they are allowed to use in texts and the kind they are allowed to use in “proper” communication are class privileged, on average?  And disproportionately white, accordingly? “STANDARD ENGLISH” AND SOCIAL POWER by Lisa Wade I try to stress code switching to my students and they’re like, “what?”

girlwithalessonplan:

englishteacheronline:

Despite the fact that each of the answers will make sense to anyone familiar with text-ese, the correct answer on the Pearon’s test is clearly d).  So, are the answers a) through c) actually wrong?  Who gets to decide what “standard English” is anyway?

The whole thing reminds me of the controversies over African American Vernacular English, better known as “ebonics,” in the 1990s.  The idea that some people “talk right” and some people do not is an excellent way to justify prejudice.  Perhaps an employer largely chooses not to hire black people, not because they’re black, of course, but because they don’t “talk right.”  Is the outcome significantly different?  And who decides what “talking right” sounds like anyway? Well, the people who have the power to do so… and they typically side with themselves.

So, is text-ese wrong?  Only according to those who are making the rules (and Pearson’s tests).  And what do you want to bet that those young people who are taught to differentiate between the kind of English they are allowed to use in texts and the kind they are allowed to use in “proper” communication are class privileged, on average?  And disproportionately white, accordingly?

“STANDARD ENGLISH” AND SOCIAL POWER by Lisa Wade

I try to stress code switching to my students and they’re like, “what?”

Filed under education language race teaching english standard english rules communication

75 notes

englishteacheronline: I was busy yesterday working and checking out neighbourhoods I may be moving to next year, so I missed Talk Like Shakespeare Day. There’s a whole website with instructions on how to talk like Shakespeare here: http://www.talklikeshakespeare.org/ And get this free PDF poster by clicking through to http://www.talklikeshakespeare.org/res/TalkLikeShakespeare_Top10.pdf I’ll be printing it out big and colourful for my next classroom.

englishteacheronline:

I was busy yesterday working and checking out neighbourhoods I may be moving to next year, so I missed Talk Like Shakespeare Day.

There’s a whole website with instructions on how to talk like Shakespeare here: http://www.talklikeshakespeare.org/

And get this free PDF poster by clicking through to http://www.talklikeshakespeare.org/res/TalkLikeShakespeare_Top10.pdf

I’ll be printing it out big and colourful for my next classroom.

Filed under education shakespeare literature english language

255 notes

vintageanchor: #1 Language Pet Peeve… Misuse of the word literally.“Literally means actually or without exaggeration.  When you say “I literally…,” it means you’re describing something exactly as it happened; you are being literal.”  Please people, you didn’t literally lose your head, unless you are Marie Antoinette.  Even Jayne Mansfield didn’t literally lose her head. Read more here. Amen.

vintageanchor:

#1 Language Pet Peeve… Misuse of the word literally.

“Literally means actually or without exaggeration.  When you say “I literally…,” it means you’re describing something exactly as it happened; you are being literal.” 

Please people, you didn’t literally lose your head, unless you are Marie Antoinette.  Even Jayne Mansfield didn’t literally lose her head.

Read more here.

Amen.

(Source: vintageanchorbooks)

Filed under education language literally Marie Antoinette Jayne Mansfield