David Troutt's Essay Defining Who We Are In Society

Jaswinder Bolina uses his identification as Other, to describe difficulties within the writing and speaking community related to what is commonly identified as “white” English in his essay, Writing Like a White Guy.

This case examines the responsibility that a school district has to establish a program that deals with the various language issues of non-English speaking students. Kinney Lau and other non-English speaking students brought forth a lawsuit trying to force the San Francisco Unifed School District (SFUSD) to provide support for all non-English-speaking Chinese students with a bilingual education program so they could proficiently learn English. The case also attaches “strings” to school districts that receive federal financial assiatance.

In her essay “Spanglish Spoken Here” by Janice Castro, the author points out how Spanglish is widely used across the United States. First, she points out some examples of usage of Spanglish in daily life. Then, she introduces the concept of Spanglish, and it has become a widely accepted slang in America. Spanglish is assimilated in many ways, from Anglo homes to children watching TV programs. In addition, a normal Spanglish conversation will have an amalgam of forms depending on the situation. Most of the time, English is chosen since it is easier to express the meaning of a subject than Spanish. Moreover, although many Americans have exposed to other foreign languages, they are still willing to learn Spanish since there are 19 million Hispanics

Through trial and error, college students are having to figure out what constitutes as acceptable writing for every one of their separate classes all on their own without their ethnic backgrounds taken into consideration. While although Dave was considered privileged because of his years of experience in classrooms that consisted of teachers and students who shared similar social backgrounds, “students from diverse communities may need… teachers in the disciplines… [to] provide them with assignments and instructional support appropriate for first steps in using the language of their community” (262)

Is the n-word an acceptable word? Few might say yes, but the vast majority would say no. The origin and meaning of the n-word should be unacceptable to all African Americans. The word was meant to be used in a harmful way and will always be seen as offensive. No matter how the slang word is used as a term of endearment, the true meaning will be permanently there. The n-word should never be used in any manner towards anyone due to its origin of creation.

In the U.S the primary and only language is English. English is an international language that is a custom to everyone. It is also well-known amongst majority of the nations. English is also practiced and taught to people in Ethiopia. Almost all schools in Ethiopia are taught with English. When looking for a job in Ethiopia the first thing they ask is whether an individual is fluent in bilingual and the second language most definitely had to be English. This doesn’t mean English is popular in Ethiopia, it just projects on how much English is known and taught tin Ethiopia. The U.S only one language, but there is more than eighty five different languages in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is rich in its

There are about 50 countries with English as their official language, but is USA one them? Well, not yet. The article “In Plain English: Lets Make it Official” by Charles Krauthammer explains the pros of English being an official language of the USA. According to the article, English is a national language, but not an official language of the USA yet. Furthermore, he states the difference between a “national” and an “official language” and the reasons as to why and how making English the official language would benefit the Unites States, and all the reasons are valid whereas the article, “Should English Be the Law?” by Robert D. King illustrates that English being the national language is just fine and there is actually no need of making

It was once believed that the languages that the Africans spoke varied drastically from region to region but in reality they were “local variations of a deeper-lying structural similarity” (Herkovits 79). This similarity allowed communicating in the New World to be easier than if the languages were all completely linguistically independent, “whether Negro speech employs English or French or Spanish or Portuguese vocabulary, the identical constructions found over all the New World can only be regarded as a reflection of the underlying similarities in grammar and idiom, which, in turn, are common to the West African Sudanese tongues” (80). Language then became an important part of African American culture, whether it be a “secret” language used to help slaves escape, or to tell stories and folklore to children to encourage and motivate them, or express African proverbs from generation to generation. There has been many times when other races seem not to understand what African Americans are saying because of the slang terms we create that then become popular terms, most recently has been the phrases “on fleek” and “twerking”, to name a few examples. Being proficient in verbal arts was prized in Africa and now a value has been placed on verbal expression in today’s culture through riddles and through preaching and teaching (Williams

In James Baldwin’s essay titled “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me What Is?” Baldwin highlights his major argument by capitalizing the words in the title so that it can stand out to the readers. His main idea is that all languages are equal, and there is an inequality in society where one is judged by the way they speak. Baldwin wanted the readers to understand that all languages do serve a purpose no matter how a person articulates it. Baldwin also wanted to convey that there is racism that is placed upon a black person just because of the way they speak. Baldwin stated that “Language is determined by the person that is speaking it.” The audience is anyone that doesn’t consider “Black English” a language, people that don’t use

Many people always speak of how today’s world is complex and convoluted, as if it was simple before that particular point. To build a future for one self, they must first know the past to progress. Frederick Douglass wrote a short essay on the Color Line, he does not directly state a definition of the color line, but rather explains the current racial affections, with in depth of the two conflicting races. He speaks on how the white philosophers spoke open and confidently about how the Negro was inferior. The Anglo Saxon had always been prejudice against the opposite race, it was their natural supposedly, but this is not based in science. If that if the case then we as humanity should hint and remove that aspect, not display so assertively

The way a person speaks is a direct link to a person’s culture and the environment which he or she was raised in. A person’s language, skin color as well as economic status influences the way he or she is perceived by others. Lisa Delpit and eleven other educators provide different viewpoints on how language from students of different cultures, ethnicity, and even economic status can be misinterpreted due to slang and dialect or nonstandard English by the teachers as well as his or her own peers.

Wouldn’t it be exciting to grow up learning more than one language? Imagine being in Japan for a week on vacation with a group of friends, and one day decided to go to the oldest zoo in Japan, Ueno Zoo. To get to Ueno Zoo, riding the bullet train was a necessity, except knowing which line was the correct line, when to get off the bullet train, or even which ticket to buy was a daunting task. Nobody in your group has the confidence to ask the workers for help since they don’t have the knowledge of Japanese to help them. So everybody agrees to head back to the hotel to plan something else considering nobody knew how to speak a bit of Japanese, and that inability to communicate hurt your group’s confidence

In the essay “If Black Isn’t a Language Then Tell Me What Is” (The New York Times, 1979) written by James Baldwin, the author asserts that the African American community has altered the English language into a new language during the last five centuries to accommodate the black experience in American history despite the white’s attempt to submerge it. To begin the essay he makes his argument clear by referencing the alterations the French made to their native language to describe how people will eventually “...evolve a language in order to describe and thus control their circumstances…”; furthermore he continues to analyze how the caucasian people of America have only accepted the black language when it came out of a white mouth; he ends the essay by reinforcing his position, elaborating on the racism black’s have faced when they were denied the right to an education unless it was for the white benefit. His liberal purpose is to bring light to the subtle racism that African Americans experience even after the Civil Rights movement and to acknowledge the cultural influence they have in America. His writing appears very personal and intimate like he’s voluntarily opening up to his audience by letting them know of his own struggles as an African American, targeting mostly minorities and people who feel oppressed by white America.

The United States is a place of freedom. We are a mixing pot that unifies as one. Many religions, cultures, and languages make their home in the Unites States. Many foreigners see the U.S. as an opportunity to seek better lives and education, but when it comes to foreigners and native-born non-English speakers that do not yet know English, it becomes a little more difficult to go about an average day let alone make a better future. Children in school often become English Language Learners, or ELL, to assimilate to the American standards. It is a hard journey for both the students, families, and the teachers. But, their journey is not taken alone since there are about 5 million English language learners in the United State.

The word “wetback” has a long historical trace. It was originally used to refer to Mexicans who illegally entered the US by swimming across the Rio Grande, a river that flows from Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico. The definition evolved to encompass any immigrant who entered the United States illegally, whether that was by foot, cars, or any other method of transportation. In 1954, the term reappeared with the introduction of “Operation Wetback” by the US government. Although “Operation Wetback” was meant to fix the recent increase in people entering the country illegally by deporting anyone who looked like an “illegal alien,” Mexicans once again became the primary focus. The program executed its goal by partnering with the police, and had them