ENG 1320 Spring 2015 Laura Sims ACADEMIC LANGUAGE

My father used to tell this old joke: A Georgia student visiting Harvard asks a passing student, “Excuse me, can you tell me where the library’s at?” The Harvard man says, “Here at Harvard, we do not end a sentence with a preposition.” The Georgia boy thinks for a second and tries again: “Sorry, can you tell me where the library’s at, asshole?” From You Are What You Speak by Robert Lane Greene (268-69) WHAT WE SAY AND HOW WE SAY IT

 John Humphrys calls texters “vandals who are doing to our language what Genghis Khan did to his neighbours eight hundred years ago.” He complains, “They are destroying it: pillaging our punctuation; savaging our sentences; raping our vocabulary. And they must be stopped.”  What is good English, in his view?  What kind of language do you use in a good English paper? G0OD ENGLISH

 An academic audience is composed of educated, intelligent, and reasonable individuals. These individuals may be specialists in some areas, but they are also generally informed about many areas of study.  Academic audiences expect:  Reasonably formal language  A respectful, direct, and assertive tone ACADEMIC AUDIENCE

 Academic audiences expect language that avoids both casual slang and pretentious vocabulary.  Instructors of academic writing, therefore, often emphasize what to avoid:  Avoid jargon, pretentious language, and most euphemisms.  Avoid slang, clichés, and regional expressions. FORMALITY

 Graff, Birkenstein and Durst, authors of They Say/I Say, advise, “In all situations, think carefully about your audience and purpose” (127).  They emphasize, “Although it may have been in the past, academic writing in most disciplines today is no longer the linguistic equivalent of a black-tie affair” (128). AUDIENCE AND PURPOSE

“Better Speech Week” was a movement that the National Council of Teachers of English began in 1917 to promote “proper” speech. Part of the national movement included a pledge for students to recite regularly: I love the United States of America. I love my country’s flag. I love my country’s language. I promise: 1.That I will not dishonor my country’s speech by leaving off the last syllable of words. 2.That I will say a good American “yes” and “no” in place of an Indian grunt “um-hum” and “nup-um” or a foreign “ya” or “yeh” and “nope.” 3.That I will do my best to improve American speech by avoiding loud rough tones, by enunciating distinctly, and by speaking pleasantly, clearly, and sincerely. 4.That I will learn to articulate correctly as many words as possible during the year. ENGLISH IN AMERICA: 1917

“Students' Right to Their Own Language” Conference on College Composition and Communication, Fall 1974 We affirm the students' right to their own patterns and varieties of language -- the dialects of their nurture or whatever dialects in which they find their own identity and style. Language scholars long ago denied that the myth of a standard American dialect has any validity. The claim that any one dialect is unacceptable amounts to an attempt of one social group to exert its dominance over another. Such a claim leads to false advice for speakers and writers, and immoral advice for humans. A nation proud of its diverse heritage and its cultural and racial variety will preserve its heritage of dialects. We affirm strongly that teachers must have the experiences and training that will enable them to respect diversity and uphold the right of students to their own language. ENGLISH IN AMERICA: 1974

 Newt Gingrich's comments on Spanish Newt Gingrich's comments on Spanish  “So, if you want to really hurt me, talk badly about my language. Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity—I am my language. Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself. Until I can accept as legitimate Chicano Texas Spanish, Tex-Mex, and all the other languages that I speak, I cannot accept the legitimacy of myself.” -Gloria Anzaldúa, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY

 According to Rebecca Wheeler and Rachel Swords, "the [individual] who speaks in a vernacular dialect is not making language errors; instead, she or he is speaking correctly in the language of the home discourse community. Teachers can draw upon the language strengths of urban learners to help students codeswitch—choose the language variety appropriate to the time, place, audience, and communicative purpose. In doing so, we honor linguistic and cultural diversity, all the while fostering students' mastery of the Language of Wider Communication, the de-facto lingua franca of the U.S." CODESWITCHING (FROM THE WRITING CENTER)

 According to Jennifer Ramirez Johnson, “the detractors of IM do not understand the concept of multiple literacies. In their mind, there is a limited amount of literacy available to a student, and either IM or academic literacy will win out in a person, but there is no way for both to work cooperatively. This assumption is false, as it does not take into account the large set of literacies a person can possess, ranging from formal to informal and mainstream to sub-cultural.” MULTIPLE LITERACIES (FROM THE WRITING CENTER)

 As Graff, Birkenstein, and Durst remind us, “It is by blending these languages [languages of the street, popular culture, or ethnic communities, and home] that what counts as ‘standard’ English changes over time and the range of possibilities open to academic writers continues to grow” (128).  Jeff Johnson: "How Embracing Diversity Transforms Communities” Jeff Johnson: "How Embracing Diversity Transforms Communities” LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY