For the past week, we learned how to distinguish the difference between a primary and secondary source by analyzing readings about an ongoing debate over a primary source in Composition Studies. We specifically discussed the importance of dialects, whether or not they should be incorporated in an English classroom.
Throughout all of the English classes that I have ever taken, it is pretty shocking that not once, did my teachers/professors ever told me to write in my own voice or dialect until Caitlin’s class. Not even any of the “free-writes” that I had to do were in my own voice which became very boring. During one of the warm ups in class, we were required to do a free-write but in our own voice. I was actually a bit excited because I never had this opportunity but when it actually came down to it, I kind of struggled to write how I would speak to friends. I realized that I struggled to do so because I was always taught to refer to the standards of writing in English, which, in my opinion, consisted of big words, sounding professional, and academic writing.
I believe that it is also a disadvantage for people from other countries who have different dialects, other than English, because they have to conform to so many rules and standards of English that they forget to keep in touch with their own roots. English was not my first language but fortunately, I am still able to speak, read, and write fluently in my own language.
After analyzing the articles in class and reading my peers’ blogs, I believe that preserving your dialect, written or spoken, and being able to incorporate it in an English class is very important but only when it is necessary. However, since English is a universal language, being able to learn the English language can also break language barriers. If everyone were to just stick to their own dialects without trying to learn English, communication between each other would be difficult. It is also good to integrate one’s dialect with English in order to genuinely understand people’s beliefs, values, and the way that they think. Also, people tend to express themselves more when they are given the opportunity to write in their own voice.
I totally agree with your experience. I was never really asked to write in my own voice so I really had no idea how I sounded on paper. It wasn't until english 114 that i was able to somewhat write in my own voice but not really all at the same time. There were still expectations as well as rules that i needed to follow and that made it not really my voice. I think writing in your own dialect is good but then i think it sounds so wrong and now I'm not sure what I should think of when it comes to writing in my own dialect. so i this really got me thinking about how important dialect is but also how much english is needed to communicate.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand where you're coming from in regards to writing in your own dialect. I honestly don't know what my own dialect is because the voice I have in my head and the way I speak normally either with friends or even my family is fairly similar to how I speak and write with to my teachers. I guess the language and the proper way of "speaking" and "writing" English has some how become a part of who I am and how I express my self to others. Although topics and discussions amongst my family and friends might be completely different to topics discussed in class I noticed that I still use the same dialect as I do with my professors. Maybe it's just me personally that I don't care how a teacher views me I will still write, act and be myself either in person or in my writing. I just think that as of now it's important to just be yourself in a classroom environment as long as you're not coming off as rude, hurting or offending anyone.
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