(Untitled)

[spellcoats]

Some observers have opposed teaching Standard English, arguing that doing so is discriminatory because certain students would be singled out for instruction--those who do not already speak Standard English. Because Standard English instruction would look like remediation, others would assume that these students had some sort of deficit. These

Comments

[kaederose]

Keigo=OK in Japan
Standard English=OK for America

End of discussion. If we want to use lemming arguments at other points in society, I will use them here.

[spellcoats]

What are lemming arguments?

[kaederose]

"Everyone else does ____ so obviously it works and we should do it!"

Not that there are any in the comments, just that I've heard arguments for political topics or topics like this IRL from people that are completely specious. Or lemming arguments.

[spellcoats]

Yeah, that sort of thing definitely oversimplifies the whole situation. But so, IMO, does the argument that Standard English is universally appropriate for America. For instance: say a new business is opening in a specific dialect community not usually associated with standard English (black, the South, Appalachia, Texas, etc.). It's a small, privately-owned business whose majority clientele speaks the same dialect as the owners. Then someone comes in who speaks what's generally as close to Standard English as you can get. Should the non-standard dialect speaker have to shift their style of speech (including not just pronunciation and grammar, but behavior as well) for the exchange?

[kaederose]

No, but then I would argue it's a no simply because it's such a small-scale business. I think that when you get a more multi-regional scale (or multi-national, and business is conducted in English), then you ought to use standard English because it's the most "neutral" ground you can get. You might argue it's classist, but I would expect that any business whose employees will be interacting in that large a scale would already be speaking it (or close to), or would be provided with a tutorial on it, hence the reference to keigo. The point is not to sound richer, or whiter, but rather to reach out and communicate in a way that is able to be learned by all and that is relatively free from the rapid change regional dialects undergo.

[antimonial]

This. This and I love you Theresa.

[kaederose]

Aw! I love you too!

[corban_saezer]

Damn, I was late to this party D= But I wanna talk anyway!

Standardizing a language reduces transaction costs and subsequent misunderstandings. The opponents are butthurt because they/their friends are camped in a faraway dialect, and thus are on the ass end of the "transaction cost" debate. Ultimately the question is whether we should standardize everyone's language so there is zero dissonance, or to accept a level of dissonance in exchange for accepting multitudes.

For everyone else who wants to show that they're well-educated and thus of superior moral character, they will strategically learn Standard English and leave others in the dust. This will bring about yet more accusations of elitism.

I think we have achieved equilibrium.

I'm a little butthurt that I don't speak Glee and Bieberese, but I made a conscious decision to not embrace this jargon and suffer the consequences >/ They should suck it up too.