Embracing Change
Over the course of the first three days of class, I could not help but notice a theme or notion that seemed to seep its way into nearly every discussion that was had. This idea of "Standard English" is one that actually bothers me. What in English is actually deemed "Standard"? In this Wikipedia article about "Standard English" it acknowledges that:
"There are no official rules for "Standard English" because, unlike some other
languages, English does not have a linguistic governance body. . .".
I can attest to this standardization of languages due to my mission. The countries "Official Language" was Portuguese (however hardly any of the natives spoke it). With only 1/4 of my mission remaining, an official document was published by the Portuguese "linguistic governance body" that made several changes to Portuguese in order to unify Brazilian Portuguese and Portuguese from Portugal. This document no doubt caused problems because neither country (not to mention the smaller countries that also speak Portuguese) felt it necessary to make the changes in order to be more "Standard". While I acknowledge that in the afore mentioned Wikipedia article it states that:
"In countries where English is either not a native language or is not widely spoken, a
native variant (typically English English or North American English) might be
considered "standard" for teaching purposes."
we should not be so ignorant to think that OUR (American) idea of "Standard English" is more correct than that of England's idea of "Standard English". Do not forget that our language originates from Mother England. Who are we to say that our word choice (or theirs) is more appropriate? IF there were a committee to guide us, would we be quick to heed their rules if they were not in our favor?
With all of that said, may I shed more light on the beloved Oxford English Dictionary? With the development of language, the dictionary has no choice but to change in order to suit the ever expanding English Language. A lot of these changes may be unacceptable to the person dedicated to the preservation of a "pure" "Standard English" language. Words like "hella" and "Bootylicious" (please be aware that foul language is used to define these terms or their origin) have found a home in The Oxford English Dictionary. Does The Oxford English Dictionary no longer represent "Standard English"?
I do not intend to harass or demean anyone that is set on the idea of "Standard English", especially since I am well aware of my weaknesses with English grammar. I do however wish to educate people (myself included) so that as we enter our classrooms we do not remain overly closed minded and neglect the changes that our students will undoubtedly embrace and accept as "standard".
