What To Do About Non-standard English

What To Do About Non-standard English What To Do About Non-standard English What To Do About Non-standard English By Maeve Maddox One of our readers expresses the dilemma faced by conscientious speakers and writers who value a standard form of English, but recognize that rapid changes are taking place. So, just where do we draw the line? Now that I’m no longer a â€Å"prescriptivist,† what is acceptable? When can I start pulling out my hair again?! Good question. Prescriptivist is a dirty word, yet unadulterated descriptivism is not only impractical, it is impossible. Even the dictionaries that operate from a descriptivist perspective cannot possibly record every usage from every community of speakers. So, as the reader asks, where do we draw the line? In this age of militant anti-authoritarianism, evangelical multi-culturalism, and pedagogical malpractice, its not an easy question to answer. Language is an intensely personal matter. When it comes to usage and pronunciation, each user of the language has to decide where the line is to be drawn. Advocates of standard English tend to feel blood pressure rising when they see or hear non-standard usage in what is felt to be an inappropriate context. Suggesting that one form of speech is preferable to another, however, can annoy people no end. (Even when you do it on a language site.) In the interest of keeping blood pressures down, I offer these guidelines for people who are â€Å"tearing their hair† over non-standard usage. Recognize that even your fellow advocates may not agree with you as to what is or is not standard English Numerous forms of British and American English are spoken in different parts of the world. Different forms are â€Å"standard† in different places. Acknowledge that linguistic change is inevitable The point of having a standard written dialect is not to fossilize the language, but to permit change to take place at a slower pace. Don’t object blindly to new usage merely because it’s new. Have valid reasons for your objections. Know what you mean by â€Å"standard† English Provide yourself with a good dictionary. Browse the style manuals and choose one or two that you find easy to use. Dont hesitate to disagree with them if you have solid reasons for doing so. Cherish your own dialect and use it with those who can appreciate it. Use a standard dialect when you want to be understood by speakers not familiar with your home dialect. Use non-standard English in context In writing, consider your targeted audience and choose the most appropriate language for that audience. If youre a script writer, consider the occupations and backgrounds of the various characters in your story. Dont have them all talk the same. For example, dont have the characters with college degrees say things like Me and Professor Jones have created an algorithm, or, To celebrate my new tenure, I’ve made reservations for Sally and I at the French restaurant. Model standard English Correct your children’s grammar. Talk to them about word choice. If youre a teacher (any subject, not just English), model standard English to your students. Insist that they speak and write standard English in the context of school and schoolwork. If you have the type of job that makes it appropriate for you to correct the usage of your staff (editor, office manager, etc.) go for it. Provide your employees with a style sheet and insist that they use standard English in writing, and when speaking to clients. Be nice Once your children are grown, bite your tongue. Outside the role of a parent, teacher, or employer, don’t take on the responsibility of correcting other people’s English, unless they ask you to. I see nothing wrong with pointing out errors that appear in printed sources. Advertisers, journalists, and others who use the language in a public way should be in command of standard English. Even then, corrective criticism can be offered in a courteous, helpful manner. There’s no need to accompany corrections with sarcasm, ridicule, or ad hominem attacks. When it comes to our grown kinfolk, neighbors, or co-workers, we need to recognize that, like everything else in life, â€Å"standard English† has its place. It’s only one of several dialects. It may be the most universally useful, but it is not intrinsically better than any other. Informal conversation is not public speaking. Jumping in to correct usage or pronunciation is not only inappropriate, it’s disrespectful. You can promote â€Å"standard English† without trying to wipe out every other form. Draw the line where you think it needs to be drawn in your use of the language. Let other speakers and writers make their own choices. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Words with More Than One SpellingTelling a Good Poem from a Bad One40 Irregular Verbs That Can End in â€Å"-t†

Argumentive essay on Why the government should own public

Argumentive on Why the government should own public transportation - Essay Example Since decisions upon providing service are generally market driven, there is no public transit in these places, or they may be somewhat served by private companies with limited and expensive service. The rationale: not enough people will use it to make it profitable. Any suggested funding for public transport is always at the bottom of everyone’s budget list. The rationale there: we should not spend public money if the service is not used by a majority of the people. If this seems prejudicial, it is, since getting around is a necessity not a privilege. Unfortunately, too many people in the U.S., while admiring the wonderful benefits of the European mass transit systems when they travel, do not see themselves using such a system at home. And most assuredly they do not see themselves funding such a system with their tax money, as do European governments believing the service a crucial necessity for the people they govern. One might conclude that in Europe, good reliable mass tra nsportation for everyone everywhere is considered a right rather than a privilege. It is not totally dependent upon the profit model. The discussion of whether our own government should be running a system similar to Europe’s in the United States has been ongoing, and attempts, as in the case of California, to provide a seamless way for people to get around using mass transit have been sporadic. One online site states, â€Å"In most states, intercity passenger train service is provided solely by Amtrak, with no assistance of any sort from State or local governments† (History of Amtrak California, par. 1). Using California as a case in point, The History of Amtrak California discusses how the state subsidizes its growing system with state and local money largely from the federal government. Its success over the years in promoting and funding a growing mass transportation system has proven quite successful, considering California’s notorious love affair with

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Relationship Between Employee Commitment And Employee Engagement Assignment

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Introduction to film - Movie Review Example In Bruges involves serial killings by contactors who are under a supreme authority of a single employer. Harry Waters (Ralph) is the man behind all the occurrences in the movie. He employs Ken and Ray to eliminate his enemies. These two hit men must follow the instructions of Harry before undertaking any duty. While in Dublin, Harry sends the duo for a mission which turned out to be very awry. The sole objective of the mission was to kill a priest. However, one more individual is victimized in the course of the assassination. Ray shoots the priest but the bullet passes through and hits a young boy in the forehead. The boy dies on the spot. To save this situation, Harry sends Ken and Ray to a hideout in Bruges for two weeks. He wanted the issue of killing the boy to cool down. While in Bruges, Ray is haunted by the guilt of killing an innocent boy. He just can’t get it out of his mind however much Ken tries to dissuade him. Later, he gets over it and he is ready to start a new life with friends he found in Bruges. Harry, however, is not happy with the death of the child. He wants Ray to pay for it with his own life. He wants to see him dead. Therefore, calls Ken from Dublin telling him to kill Ray as a punishment. When Ken refuses to take the orders, Harry comes to Bruges to accomplish this assignment by himself. This movie has a theme of morality. The hit men continue to kill their victims without questioning the morality behind it. Some innocent individuals are killed in the course of these brutal acts. It is only later that the hit men come to regret their evil deeds. Besides, morality has been disregarded when these two men goes to church to kill a priest. Conventionally, it is not morally upright to kill in Church. Secondly, killing a child is just very detestable. The characters in the movie have depicted as having double standards. At the beginning of the movie, the three main characters Harry,

The Science and Art of Managing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Science and Art of Managing - Assignment Example On a broader context, the article provides an in-depth knowledge pertaining to the importance of structured organizations and the process through which they operate. In addition, it also highlighted the importance of planning along with organization which plays a very important role. Psychological facets such as motivation can prove to provide great deal of support to the employees in enhancing their performance in the organizations. It also plays a leading role in influencing the employees in order to reach their individual goals along with the goals of the organization. On a different context, the article showcased the managers need to perform multiple tasks and responsibilities in the organization. Additionally, managers are also liable to get respect based on their level of expertise. However, they are also liable for practicing different aspects of management that vary as per the level of difficulty. The article provided a basic idea pertaining to the factor that managerial auth orities need to earn the trust of the management to function in an operative manner (Weiss, 2007). B. CRITIQUE ‘The Science and Art of Managing’ ‘The Science and Art of Managing’ written by W. H. Weiss provided with a lot of valuable insights about management. The overall analysis will be followed by a critique in relation to the facts gathered from the above mentioned article. While providing a summary of the article, all those important elements pertaining to the organizational traits have been learnt. The article additionally provided a great deal of support in order to attain a fair amount of knowledge regarding the basic principles of management. The article very well showed the different functions that managers need to perform however there were no practical aspects of management functions that were noticed. Providing managerial examples from real organizations would have proved to be very beneficial. It would have resulted in the enhancement of the q uality of the article as well. It can be critically acclaimed that the article provided a strong base of theoretical knowledge however it cannot be fully applied in practical terms as there were no such readings determining the applicability of all the approaches in the practical fields. Different principles along with diverse management functions highlighted upon the multiple roles which managers have to perform in order to operate in a well-organized manner. All of these aspects were showed in a proper format however, the article did not highlight any instances which prove that all these aspects were applied in real organizations to trigger high amount of output (Weiss, 2007). In relation to the professional opinion, it can be said that management and business experience can facilitate an individual to carry out decisive managerial roles in an efficient manner. Management principles are vital in an organizational context as it enables to demarcate the specific needs for a set of e mployees based on their inherent traits. Moreover, it can be affirmed that management skills are required to function in an operative manner as managerial functions require prompt decision in varying critical circumstances. It can be critically stated that although managers need to perform an assortment of roles in an organizational context however the level of success in these roles can be ascertained by their expertise and inherent skills. Contextually, the aspect of motivation as a key determinant