Throughout the entirety of phase I and phase II we have looked at and talked about a variety of authors, topics, and ideas when it came to learning about politics of language. It is something that I didn’t know I would ever be interested in but to be honest learning about it is refreshing for me. As I have said multiple times previously it has helped me open my eyes to realize that it is okay to feel comfortable with who you are and to feel comfortable to be able to express yourself by who you are and to have the freedom to use your own voice. I would say that my favorite authors from phase I have to be Vershawn Ashanti Young and Gloria Anzaldua.
When it came to looking over Rhetorical Situation worksheets and previous written pieces that I have done I have found that I tend to gravitate towards one certain topic. That topic is the freedom to be able to use your own voice. This is the reason to why I favored Vershawn and Gloria for the reason that I have related to their stories the most. This is the reason to why I constantly spoke about this topic it’s because I have experience this most of my life and had always questioned only to be scolded and “taught,” by my teachers that you shouldn’t write that way and that it’s better to write “academically,” or what can be referred to nowadays as speaking “American.”
1.What are the “academic,” and “social,” boundaries when it comes to language?
2.Although “proper,” academic English can be beneficial how can this hinder somebody?
I feel like honestly the only topic that I have been interested in learning about is the politics of language and that is mainly the reason why it gives me comfort and is refreshing to learn about when all throughout my life I have been taught the “proper/correct,” way to speak English. I love discussing about this topic in class and exploring it further because it is a topic that was never really spoke about for me until now, all these years and this is the first time in my life where I finally feel a sense of freedom.
My most common experience related to this topic is with my previous teachers. Obviously in elementary school they are there to help you develop your language skills to be more mature which is understandable. However, throughout Middle School and High School is when I started to lose my love for English and reading. I was starting to get taught how to speak “proper/correct,” English or what I like to say “speak American,” and was constantly told that this was to help prepare us for college. I always uncomfortable and forced to write a certain way thinking that was going to be the correct way when it came to writing. However, upon reaching my freshman year in college it caught me off guard that my professor is telling us to write how we want to write. That she is giving us the freedom that we were never given throughout our lives, to finally give us the opportunity to be our own writer.
What I hope to find within any encyclopedias, magazines, journals, etc… is any information on what the limitations are when it comes to speaking academically and speaking in the way that expresses you for who you are. I am also hoping to find any type of statistical data that may show how speaking academically has improved a student and or hindered a student. I was thinking of maybe including any experiences coming from my friends and or family to help contribute to this research paper.
I haven’t really gotten the time to get into researching any articles but when it comes to using online sources, I will probably use encyclopedia’s, articles such as the New York Times articles, and hopefully some other authors such as Vershawn and Gloria who explore and speak about the politics of language further not only by research but also through personal experiences.
It is still the beginning of phase III so I wouldn’t really know how to say whether or not I feel strongly about my exploratory essay when it comes to the topics that I have been researching in this worksheet. I will confidently say though that I currently feel comfortable with my standing as of right now. I don’t really have any major questions/concerns to mention as of right now.
