There are very few things in the world that are our own. Things that aren’t as tangible as something like a watch, an iPod, or a laptop. These are things that we use every day, things that define us and we don’t realize it. Things deeper than material objects, that give us meaning, that individualize us from every other human being in the world. So what is so “thing” is so important and we can’t even grasp it? Our names. Joe, Christine, Jennifer, Ryan. Many people do not realize that importance of having a name. A strange argument, but who actually stops to think what having a name represents. Your name is who you are; it’s how people associate you with you. Imagine a simple word that is essentially a summary of who you are. One name is an entire person, that person’s appearance, personality, mannerisms. From all three readings one can surmise the common theme, that a name is yours and is something that should be fought for.
How does a name truly represent us? During the times of slavery many blacks were given a surrogate name to sound more Westernized. They were taken from their homes and away from their families, while being beaten and chained. It’s not too difficult to imagine how vulnerable and alienated these people felt. Then they were stripped of the last thing that was theirs, their names, the last symbol of home. Only in dire situations can one understand the true meaning of things. After the Emancipation, many of these slaves legally changed their names back to their birth names. Although the connection to home was lost, gaining their names, their true identities, back allowed them to connect themselves to their old lives.
A name is a true representation of one self, and should be cherished. There are very few things that can summarize us in one word. Some cultures go as far as giving individuals descriptive phrases as names as such in the Anishinabe culture. The variety of their names is mind boggling. However at the same time, it adds uniqueness. It adds a new level of individuality in their culture. Whatever the case your name is who you are. Without one, you would be no one, literally and metaphorically.
“Malcolm Gladwell (“The Physical Genius,” p.268) sees attitude as essential to good work. Sedaris’s attitude toward his job would seem to undermine his ability to be a good elf.” However, I still think he is a good elf even with his attitude. He got done what he was supposed to, efficiently. Like the last day, him and Santa knocked out all the kids in forty five seconds a piece. That’s impressive. One thing that “The Physical Genius” did not talk about at all is being a genius when it comes to dealing with people. Gladwell did not mention being a social genius. That would be the only thing that Sedaris had an issue with: being a permanently cheerful elf.
“Both Gary Soto (“Black Hair,” p. 296) and Sedaris are writers who took work they either knew or sensed would not be permanent. Both look back on that work with a certain amount of detachment and irony. What insights do they share about this work was not meaningful? What made the work dehumanizing? How did this work make bitter or resigned those who needed it for survival?” What makes this work not meaningful is the fact that it took no real education to perform. The fact that you are pretending to be an elf is dehumanizing. Obviously people are not elves. And in Soto’s reading, being covered in black soot is being made not humanlike also. You do not look human covered in soot. When having to perform activities like this for survival, it is not something you are going to take pride in. You are going to go numb to it and do it because you have to. In Sedaris’s reading, it says the people who were bitter were the out of work businessmen and such. They had been to school to get a higher job and ended up working as an elf anyway. In Soto’s reading, the men who worked at the tire factory had not been trying to get a higher education, they were just stuck.
“Ehrenreich develops her ideas by telling her own story as well as reporting others’ experiences. Her own story includes an attempt to act on a mission to help workers organize a union. Do you think her own perceptions, anger, and interventions distort the study and thus make her descriptions more or less credible?” I think the way she is studying is credible because it gives her the inside scoop, however, because she is experiencing this first hand, her observations are not completely objective anymore. She can’t see any of the good in it because she is experiencing the bad. Having a job is good, but she takes that for granted now. It could be a lot worse. If a person tries to go through a higher education to get a better job, they do not have to deal with the unfair things low paying jobs come with.
“In “The Physical Genius” (p. 268), Malcolm Gladwell also describes a “magical flow” that characterizes the physical genius of certain professionals and athletes. How is the magical flow that Ehrenreich describes similar to and different from that which Gladwell describes?” A similarity between physical geniuses and Walmart workers is it all comes from way too much practice. The difference is the activities Ehrenreich is talking about is completely unskilled and mindless labor. Also, you get that way from doing it way too many times, and you grow to resent it. The people working at Walmart do not love what they do like the professionals in “The Physical Genius” do.
Comment by Rebecca Whisenhunt — June 29, 2009 @ 7:33 pm
Reading the essay, ‘What’s in a Name’, made me realise that despite the cultural and ethnic differences between the author and I, what she was preaching was extremely relatable. It’s true; the United States is the home of the melting pot. It actually takes pride in itself by thinking that it is where everyone, no matter what ethnicity can blend and assimilate together, even though the actually society treatment of each other may not always agree with it. That is totally fine, I don’t mind, even though I think people still have a right to display and be proud of their background culture. However, what really irritates me is when people demand minorities to change their name so it sounds and is easier to pronounce.
I’m sorry, but since when are names like Elizabeth or Caroline or Julie or Kristine the easiest sounding names? Perhaps because we’re used to it for so many years? Humans can get used to anything. Several months ago, I read in the paper about a woman who ordered her Asian employee to anglicise her name so it’s easier for her to keep track of. Nobody has the right to say anything let alone force the change upon any individual, regardless of how many vowels, alphabets or symbols the name may even contain. We all know racism isn’t completely gone, and it will never be for a while. Along with racism come stereotypes, discrimination – only if people could have an open mind and at least TRY to understand each other. It’s not easy for an African woman to feel completely accepted without being in touch with her roots despite how well-living she is in America. The visible skin colour and features will always be the centre of anyone’s instinctive judgement. Therefore, it’s natural for anybody to feel closer to their motherland and absorb some of it into themselves. I’m not saying having a ‘normal, Caucasian name’ is wrong, it’s great! I like it, I like my own name. I’m saying, everybody has different amount of values and proximity to his or her background, so the amount of cultural identity varies. Just like how this author points out, I think everybody should have at least some degree of knowledge about their own, or others’ cultures and be not the quickest to judge and draw a conclusion that he or she is a foreigner, or a native. After all, names are just vowels.
In the article, “What Global Language?” by Barbara Wallraff, argues that English cannot be considered as the global language. She uses statistics to back up her point of view. If someone were to ask me what language I would think to be the global language, I would say English. This is because it is taught and spoken in many countries throughout the world. There are over 80 different English-speaking countries. However, Wallraff argues that although this may be the case, English cannot be considered as the global language. She does give some support to the opposition by stating that English has conquered some global status. She states that if someone wanted to learn more about the events that took place in East Asia, Africa or South America, the new would be in English. The interviewers would ask the questions in English and the interviewees would have to reply in English or have their responses translated into English. She points out that when Pope John Paul II went to visit the Middle East, he addressed all of the Christians, Muslims and Jews in English. However, I wonder why he would not address them in their native tongues? I think he did this probably because he believes that English is the more widely accepted and known language, compared to the rest. He probably thought that English would be the language that everyone understood. Wallraff also states that German physicists and German research physicists use English as their working language. Wallraff states that English may not be as popular as it may seem. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, ten years ago, 1 in 7 people in the United States spoke a language other than English at home. This rate has increased due to the flood of migrants over the years. Wallraff states that the number of Chinese speakers in the United States has grown by 98%. The rate of growth of other languages has increased also in the United Sates like, Korean and Vietnamese. The number of people speaking English in the world is unkown according to a study conducted by Lintas. Although English is widely spoken and taught, there is a low percentage of people that actually understand it and use it correctly in European countries, so can it be thought of as a global language? In conclusion, Wallraff states that if English-speaking Americans hope to exchange ideas with people from other countries, it would be advised to become bilingual, like most people. I think that being bilingual is a good thing, but considering the fact that there are many English-speaking countries, there’s no harm in just knowing English.
Comment by Therese Kochuparampil — June 29, 2009 @ 10:27 pm
Amal Nahhal 06/30/2009
This response would be about some interviews between some people who hold certain positions in this life. The first interview was with a psychiatrist (Anna Balas). Anna Balas fifty-five years old. Anna is not like the some other people in her age feel to retirement. In this age she feels that she’s reaching her abilities. She always wanted to be psychiatrist and she reaches that. She loved her work. In his position she has to work with the whole family not only the children, to find out what is going on with the kid, and give advices to their family. She has to use all of her skills: analytical skills, techniques skills for working with kids and with parents. Her analytical skills took al while to develop. She identified the patient’s underlying complexes. One of the analytic parts she finds is the conflicts of the inner world if the person. In her job there is a potential for abuse so, she works in privacy of her own place. Therapists are human beings too, but they need to be alert, skilled, and highly trained. The therapist is transferring his or her anxiety to the patient. Training helps give one the tools to treat patients. They also shift one’s entire view of the world. This job is not for the people who are concrete. One who work in this job should be creative, multidimensional, complex, and responsible. Psychiatrist needs to have her empathy to what is most needed. This job need to connect with patients and know how to treat them. It need many skills to success in this job. You to give all what u can to these patients. You need to know everything surround them their environment, and how they live with their family.
While reading “What’s in a name?” by Itabari Njeri, I felt a great deal of sympathy for her. I think any minority growing up or living in America can relate to her story regardless of what their name is. Although America prides itself on being a melting pot, open to any and all types of people – this land isnt as accepting and forgiving as we’d all hope. We as humans are creatures of habit and routine, when anything out of the ordinary is put in front of us we either reject it or attempt to change it to something more familiar. A prime example is the criticism our President, Barack Obama faced while running for office, not only because of his skin color and heritage but his name made many people uncomfortable for no other reason than it being a non-american name and because a terrorist has a similar name. it’s unfortunate that we’re still living in a time where people are so closed minded, that a person is judged because his name SOUNDS like someone elses. But as I said earlier – people are comfortable with familiarity, after a few more years in office and after being printed in thousands of history books our president’s name will begin to sound less foreign. Itabari Njeri spoke about her inability to mesh with other African Americans. Although tied to her African roots, Njeri tried to see herself as an American as well, but she constantly felt a sense of discrimination as all her friends were stiff about her name. even though my parents gave me an American first name I still had to face some hurdles growing up – going to a 99% white, Christian private school I was not only discriminated again because of my skin color but because of my religion which is apparent through my last name. even in my own community sometimes I felt a lack of belonging with people constantly assuming that “Irene” isn’t my real name but just a name I gave myself to fit in.
Reading the essay titled “What’s in a Name,” written by Itabari Njeri, really made me think about names and the meaning people but on them. People put a lot on names and believe they can totally tell about a person because of the name. I experience in some detail growing up and still do with my last name. Of course not to the extent of the author of this essay, but with having such a large polish last name it kind of sucked growing up with it. It gets miss pronounced so much that in my beginning years in collage and still sometimes today I don’t correct people when they butcher my last name. I also got the whole “oh I polish name, must be a dumb Pollack.” I never understood where that comes from that polish people are dumb, I don’t get it. That is just a little how I relate to the essay, but after reading the essay a few things really surprised me. I was really surprised that the author got so much criticism in Africa about her name. Here she is trying to reconnect with her roots and in America she gets slack for it then when she goes to Africa she gets slack for it there to. It really is horrible that people put so much on a name. There have been studies as well that while finding employment some people do not get a job just because of their name, even though they are well qualified for the job. The article was really good and really talked about a subject that I am sure not many people thought of, but have experienced in their lives.
Comment by dan czartoryski — June 30, 2009 @ 10:46 am
This is a response to the SCC reading on pages 77-108.
I found the first three articles dealing with names, and the identity that coincides with them particularly interesting out of all of the assigned reading. I thought each of the authors individual stories were profoundly informative, despite the obvious differences in each story; I found that I could relate the tales they told. As someone who had a unique name, I found that many people were trying to understand how a child could receive such a name, let alone pronounce it with such clarity, and certain people, my relatives included called themselves shortening my name to ‘Marty’, a nickname that did no justice to the etymology of my name. My name also caused me to stand out when I was a young man in school, many teachers found my name particularly interesting due to their difficulty in pronouncing it, something I never understood when all one had to do was tackle the pronunciation in syllabic form, many too overwhelmed by the sight of the name and the arrangement of the letters to say it correctly. At times, I felt that the name was unique to only me, a certain vanity came along with knowing that my name was indeed special, that is until I met someone else who shared it with me, but that wasn’t until high school. I decided to research the origins of my name and discover it was of Roman origin, Marcellus in the language of Latin, but my name had undergone something of French spelling, my name not as original, but its spelling was unique.
Comment by Marsailis Bryant — June 30, 2009 @ 11:54 am
Response #3
“Interview with a Psychiatrist/Journalist”
The interview with a psychiatrist was such a great piece to read. I felt that the first paragraph said a lot about the woman, especially when she said that she feels like she is just reaching the height of her abilities at the age of 55. Psychiatrist’s listen to problems and give advice to help a person in need and I feel the more experience in the profession the better someone could be at that profession. I love that she admitted that she was wrong about being upset when someone said that it was a good profession for a woman because she know fully understands what they meant by that. It helps with flexibility with family and work and she is making a good living to support her family while helping others. I would hate the extensive amount of working in each case but that is what that profession is all about, helping the person in need and those around that person to solve the problem. I also love the reference she made to working as a detective because she really does do that kind of working by trying to figure out the mind of people and why they are the way they are. She gets to the root of the problem by digging. Empathy is what is needed in psychiatry and I feel the women are better at this because of maternal instincts and that helps. The next essay of the journalist is very interesting. Journalists are always writing to meet a deadline and I feel that would be quite stressful and kind of take away from the job because they do not have enough time to fully write on the topic. Also, an editor’s job is even harder than the journalist because the editor assigns topics but also has to be up-to-date with everything going on by trying to be the first to get the story out. Another reason it would be hard to be a journalist is because they are writing the story and when people do bad things, it gets published and sometimes those people get mad at journalists. Some journalists are not bad, they just want people to read the truth about what happens in our society. It would definitely be a rush and a thrill trying to run around and talking to multiple people while writing your paper and meeting a deadline. Both essays were well written but I favored the psychiatrist because it more something I could possibly relate to and I love anything medical.
Ken Parish Perkins, author of “The Dilemma of Black English,” makes a very good point about broken English, Black English and Standard English. One has to observe his or her audience and choose in which way to communicate accordingly. It is not appropriate to talk in broken or Black English when a potential employer is sitting across from you. However, our dialect changes when we are around people we are close to, like friends and siblings. Our comfort around them lets us open up and feel a “sense of exclusivity and empowerment,” like Perkins describes.
I didn’t think Perkins would have it in him to talk in black English by looking at his sophisticated writing. Some people would call him fake, with multiple personalities and that he doesn‘t stay true to who he is. I have been accused of the same thing. It even goes beyond dialect to the language you speak and what you know or the way you are used to speaking. When I am in a public place with my family and people I know with different nationalities, I prefer to speak English, a language all of us know. I get awkward when my family tries to talk to me in Bosnian when everyone around is speaking English. I respond in English and the discussion about being embarrassed of speaking my own language unfolds. My own family thinks I don’t like where I come from, which is the farthest thing from the truth. When at home and in Bosnia, I only speak Bosnian. I feel it is important to be aware of your environment and the way you make others feel when you choose to speak in a different dialect or language.
The truth is, the first impression is a lasting one. The uneasiness and disrespect others feel in my presence when I talk in Bosnian is felt by potential employers when interviewing people that speak broke English because they made a choice to stick with one “personality.”
Perkins also comments on how Standard and Black English identify black and white people. Black people that speak Standard English are “choosing a white culture over their own.” The way you speak says a lot about your education, life, social status, etc. even if those things don’t appear to be true. One thing that it should not determine or one thing that shouldn’t determine how you speak is your color. It seems as if our generation has placed restrictions on who can talk a certain way and why it shouldn’t be another way. It is ridiculous to judge and criticize a race when they don’t hold up to the stereotypes that society has set. Language is a system of communication that shouldn’t stop at just one language or be limited to one dialect. We live in a country that is home t hundreds and thousands of people with different nationalities and ethnicities. We cannot expect, nor should we allow ourselves, to be part of only one nationality and communicate with only that group of people. However, once we start to open up to other languages and dialects, we need to keep in mind whom we are talking to.
Comment by sejla kulaglic — June 30, 2009 @ 1:48 pm
“What Global Language” argues that while English is spoken in many parts of the world we should still consider learning a new language instead of just expecting everyone we encounter to be able to speak English. I agree with this point of view. I work in a doctor’s office and have to communicate with a lot of different people. I get very annoyed when people call the office or come in for an appointment and aren’t able to adequately communicate, and expect us to be able to understand them. I just find it incredibly rude. If you aren’t able to speak the common language of the country you are in, you should get a translator to assist you, and start to make an effort to learn the language. I plan to do quite a bit of traveling in my lifetime, and wouldn’t dream of going to a new place, even if I know that there will be some people there who speak English, without learning some of the local language. You shouldn’t assume that people will be able to accommodate your stupidity and lack of consideration. We cannot ignore the fact that Chinese is spoken by more people in the world than English, and fact that The United States is one of the only developed countries in the world that does not require a second language to be taught in school shows our unwillingness to learn about other cultures and also displays a sense of superiority. I wish that I had had the opportunity to learn another language as a child, as it has been very hard for me to pick up a second language as an adult. This problem could be corrected by requiring that a second language be taught in schools.
I also found Louise Erdrich’s essay, “The Names of Women” interesting. It described how the Anishinabe women were named, how that process changed, and the stories that the names told. What I found particularly interesting was how the first recorded names of the Anishinabe women were essentially descriptions of the woman’s personality. I am not particularly fond of my name, as I don’t think it is special or reflects who I am. I think that I would feel differently though if my parents had waited to name me until they knew what I was going to be like. I have four cats, and all four of them are now called something different than what I had originally named them. Granted, their new names are rather silly, but much more reflective of their personalities.
Comment by Laura Shishkovsky — June 30, 2009 @ 3:21 pm
“The Dilemma of Black English”, written by Ken Parish Perkins, examines the use of so-called “black English” in American society. Perkins approves the use of “black English” and its dialects, even providing examples of how he uses it with others; however, he also stresses the importance of being fluent in Standard English, which can be vital to one’s success acquiring a quality job in this country. I completely agree with Perkins’ observations. If one were to get a job which required constant communication with a wide variety of people, how could anything get done if certain words and phrases had no meaning to the other party? Just as many people do with foreign languages, it is necessary for an individual to be able to switch off the dialect when speaking to those who do not use it and/or understand it. Although this article was written more than a decade ago, it still pertains to the present (perhaps even more so today with the advancement of pop/hip-hop culture).
Many different languages are split into dialects. For example, the Italian language is very diverse, with different regions having their own unique way of phrasing certain things. Certain cultures and ways of life can mold the English language to suit the needs of the people in that particular area. There are already multiple dialects of English (such as those used in England, Scotland, Australia, etc.); “black English” is just another way the English language has been altered to fit a unique situation and location. As mentioned in Wallraff’s essay, “What Global Language?” the English language is widely used across the world. This makes maintaining a common dialect in America ever so important. If the rest of the world is learning Standard English in order to communicate with us, we must maintain our ability to communicate back. By ensuring that the upcoming generation of Americans are able to speak in the “common tongue”, we can ensure our ability to economically lead the world into the future. In my opinion, there is always room for dialects in a language as they are important in giving a particular group an identity. Whether a group shares a common neigborhood or a common history, dialects such as “black English” should be accepted as long as they are used at the appropriate times and in the appropriate situations.
Comment by Stanley Wandeloski — June 30, 2009 @ 4:07 pm
A name can be considered the essence of a person. Your name is given to you when you’re born and follows you around for the rest of your life unless you choose to change it. People try to create individuality and uniqueness through a person’s name. At one point in time, people followed traditional names, often times names that were traditional to their culture, country, heritage, etc. Now, names are considered to be a fashion plate. This is can be obviously seen through the trend of celebrity baby names. These names include Apple, Zuma, Sailor, and etc. Another trend is the use of city names as children’s name such as Paris, London, and so on. Also, with the election of our first African American President, his and his wife’s name has rocketed up the list of most used baby names.
A name makes a statement about a person. When you introduce yourself to someone, more often than not, they try to place your name, especially your last name with some type of heritage. Sometimes it is quite obvious, for example the last name Ryan is associated with Irish heritage while other times it is more difficult, such as Smith. My last name can be deceiving and people are always trying to guess my heritage by my last name. They’re usually incorrect.
Another interesting thing about names are nicknames. I’m a prime example of this, my name first name is Alexandra but absolutely no one calls me that. Since I was a kid, everyone has always referred to me as Alex. Even if I initially introduce myself as Alexandra, people always end up calling me Alex. It’s as if I have it written on my forehead. Fortunately, I really like my name and I do think I’m more of an Alex than an Alexandra. Also, within this day and age, if you don’t like just pick out another name. Hell, my father works with a guy who changed his name to Luke Skywalker (no joke) so long ago that he can’t remember is original name.
Comment by Alexandra Hutting — June 30, 2009 @ 5:28 pm
The Dilemma of Black English
There is no dilemma, speak in the manner in which you wish to be respected. If you aren’t receiving the respect you think you deserve, don’t blame “the man,” check your grammar, spelling, and correct usage of words. For it is in these that one is judged anymore. While there probably still remain a few skin headed white-power neo-nazi’s they’re HARDLY in the majority viewpoint. I think that we are living in a post-racial world. “It don’t matter if you’re black or white” (My ode to Michael Jackson, although he should’ve stated “It doesn’t matter… as opposed to “It don’t matter…,” but I digress.
What Global Language?
Wallraff hits on points that I had quietly thought to myself but didn’t quite have all the information I felt necessary to speak about it out loud. She succinctly states that it is English that’s the predominant language of the future. When I was growing up it was thought that it would be most prudent for us all to learn Spanish (Castillion); recently it had been thought prudent to learn Chinese (Mandarin, etc.) to speak the newest (of many) cultures affected by the “Global Marketplace.” I have routinely found myself watching PBS, MSNBC, CNN, FOXNews, etc. all to find the interviews of the “locals” to be quite fluent with English. To which I quietly thought, “Wow, they’re learning English – we won’t have to learn another language!” Although, the day is young; Obama will ensure all of us will need to learn a different language within the next five to ten years… for that language will be the one of our captors. Think I’m goofy and far-fetched? Think again! It wasn’t all of FDR’s “new deal” plans that got us out of The Great Depression… it was World War II. Does it stand to reason that WWIII is right around the corner? Which is it in politics: the dog that wags the tail, or the tail that wags the dog?!? (Inquiring minds want to know!)
The article “What Global Language?” by Barbara Wallraff is a very interesting article that got me interested to read it all. This article is mainly about the author’s viewpoint on English not being the Global Language. In this article, Wallraff utilizes a lot of statistics to support her point of view. However, I disagree with Wallraff, because in my opinion English is the Global Language, at least in this era. I feel this way a lot of people learn how to speak and write in English in many different countries. A lot of schools in these countries require their students to learn English. For example, when I used to live in India, I went to a private school, and starting from third grade all of the students there had to learn how to speak and write in English, it was mandatory. It did help us some when we came to America, in 1998, but still there were a lot of things that we had to learn about how to speak and write English. One of the things in India was that we pronounce each syllable and letter in a word, where in America we are taught not to. So there are some conflicts to this, because then we have a different way of saying the words. For example, the word schedule is said different here then it is in India. So, if someone came from India to America, they would have a hard time understanding what someone is saying and same thing the other way around. Even though there are a lot of these complications that come in the way, it is still easier to understand or read what the person is trying to say, rather then trying to translate everything you hear or read. However, when I started fourth grade in America that first year was very hard for me, but after that speaking, writing, and understanding English came more easily with me. Moreover, there are a lot of businesses in different countries that use English language as the standard language to converse in or do business transaction in. For example, in India, English is considered to be the national language of business.
However, Barbara Wallraff argues that even though English has conquered some of the global status, it is still not a global language, and you should learn a different language. I agree with Wallraff on the point that we should learn a different language besides English. My mother tongue is Punjabi, but in school I had to learn Hindi, which is the national language of India, and also I had to learn English. So I already know three different languages. However, since coming to America I have learned some French and some Italian. I have seen that this has helped me a lot, being able to speak something else rather than English. When I used to work in Meijer, sometimes we used to get customer that did not speak English at all, so it was hard for my coworkers to explain them something. This is where I would come in handy for them; I would talk to them, though not in my mother tongue, but rather in the national tongue, Hindi. Moreover, speaking multiple languages will also help me in the future, when I become a nurse, because not all my patients will be able to speak English. It is good to learn a new language because it gives you more credibility to your life. In my opinion you learn more about the world and you can say that you have experienced something.
Comment by Sukhreet Sandhu — June 30, 2009 @ 7:16 pm
This short essay was about ebonics that has derived from the English language. The most common words are dis, dat, whassup, and nigga. The school board at the authors’ school thought that the school should teach the English language as a cultural dialect. African Americans took offence to this idea. The school boards idea did not follow through within the school.
I do not think that African Americans should have taken offence to the school boards suggestion because it can only help and not hurt you. Every one should practice adequate. You should know how to talk in front of different audiences. There are certain words that you might feel comfortable saying around your friends, but you cannot use those same words in front of your parents or a public area.
Then there was the controversy of having a good dialect can mean you are a “wanna be white person”. It seems like you can never please society. The society always finds a way to break you down. It is really sad that even though so many years have passed since slavery it feels like we have so far to go.
The author mentions that the words dis, dat, and whassup derived from slavery. The masters’ intent was to let the slaves pick up on this type of dialect so that the slaves would always be part of the lower class. When I looked up the word whassup it stated that it was derived from a Budweiser campaign. The ad campaign was run world wide and became a pop culture phenomenon. The phrase is a corruption of the phrase “what’s up”. The Simpsons, South Park, Teletubbies, ESPN Sports Center and Saturday Night Live use the words dis, dat, and whassup as a parody.
The author uses Magic Johnson, sports commentator, as an example. Magic Johnson was taking in public very informal and he was criticized. He eventually started taking classes to help his dialect. I think it is very important to know your audience because first impressions last a lifetime. So unless you are around friends and family it is best to speak formal or more intellectually.
Comment by Ashley Griffin — June 30, 2009 @ 9:19 pm
Language has always been an important part of my life. I have been fluent in 6 languages (Chaldean, Arabic, Spanish, Catalan, English, and French), and learned to read and write in 4 (Spanish, Catalan, English, and French). I was born in Baghdad, but I’m not Arabic. I’m Chaldean, a Christian ethnicity which originates from Mesopotamia (Babylon) that was previously a civilization in the Middle East (the area is now in Iraq). We have our own language, which very much resembles the ancient Aramaic. We use it to differentiate ourselves from Arabs and obviously as a part of our historic culture. Growing up in a Chaldean home, no matter where we lived, the Chaldean language has always been my “first language” and one that I’ve always spoken fluently. However, the rest of the Middle East communicates in Arabic, so we also learn how to speak Arabic. Every family prefers speaking one or the other, depending on where they lived. My dad grew up speaking mostly Arabic, whereas my mother’s family all strongly spoke Chaldean. So when I spoke to my mother, it would be in Chaldean; but to my father it would be in Arabic. When we moved to Spain, I then began school there and learned how to speak, read, and write in Spanish. However, the area that we initially lived in (and my brother was born in) was Catalonia, which is analogous to Quebec in Canada. Everybody spoke Catalan as their first language and not Spanish. So through exposure and school, I learned how to speak, read, and write in Catalan. When we moved to Barcelona, Catalan was still the official government language and so we developed a strong fluency in it. We then moved to Madrid, where Spanish was pretty much the exclusive language, and developed fluency in Spanish. After four years, we moved again, but to Canada. Frustratingly enough, Canada also has two official languages that are taught, street signs are written in, and everything government run is administrated with. We were first situated in Montreal and went to a French school. French being similar to Spanish, I picked it up fast, but lacked a lot in English. After only a year, we moved to Windsor where barely anybody spoke, understood, or even liked French. That’s where the “filtering” sort of happened. I was 11 and began forgetting Catalan, Spanish, and French, but learned English pretty well. I think that sort of shows how although learning multiple languages is something great to have and know, it’s rather ineffective unless it’s used. I can probably still read and write okay in French, but I can’t speak it or understand when someone is speaking it. At the same time, learning something out of a book or in a class might not always teach you the culture of the language or how to use it in very simple situations. When I was learning English for example, I would always wonder why it was “switch on” the lights, but “turn on” the T.V.; or why we “fill in” the blanks, but “fill out” a form. All of a sudden I was referring to a car as “it” and not “she”, as in other languages. Simple mathematical terms, like the natural logarithm (ln) is pronounced “lin” in Europe, “lawn” in Canada, and “l-n” in the U.S. Things like that are endless and really can’t be taught – they have to come through experience and exposure. Many languages, such as French and Arabic, are not spoken how they are written – so learning how to read and write doesn’t mean you know how to speak or communicate. We always joke around that Chaldeans have a good tendency to pick up languages quickly because of the curse of Babylon, but really I think the curse is that we always travel so much in order to learn so many. I’m not planning on moving to China, India, or Germany anytime soon, so I think my new language learning days are at a halt at the moment, but I’m content with the three I still know (Chaldean, English, Arabic).
In the past, women wore names that told others who they were. They believed every name had a meaning to it. From generation to generations, the practice of renaming was used. For example, they started using the names of saints. However, not all names represent that person or group.
In the Names of Women by Louise Erdrich, she talked about her family generation and the accomplishments her family made. She explained how her personality is just like her great grandmother, but slightly different. Instead of picking berries and storing food for the winter, she is working long hours in writing.
Many families believe their names are given to them for a reason. If it’s not their personality, it’s their way of life. While names can be unique or common, names can also identify a person or a group. For example, my name is Christina. The reason my parents gave me this name is because I was born the day after Jesus was born.
Comment by Christina Anagonye — June 30, 2009 @ 9:25 pm
This short essay was about ebonics that has derived from the English language. The most common words are dis, dat, whassup, and nigga. The school board at the authors’ school thought that the school should teach the English language as a cultural dialect. African Americans took offence to this idea. The school boards idea did not follow through within the school.
I do not think that African Americans should have taken offence to the school boards suggestion because it can only help and not hurt you. Every one should practice adequate. You should know how to talk in front of different audiences. There are certain words that you might feel comfortable saying around your friends, but you cannot use those same words in front of your parents or a public area.
Then there was the controversy of having a good dialect can mean you are a “wanna be white person”. It seems like you can never please society. The society always finds a way to break you down. It is really sad that even though so many years have passed since slavery it feels like we have so far to go.
The author mentions that the words dis, dat, and whassup derived from slavery. The masters’ intent was to let the slaves pick up on this type of dialect so that the slaves would always be part of the lower class. When I looked up the word whassup it stated that it was derived from a Budweiser campaign. The ad campaign was run world wide and became a pop culture phenomenon. The phrase is a corruption of the phrase “what’s up”. The Simpsons, South Park, Teletubbies, ESPN Sports Center and Saturday Night Live use the words dis, dat, and whassup as a parody.
The author uses Magic Johnson, sports commentator, as an example. Magic Johnson was taking in public very informal and he was criticized. He eventually started taking classes to help his dialect. I think it is very important to know your audience because first impressions last a lifetime. So unless you are around friends and family it is best to speak formal or more intellectually.
Comment by Ashley Griffin — June 30, 2009 @ 9:31 pm
Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s speaking skills have improved tremendously from where they were in the 80s, even from the progress he had made until 1998, when Ken Parish Perkins wrote “The Dilemma of Black English”. The NBA, and professional sports in general, is a completely different business than it was when Johnson won his first Larry O’Brien back in 1980, and even after he won his fifth in 1988. During the Johnson-Bird-Bad Boys era, players just played. Other than the occasional Nike or Converse commercial, where a superstar would read off a cue-card, there wasn’t a whole lot of public speaking required.
Today it’s a completely different ballgame. As the game continues to become more and more media-oriented, more promotional skills are demanded from top players. Pre-game interviews, half-time interviews, post-game conferences, along with the blog-o-sphere taking over the NBA media, allowing virtually 24/7 access of your favorite team’s franchise player (or even your not-so-favorite team’s 11th man) has put players in the spotlight in a way they were never exposed in the 80s. Once a college or international baller is projected to be drafted by an NBA team, his agent begins honing the player’s PR skills almost as much as the kid’s athletic ability. Seriously. For example, let’s take a player who’s arguably considered the new coming of Magic Johnson, Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. I remember his Draft Day interviews, his press conferences during his rookie season, and his early promotional work. Horrendous. He could barely put a sentence together. But as his team became a playoff contender and he himself grew into an MVP-caliber leader, it’s no coincidence that his speaking skills improved. In today’s NBA, a huge premium is placed on a player’s ability to communicate with the fans and openly assess his team’s work pre- and post-game. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, not only do they all share incredible physical ability, but they also sound excellent in front of the camera. Perkins expresses in his article that Magic was considered almost a sell-out for trying to adapt his speaking style to a more camera-friendly language. Today’s NBA stars, however, are not criticized nearly as much, if at all, for sounding professional on camera because of the context of professional sports today.
Reading the essay titled “What’s in a Name,” written by Itabari Njeri, made me think about my name (and other people’s names) and some of the questions that I always seem to get every time I introduce myself. I like my name. It’s a conversation starter. People are usualy intrigued by the way it sounds and it possibly mean. “Is it God?!” That is probably the most common question I receive. Unfortunately, I,sometimes, sense that people feel unconfortable after I say my name (specially in a post 9/11 era).
This reminds of the time when I was hanging out at some social event with my brother and a friend of mine a while back. Peolple were just speechless after each time we introduced ourselves. We did not realize why until after few introductions, and we thought it was hilareous. The intro went something like this: “Hi, my name is Ala. This is my bother Kamil, and meet my friend Jehad.” To the listener it probably sounds more like this: “Hi, I am God, this is my Camel and I brought Holy War with me.” hahahaha
In conclusion, I do not put too much emphasis on a name. It is just a way to identify people and communicate in my opinion. Everyday the world is becoming more and more a global village. We encounter people from different backgrounds constantly and hard to pronounce names are more common now. Some people might be sensitive to their name, as it might have a significance to them. It could be a cultural significance or a personal one if the individual is named after someone they admire in the family such as the grandmother.
Comment by Ala Jammalieh — June 30, 2009 @ 10:04 pm
The book reading about Black English was very interesting. The author makes many points toward how the Black English was widely accepted, but he oddly still felt that the “proper” English should still be used. Personally I feel almost the same way. I don’t mind if a person uses slang, or has a different accent, but when it comes to academic/work related aspects I feel that proper English must be used. I have had many times during work meetings were slang was used, and like expected it sounded poor, and very unintelligent to the rest of the group. This brings into question also what is the “proper” English. I still struggle myself why the older England English is the proper form. There are many dialects, and changes to the English language, and sometimes I wonder why the main English dialects are not one of them.
The next reading What’s in a name was also very interesting. I have seen many of my family members come over from Europe and having to change their names to fit in. My uncle Adiis (yes two I’s) changed to Eddie, and my cousin had her name changed from Bojana (Christmas) to Christina. Although the new names are fairly common, both felt that they had lost a bit of their own personality. Many times they have expressed a somewhat disappointment of the nicknames they received from American natives. I on the other hand feel fine with my name being changed from Ante to Anthony. Maybe I am more accepting to the change due to the fact it was done when I was three, while my family had it done at age twenty-five plus.
The final reading was on what is the global language. I expressed in class that English has become and will stay (so far at least) the global language. This is mainly a fact that science and business both refer to English as their universal language. Since businesses have probably the most influence globally that is a huge factor in why many speak English. Without the global trade/business many societies would crumble without the knowledge of the English language. Finally because science is also world wide they use English as their primary language. This makes others also forced into learning English if they wish to be part of the global science community.
Comment by Anthony Injic — June 30, 2009 @ 10:26 pm
“Santaland Diaries”by David Sedaris was one of the most humorous and thought-provoking stories I’ve read thus far in class. I found that although this elf witnessed various interactions between parents and children, parents and employees of Santalnd and even parents/children and himself that were the opposite of people being very jovial and in the Christmas spirit most attempted to create this allusion that life was grand. They were determined no matter how vulgar their language became nor how passively they injected race into their holiday that their children WOULD be happy and WOULD believe in Santa and the entire ambiance of the Christmas holiday at large. From parents practically forcing their children to ask Santa for gifts, to standing in lines for hours for one photo with a man that doesn’t really exist these parents argued, used profane words with Santaland employees and overall did not accomplish their mission of an easygoing joyful holiday but rather a forced smile.
The concept that really triggered my attention was the idea that some parent actually factored race into their celebration of the holiday. Requesting a black or white santa and if that black santa wasn’t dark enough to please the parent then it resulted in rage causing a scene or simply saying he’s not dark enough. My initial thoughts were, if the parents feel this way then it would not be far fetched to assume they are teaching whether directly or indirectly their children the concept of race and the role it plays in simply enjoying a religious holiday…something i completely disagree with. By focusing on race in Christmas we have completely lost focus of the true meaning of the holiday and have somehow shifted the attention to our community/race. This then teaches children that race needs to be a factor in everything and not embracing the idea that we are all equal. If we continuously have different versions of santa for every race then it presents the idea that we are not unified but separate. Some may disagree and say that by people creating a santa that resembles their race they are simply making santa more of someone the children can relate to. This may be true but looking at this issue holistically, I feel, shows how we are embracing the idea that we are all different. Let certain things that were created by one culture be of that culture and things that can be related or altered to fit a certain should be done.
Ultimately, I stand firm in my opinion that children learn a great amount by their peers, teachers, and parents actions. If we, ourselves, present an idea that there’s a difference with something as simple as Santa then it makes it more difficult to teach our children and create an environment that is aiming to move away from separatism.
Comment by Shaquitta Stanley — June 30, 2009 @ 10:28 pm
Reading “What’s in a Name?” got me thinking about how Americans treat their names, and how they feel about their background compared to people from other countries. Even though my name is not an uncommon one, nor is my sisters, my Mother never liked it when someone called us by a shortened version of our names. Today, I really do prefer to be called by my full first name. As to exactly why Im not sure, but I am very proud of my heritage and I suppose I am trying to respect my parents and their background through the integrity of my name. Many Americans embrace shortened names, though. Maybe people in this country are not so familiar or interested in their heritage, and have far different values. Being raised Polish, I definitely felt a certain pride and honor that defined who I am today. Family, friends and tradition were a very big part of my childhood as well. Different countries and cultures have different values and priorities. Perhaps broadening ones horizon can change their outlook on the simple things about us such as our names.
Comment by David Pietrusa — June 30, 2009 @ 10:44 pm
English is considered to be fit in the ‘Global Language’ position usually. it is most popular language among others but off course not in all over world people speaks it. Many countries for example, in Europe, people don’t even understand English. How many different languages speak in the whole world? Most likely it is impossible to answer because languages’ distribution is not limited with the numbers of the countries. Each country itself has many languages; for example, in Pakistan there are four provinces, each has its own language, and one national language, along with some border cities and small villages speak different language. Similarly, in India, most people even don’t understand their national language; each state usually has its own local language. Thus, many other examples are still there, for rejecting the English’s position to be a global language, but no doubt its one of the most popular languages. In the other article, author discussed about the crises she faced after changed her American’s name to a cultural name. That’s true coz name basically represent ethnic background of a person. So, if she representing different culture, obviously, many questions can come in mind about her ethnic background, religion, ancestors’ life style etc. She felt upset when people were asking and getting information. And when sometime they were try to remind her slavery life by keep asking about her originality. That’s actually true; some cultures very much concern about the meanings of their names, and thinks that name leave impact on yours personality all over your life. Because our class contains students from very diverse background, so everybody had a story and personal experiences which they shared, it was really a fun and very informative.
Comment by summera kanwal — June 30, 2009 @ 10:45 pm
In the essay “Motherhood and Comp Time” it focused mainly on the struggle of a single mother. A woman named Le’Shawnda Riley in particular. I think this essay is very important, especially in today’s society. It’s obvious that many families cannot support themselves living on one income, therefore making it necessary for women to work. In Le’Shawnda’s essay, she mentions the dilemma she faces when one of her children get sick, due to the fact that she will not be able to afford medical bills and things of that nature. Another thing mentioned in this essay is the debate between labor officials and working mother to allow comp time. It seems very necessary, but conversely it is the woman’s choice where she works, how she supports her family and balances her time. Another essay discussed in class was, “What Global Language” it discussed English the authors opinion of English not being the global language. I definitely disagreed, it many countries in the world, English is taught. It seems very crucial to speak English in today’s world.
Comment by Joumana Amine — June 30, 2009 @ 10:56 pm
Nathan Missler
Response 3
In my response, I will be responding towards the story, “The Dilemma of Black English” by Ken Perkins. I feel that there should be some sort of boundary between formal and informal language. Formal can be followed as Sir, Madam, and please, and thank you. Informal language can be for example, dis, dat, brotha, and my hommie. Would you seriously talk to your relatives or even a stranger right off the street with that language? You automatically set a first impression on someone on how they dress, look, talk, and represent themselves and if you set an example like previously showed, your first impression would not be a great one to put it simply. Most people in today’s society would agree that the standard of the English language would give you greater opportunities within the job interview process and in everyday life. You would not go into an interview for a job that you are in desperate need for talking in very informal language. It’s rude, disrespectful, and a waste of the interviewer’s time with that language.
I feel to in order to stop this terrible trend of informal language, we should set up an assembly for elementary and even possibly middle school schools to teach students and even adults how informal and formal language play such an important role in our everyday lives. The whole point of school is to teach children to adult knowledge on how to become successful in society. Well, in my opinion, if we don’t stop this maddening trend we call informal language how are we ever going to have our children of the future successful?
Comment by Nathan Missler — June 30, 2009 @ 11:53 pm
Rich Gorski
In the first story, it showed how names can be related back to someone’s ancestry and how your name relates to you as a person. I can see this being true because I find myself doing the same thing some time. My last name is Gorski , so one could easily trace my roots back to Poland due to the –ski that is at the end of my name. A person’s name is used as their identity, so when you interpret someone’s name, there is a cultural aspect that goes along with it.
The second story presents a few good points. There was a statistic that brought to my attention that the English language has about 372 million native speakers next to the 1,113 million people who speak Chinese. This makes me wonder how we are almost ignorant of what goes on in the world besides what we do. The story went on to say that by 2050, there will be “1,384 million native speakers of Chinese, 556 million of Hindu and Urdu, and 508 million of English.” This makes me wonder what will be the official language of business in a ever growing global economy. I have studied a foreign language in my life and it has not been used since I stopped taking the class. I took Spanish for three years and if I were to interpret a paper in Spanish today, I would have some difficulty doing so. There would be a bunch of words that I would not understand, along with the slang words that I would have trouble figuring out. When I watch television and you have a hockey player from another country attempting to answer questions in an interview, they will answer in the most basic form of English and they will talk very slow. I sometimes find myself saying, “I can’t listen to this,” and I will change the channel. If that is how they sound, I can only wonder what they would think if the tables were turned and it was one of us being interviewed in their native language. I think it is important to have a common language in the world on the business level because it would only make conducting business that much easier. I wouldn’t know which one and who decides which one because there is always going to be that person saying, “I’m not speaking that language.”
What’s in a name seemed to spark some conversation as to what is an “old lady” name or an odd name. I consider my own name to be different. Very few people that I have met have had my name, but yet everyone has heard the name quite a few times. It is original but not odd. As opposed to an old lady name, I believe my name is a little kid name. Many people also see a name on paper, and immediately have some stereotype associated with it. Whether it is something as to guessing their ethnicity, or even guessing their age, a name seems to mean a lot. Names can even be associated with fashion. There are fads with names. Each year the famous “Top 100 Baby Names” list comes out. When choosing my daughters name, I wanted to go with a unique name. I had a name that I would have liked to see her have. That is until people had no idea how to even go about the spelling. I do not like the idea of having her teachers not be able to say or spell her name. So I resorted to the Top 100 Baby Names list and changed the spelling of a name I liked on there.
Ryan Lim
ENG 3010
There are very few things in the world that are our own. Things that aren’t as tangible as something like a watch, an iPod, or a laptop. These are things that we use every day, things that define us and we don’t realize it. Things deeper than material objects, that give us meaning, that individualize us from every other human being in the world. So what is so “thing” is so important and we can’t even grasp it? Our names. Joe, Christine, Jennifer, Ryan. Many people do not realize that importance of having a name. A strange argument, but who actually stops to think what having a name represents. Your name is who you are; it’s how people associate you with you. Imagine a simple word that is essentially a summary of who you are. One name is an entire person, that person’s appearance, personality, mannerisms. From all three readings one can surmise the common theme, that a name is yours and is something that should be fought for.
How does a name truly represent us? During the times of slavery many blacks were given a surrogate name to sound more Westernized. They were taken from their homes and away from their families, while being beaten and chained. It’s not too difficult to imagine how vulnerable and alienated these people felt. Then they were stripped of the last thing that was theirs, their names, the last symbol of home. Only in dire situations can one understand the true meaning of things. After the Emancipation, many of these slaves legally changed their names back to their birth names. Although the connection to home was lost, gaining their names, their true identities, back allowed them to connect themselves to their old lives.
A name is a true representation of one self, and should be cherished. There are very few things that can summarize us in one word. Some cultures go as far as giving individuals descriptive phrases as names as such in the Anishinabe culture. The variety of their names is mind boggling. However at the same time, it adds uniqueness. It adds a new level of individuality in their culture. Whatever the case your name is who you are. Without one, you would be no one, literally and metaphorically.
Comment by Ryan Lim — June 29, 2009 @ 2:35 pm
“Malcolm Gladwell (“The Physical Genius,” p.268) sees attitude as essential to good work. Sedaris’s attitude toward his job would seem to undermine his ability to be a good elf.” However, I still think he is a good elf even with his attitude. He got done what he was supposed to, efficiently. Like the last day, him and Santa knocked out all the kids in forty five seconds a piece. That’s impressive. One thing that “The Physical Genius” did not talk about at all is being a genius when it comes to dealing with people. Gladwell did not mention being a social genius. That would be the only thing that Sedaris had an issue with: being a permanently cheerful elf.
“Both Gary Soto (“Black Hair,” p. 296) and Sedaris are writers who took work they either knew or sensed would not be permanent. Both look back on that work with a certain amount of detachment and irony. What insights do they share about this work was not meaningful? What made the work dehumanizing? How did this work make bitter or resigned those who needed it for survival?” What makes this work not meaningful is the fact that it took no real education to perform. The fact that you are pretending to be an elf is dehumanizing. Obviously people are not elves. And in Soto’s reading, being covered in black soot is being made not humanlike also. You do not look human covered in soot. When having to perform activities like this for survival, it is not something you are going to take pride in. You are going to go numb to it and do it because you have to. In Sedaris’s reading, it says the people who were bitter were the out of work businessmen and such. They had been to school to get a higher job and ended up working as an elf anyway. In Soto’s reading, the men who worked at the tire factory had not been trying to get a higher education, they were just stuck.
“Ehrenreich develops her ideas by telling her own story as well as reporting others’ experiences. Her own story includes an attempt to act on a mission to help workers organize a union. Do you think her own perceptions, anger, and interventions distort the study and thus make her descriptions more or less credible?” I think the way she is studying is credible because it gives her the inside scoop, however, because she is experiencing this first hand, her observations are not completely objective anymore. She can’t see any of the good in it because she is experiencing the bad. Having a job is good, but she takes that for granted now. It could be a lot worse. If a person tries to go through a higher education to get a better job, they do not have to deal with the unfair things low paying jobs come with.
“In “The Physical Genius” (p. 268), Malcolm Gladwell also describes a “magical flow” that characterizes the physical genius of certain professionals and athletes. How is the magical flow that Ehrenreich describes similar to and different from that which Gladwell describes?” A similarity between physical geniuses and Walmart workers is it all comes from way too much practice. The difference is the activities Ehrenreich is talking about is completely unskilled and mindless labor. Also, you get that way from doing it way too many times, and you grow to resent it. The people working at Walmart do not love what they do like the professionals in “The Physical Genius” do.
Comment by Rebecca Whisenhunt — June 29, 2009 @ 7:33 pm
Reading the essay, ‘What’s in a Name’, made me realise that despite the cultural and ethnic differences between the author and I, what she was preaching was extremely relatable. It’s true; the United States is the home of the melting pot. It actually takes pride in itself by thinking that it is where everyone, no matter what ethnicity can blend and assimilate together, even though the actually society treatment of each other may not always agree with it. That is totally fine, I don’t mind, even though I think people still have a right to display and be proud of their background culture. However, what really irritates me is when people demand minorities to change their name so it sounds and is easier to pronounce.
I’m sorry, but since when are names like Elizabeth or Caroline or Julie or Kristine the easiest sounding names? Perhaps because we’re used to it for so many years? Humans can get used to anything. Several months ago, I read in the paper about a woman who ordered her Asian employee to anglicise her name so it’s easier for her to keep track of. Nobody has the right to say anything let alone force the change upon any individual, regardless of how many vowels, alphabets or symbols the name may even contain. We all know racism isn’t completely gone, and it will never be for a while. Along with racism come stereotypes, discrimination – only if people could have an open mind and at least TRY to understand each other. It’s not easy for an African woman to feel completely accepted without being in touch with her roots despite how well-living she is in America. The visible skin colour and features will always be the centre of anyone’s instinctive judgement. Therefore, it’s natural for anybody to feel closer to their motherland and absorb some of it into themselves. I’m not saying having a ‘normal, Caucasian name’ is wrong, it’s great! I like it, I like my own name. I’m saying, everybody has different amount of values and proximity to his or her background, so the amount of cultural identity varies. Just like how this author points out, I think everybody should have at least some degree of knowledge about their own, or others’ cultures and be not the quickest to judge and draw a conclusion that he or she is a foreigner, or a native. After all, names are just vowels.
Comment by Julie Lee — June 29, 2009 @ 8:17 pm
In the article, “What Global Language?” by Barbara Wallraff, argues that English cannot be considered as the global language. She uses statistics to back up her point of view. If someone were to ask me what language I would think to be the global language, I would say English. This is because it is taught and spoken in many countries throughout the world. There are over 80 different English-speaking countries. However, Wallraff argues that although this may be the case, English cannot be considered as the global language. She does give some support to the opposition by stating that English has conquered some global status. She states that if someone wanted to learn more about the events that took place in East Asia, Africa or South America, the new would be in English. The interviewers would ask the questions in English and the interviewees would have to reply in English or have their responses translated into English. She points out that when Pope John Paul II went to visit the Middle East, he addressed all of the Christians, Muslims and Jews in English. However, I wonder why he would not address them in their native tongues? I think he did this probably because he believes that English is the more widely accepted and known language, compared to the rest. He probably thought that English would be the language that everyone understood. Wallraff also states that German physicists and German research physicists use English as their working language. Wallraff states that English may not be as popular as it may seem. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, ten years ago, 1 in 7 people in the United States spoke a language other than English at home. This rate has increased due to the flood of migrants over the years. Wallraff states that the number of Chinese speakers in the United States has grown by 98%. The rate of growth of other languages has increased also in the United Sates like, Korean and Vietnamese. The number of people speaking English in the world is unkown according to a study conducted by Lintas. Although English is widely spoken and taught, there is a low percentage of people that actually understand it and use it correctly in European countries, so can it be thought of as a global language? In conclusion, Wallraff states that if English-speaking Americans hope to exchange ideas with people from other countries, it would be advised to become bilingual, like most people. I think that being bilingual is a good thing, but considering the fact that there are many English-speaking countries, there’s no harm in just knowing English.
Comment by Therese Kochuparampil — June 29, 2009 @ 10:27 pm
Amal Nahhal 06/30/2009
This response would be about some interviews between some people who hold certain positions in this life. The first interview was with a psychiatrist (Anna Balas). Anna Balas fifty-five years old. Anna is not like the some other people in her age feel to retirement. In this age she feels that she’s reaching her abilities. She always wanted to be psychiatrist and she reaches that. She loved her work. In his position she has to work with the whole family not only the children, to find out what is going on with the kid, and give advices to their family. She has to use all of her skills: analytical skills, techniques skills for working with kids and with parents. Her analytical skills took al while to develop. She identified the patient’s underlying complexes. One of the analytic parts she finds is the conflicts of the inner world if the person. In her job there is a potential for abuse so, she works in privacy of her own place. Therapists are human beings too, but they need to be alert, skilled, and highly trained. The therapist is transferring his or her anxiety to the patient. Training helps give one the tools to treat patients. They also shift one’s entire view of the world. This job is not for the people who are concrete. One who work in this job should be creative, multidimensional, complex, and responsible. Psychiatrist needs to have her empathy to what is most needed. This job need to connect with patients and know how to treat them. It need many skills to success in this job. You to give all what u can to these patients. You need to know everything surround them their environment, and how they live with their family.
Comment by Amal Nahhal — June 30, 2009 @ 1:47 am
While reading “What’s in a name?” by Itabari Njeri, I felt a great deal of sympathy for her. I think any minority growing up or living in America can relate to her story regardless of what their name is. Although America prides itself on being a melting pot, open to any and all types of people – this land isnt as accepting and forgiving as we’d all hope. We as humans are creatures of habit and routine, when anything out of the ordinary is put in front of us we either reject it or attempt to change it to something more familiar. A prime example is the criticism our President, Barack Obama faced while running for office, not only because of his skin color and heritage but his name made many people uncomfortable for no other reason than it being a non-american name and because a terrorist has a similar name. it’s unfortunate that we’re still living in a time where people are so closed minded, that a person is judged because his name SOUNDS like someone elses. But as I said earlier – people are comfortable with familiarity, after a few more years in office and after being printed in thousands of history books our president’s name will begin to sound less foreign. Itabari Njeri spoke about her inability to mesh with other African Americans. Although tied to her African roots, Njeri tried to see herself as an American as well, but she constantly felt a sense of discrimination as all her friends were stiff about her name. even though my parents gave me an American first name I still had to face some hurdles growing up – going to a 99% white, Christian private school I was not only discriminated again because of my skin color but because of my religion which is apparent through my last name. even in my own community sometimes I felt a lack of belonging with people constantly assuming that “Irene” isn’t my real name but just a name I gave myself to fit in.
Comment by Irene Mahmud — June 30, 2009 @ 6:41 am
Reading the essay titled “What’s in a Name,” written by Itabari Njeri, really made me think about names and the meaning people but on them. People put a lot on names and believe they can totally tell about a person because of the name. I experience in some detail growing up and still do with my last name. Of course not to the extent of the author of this essay, but with having such a large polish last name it kind of sucked growing up with it. It gets miss pronounced so much that in my beginning years in collage and still sometimes today I don’t correct people when they butcher my last name. I also got the whole “oh I polish name, must be a dumb Pollack.” I never understood where that comes from that polish people are dumb, I don’t get it. That is just a little how I relate to the essay, but after reading the essay a few things really surprised me. I was really surprised that the author got so much criticism in Africa about her name. Here she is trying to reconnect with her roots and in America she gets slack for it then when she goes to Africa she gets slack for it there to. It really is horrible that people put so much on a name. There have been studies as well that while finding employment some people do not get a job just because of their name, even though they are well qualified for the job. The article was really good and really talked about a subject that I am sure not many people thought of, but have experienced in their lives.
Comment by dan czartoryski — June 30, 2009 @ 10:46 am
This is a response to the SCC reading on pages 77-108.
I found the first three articles dealing with names, and the identity that coincides with them particularly interesting out of all of the assigned reading. I thought each of the authors individual stories were profoundly informative, despite the obvious differences in each story; I found that I could relate the tales they told. As someone who had a unique name, I found that many people were trying to understand how a child could receive such a name, let alone pronounce it with such clarity, and certain people, my relatives included called themselves shortening my name to ‘Marty’, a nickname that did no justice to the etymology of my name. My name also caused me to stand out when I was a young man in school, many teachers found my name particularly interesting due to their difficulty in pronouncing it, something I never understood when all one had to do was tackle the pronunciation in syllabic form, many too overwhelmed by the sight of the name and the arrangement of the letters to say it correctly. At times, I felt that the name was unique to only me, a certain vanity came along with knowing that my name was indeed special, that is until I met someone else who shared it with me, but that wasn’t until high school. I decided to research the origins of my name and discover it was of Roman origin, Marcellus in the language of Latin, but my name had undergone something of French spelling, my name not as original, but its spelling was unique.
Comment by Marsailis Bryant — June 30, 2009 @ 11:54 am
Response #3
“Interview with a Psychiatrist/Journalist”
The interview with a psychiatrist was such a great piece to read. I felt that the first paragraph said a lot about the woman, especially when she said that she feels like she is just reaching the height of her abilities at the age of 55. Psychiatrist’s listen to problems and give advice to help a person in need and I feel the more experience in the profession the better someone could be at that profession. I love that she admitted that she was wrong about being upset when someone said that it was a good profession for a woman because she know fully understands what they meant by that. It helps with flexibility with family and work and she is making a good living to support her family while helping others. I would hate the extensive amount of working in each case but that is what that profession is all about, helping the person in need and those around that person to solve the problem. I also love the reference she made to working as a detective because she really does do that kind of working by trying to figure out the mind of people and why they are the way they are. She gets to the root of the problem by digging. Empathy is what is needed in psychiatry and I feel the women are better at this because of maternal instincts and that helps. The next essay of the journalist is very interesting. Journalists are always writing to meet a deadline and I feel that would be quite stressful and kind of take away from the job because they do not have enough time to fully write on the topic. Also, an editor’s job is even harder than the journalist because the editor assigns topics but also has to be up-to-date with everything going on by trying to be the first to get the story out. Another reason it would be hard to be a journalist is because they are writing the story and when people do bad things, it gets published and sometimes those people get mad at journalists. Some journalists are not bad, they just want people to read the truth about what happens in our society. It would definitely be a rush and a thrill trying to run around and talking to multiple people while writing your paper and meeting a deadline. Both essays were well written but I favored the psychiatrist because it more something I could possibly relate to and I love anything medical.
Comment by Christina Bekris — June 30, 2009 @ 1:27 pm
Ken Parish Perkins, author of “The Dilemma of Black English,” makes a very good point about broken English, Black English and Standard English. One has to observe his or her audience and choose in which way to communicate accordingly. It is not appropriate to talk in broken or Black English when a potential employer is sitting across from you. However, our dialect changes when we are around people we are close to, like friends and siblings. Our comfort around them lets us open up and feel a “sense of exclusivity and empowerment,” like Perkins describes.
I didn’t think Perkins would have it in him to talk in black English by looking at his sophisticated writing. Some people would call him fake, with multiple personalities and that he doesn‘t stay true to who he is. I have been accused of the same thing. It even goes beyond dialect to the language you speak and what you know or the way you are used to speaking. When I am in a public place with my family and people I know with different nationalities, I prefer to speak English, a language all of us know. I get awkward when my family tries to talk to me in Bosnian when everyone around is speaking English. I respond in English and the discussion about being embarrassed of speaking my own language unfolds. My own family thinks I don’t like where I come from, which is the farthest thing from the truth. When at home and in Bosnia, I only speak Bosnian. I feel it is important to be aware of your environment and the way you make others feel when you choose to speak in a different dialect or language.
The truth is, the first impression is a lasting one. The uneasiness and disrespect others feel in my presence when I talk in Bosnian is felt by potential employers when interviewing people that speak broke English because they made a choice to stick with one “personality.”
Perkins also comments on how Standard and Black English identify black and white people. Black people that speak Standard English are “choosing a white culture over their own.” The way you speak says a lot about your education, life, social status, etc. even if those things don’t appear to be true. One thing that it should not determine or one thing that shouldn’t determine how you speak is your color. It seems as if our generation has placed restrictions on who can talk a certain way and why it shouldn’t be another way. It is ridiculous to judge and criticize a race when they don’t hold up to the stereotypes that society has set. Language is a system of communication that shouldn’t stop at just one language or be limited to one dialect. We live in a country that is home t hundreds and thousands of people with different nationalities and ethnicities. We cannot expect, nor should we allow ourselves, to be part of only one nationality and communicate with only that group of people. However, once we start to open up to other languages and dialects, we need to keep in mind whom we are talking to.
Comment by sejla kulaglic — June 30, 2009 @ 1:48 pm
“What Global Language” argues that while English is spoken in many parts of the world we should still consider learning a new language instead of just expecting everyone we encounter to be able to speak English. I agree with this point of view. I work in a doctor’s office and have to communicate with a lot of different people. I get very annoyed when people call the office or come in for an appointment and aren’t able to adequately communicate, and expect us to be able to understand them. I just find it incredibly rude. If you aren’t able to speak the common language of the country you are in, you should get a translator to assist you, and start to make an effort to learn the language. I plan to do quite a bit of traveling in my lifetime, and wouldn’t dream of going to a new place, even if I know that there will be some people there who speak English, without learning some of the local language. You shouldn’t assume that people will be able to accommodate your stupidity and lack of consideration. We cannot ignore the fact that Chinese is spoken by more people in the world than English, and fact that The United States is one of the only developed countries in the world that does not require a second language to be taught in school shows our unwillingness to learn about other cultures and also displays a sense of superiority. I wish that I had had the opportunity to learn another language as a child, as it has been very hard for me to pick up a second language as an adult. This problem could be corrected by requiring that a second language be taught in schools.
I also found Louise Erdrich’s essay, “The Names of Women” interesting. It described how the Anishinabe women were named, how that process changed, and the stories that the names told. What I found particularly interesting was how the first recorded names of the Anishinabe women were essentially descriptions of the woman’s personality. I am not particularly fond of my name, as I don’t think it is special or reflects who I am. I think that I would feel differently though if my parents had waited to name me until they knew what I was going to be like. I have four cats, and all four of them are now called something different than what I had originally named them. Granted, their new names are rather silly, but much more reflective of their personalities.
Comment by Laura Shishkovsky — June 30, 2009 @ 3:21 pm
“The Dilemma of Black English”, written by Ken Parish Perkins, examines the use of so-called “black English” in American society. Perkins approves the use of “black English” and its dialects, even providing examples of how he uses it with others; however, he also stresses the importance of being fluent in Standard English, which can be vital to one’s success acquiring a quality job in this country. I completely agree with Perkins’ observations. If one were to get a job which required constant communication with a wide variety of people, how could anything get done if certain words and phrases had no meaning to the other party? Just as many people do with foreign languages, it is necessary for an individual to be able to switch off the dialect when speaking to those who do not use it and/or understand it. Although this article was written more than a decade ago, it still pertains to the present (perhaps even more so today with the advancement of pop/hip-hop culture).
Many different languages are split into dialects. For example, the Italian language is very diverse, with different regions having their own unique way of phrasing certain things. Certain cultures and ways of life can mold the English language to suit the needs of the people in that particular area. There are already multiple dialects of English (such as those used in England, Scotland, Australia, etc.); “black English” is just another way the English language has been altered to fit a unique situation and location. As mentioned in Wallraff’s essay, “What Global Language?” the English language is widely used across the world. This makes maintaining a common dialect in America ever so important. If the rest of the world is learning Standard English in order to communicate with us, we must maintain our ability to communicate back. By ensuring that the upcoming generation of Americans are able to speak in the “common tongue”, we can ensure our ability to economically lead the world into the future. In my opinion, there is always room for dialects in a language as they are important in giving a particular group an identity. Whether a group shares a common neigborhood or a common history, dialects such as “black English” should be accepted as long as they are used at the appropriate times and in the appropriate situations.
Comment by Stanley Wandeloski — June 30, 2009 @ 4:07 pm
A name can be considered the essence of a person. Your name is given to you when you’re born and follows you around for the rest of your life unless you choose to change it. People try to create individuality and uniqueness through a person’s name. At one point in time, people followed traditional names, often times names that were traditional to their culture, country, heritage, etc. Now, names are considered to be a fashion plate. This is can be obviously seen through the trend of celebrity baby names. These names include Apple, Zuma, Sailor, and etc. Another trend is the use of city names as children’s name such as Paris, London, and so on. Also, with the election of our first African American President, his and his wife’s name has rocketed up the list of most used baby names.
A name makes a statement about a person. When you introduce yourself to someone, more often than not, they try to place your name, especially your last name with some type of heritage. Sometimes it is quite obvious, for example the last name Ryan is associated with Irish heritage while other times it is more difficult, such as Smith. My last name can be deceiving and people are always trying to guess my heritage by my last name. They’re usually incorrect.
Another interesting thing about names are nicknames. I’m a prime example of this, my name first name is Alexandra but absolutely no one calls me that. Since I was a kid, everyone has always referred to me as Alex. Even if I initially introduce myself as Alexandra, people always end up calling me Alex. It’s as if I have it written on my forehead. Fortunately, I really like my name and I do think I’m more of an Alex than an Alexandra. Also, within this day and age, if you don’t like just pick out another name. Hell, my father works with a guy who changed his name to Luke Skywalker (no joke) so long ago that he can’t remember is original name.
Comment by Alexandra Hutting — June 30, 2009 @ 5:28 pm
The Dilemma of Black English
There is no dilemma, speak in the manner in which you wish to be respected. If you aren’t receiving the respect you think you deserve, don’t blame “the man,” check your grammar, spelling, and correct usage of words. For it is in these that one is judged anymore. While there probably still remain a few skin headed white-power neo-nazi’s they’re HARDLY in the majority viewpoint. I think that we are living in a post-racial world. “It don’t matter if you’re black or white” (My ode to Michael Jackson, although he should’ve stated “It doesn’t matter… as opposed to “It don’t matter…,” but I digress.
What Global Language?
Wallraff hits on points that I had quietly thought to myself but didn’t quite have all the information I felt necessary to speak about it out loud. She succinctly states that it is English that’s the predominant language of the future. When I was growing up it was thought that it would be most prudent for us all to learn Spanish (Castillion); recently it had been thought prudent to learn Chinese (Mandarin, etc.) to speak the newest (of many) cultures affected by the “Global Marketplace.” I have routinely found myself watching PBS, MSNBC, CNN, FOXNews, etc. all to find the interviews of the “locals” to be quite fluent with English. To which I quietly thought, “Wow, they’re learning English – we won’t have to learn another language!” Although, the day is young; Obama will ensure all of us will need to learn a different language within the next five to ten years… for that language will be the one of our captors. Think I’m goofy and far-fetched? Think again! It wasn’t all of FDR’s “new deal” plans that got us out of The Great Depression… it was World War II. Does it stand to reason that WWIII is right around the corner? Which is it in politics: the dog that wags the tail, or the tail that wags the dog?!? (Inquiring minds want to know!)
Comment by David Riley — June 30, 2009 @ 6:22 pm
The article “What Global Language?” by Barbara Wallraff is a very interesting article that got me interested to read it all. This article is mainly about the author’s viewpoint on English not being the Global Language. In this article, Wallraff utilizes a lot of statistics to support her point of view. However, I disagree with Wallraff, because in my opinion English is the Global Language, at least in this era. I feel this way a lot of people learn how to speak and write in English in many different countries. A lot of schools in these countries require their students to learn English. For example, when I used to live in India, I went to a private school, and starting from third grade all of the students there had to learn how to speak and write in English, it was mandatory. It did help us some when we came to America, in 1998, but still there were a lot of things that we had to learn about how to speak and write English. One of the things in India was that we pronounce each syllable and letter in a word, where in America we are taught not to. So there are some conflicts to this, because then we have a different way of saying the words. For example, the word schedule is said different here then it is in India. So, if someone came from India to America, they would have a hard time understanding what someone is saying and same thing the other way around. Even though there are a lot of these complications that come in the way, it is still easier to understand or read what the person is trying to say, rather then trying to translate everything you hear or read. However, when I started fourth grade in America that first year was very hard for me, but after that speaking, writing, and understanding English came more easily with me. Moreover, there are a lot of businesses in different countries that use English language as the standard language to converse in or do business transaction in. For example, in India, English is considered to be the national language of business.
However, Barbara Wallraff argues that even though English has conquered some of the global status, it is still not a global language, and you should learn a different language. I agree with Wallraff on the point that we should learn a different language besides English. My mother tongue is Punjabi, but in school I had to learn Hindi, which is the national language of India, and also I had to learn English. So I already know three different languages. However, since coming to America I have learned some French and some Italian. I have seen that this has helped me a lot, being able to speak something else rather than English. When I used to work in Meijer, sometimes we used to get customer that did not speak English at all, so it was hard for my coworkers to explain them something. This is where I would come in handy for them; I would talk to them, though not in my mother tongue, but rather in the national tongue, Hindi. Moreover, speaking multiple languages will also help me in the future, when I become a nurse, because not all my patients will be able to speak English. It is good to learn a new language because it gives you more credibility to your life. In my opinion you learn more about the world and you can say that you have experienced something.
Comment by Sukhreet Sandhu — June 30, 2009 @ 7:16 pm
This short essay was about ebonics that has derived from the English language. The most common words are dis, dat, whassup, and nigga. The school board at the authors’ school thought that the school should teach the English language as a cultural dialect. African Americans took offence to this idea. The school boards idea did not follow through within the school.
I do not think that African Americans should have taken offence to the school boards suggestion because it can only help and not hurt you. Every one should practice adequate. You should know how to talk in front of different audiences. There are certain words that you might feel comfortable saying around your friends, but you cannot use those same words in front of your parents or a public area.
Then there was the controversy of having a good dialect can mean you are a “wanna be white person”. It seems like you can never please society. The society always finds a way to break you down. It is really sad that even though so many years have passed since slavery it feels like we have so far to go.
The author mentions that the words dis, dat, and whassup derived from slavery. The masters’ intent was to let the slaves pick up on this type of dialect so that the slaves would always be part of the lower class. When I looked up the word whassup it stated that it was derived from a Budweiser campaign. The ad campaign was run world wide and became a pop culture phenomenon. The phrase is a corruption of the phrase “what’s up”. The Simpsons, South Park, Teletubbies, ESPN Sports Center and Saturday Night Live use the words dis, dat, and whassup as a parody.
The author uses Magic Johnson, sports commentator, as an example. Magic Johnson was taking in public very informal and he was criticized. He eventually started taking classes to help his dialect. I think it is very important to know your audience because first impressions last a lifetime. So unless you are around friends and family it is best to speak formal or more intellectually.
Comment by Ashley Griffin — June 30, 2009 @ 9:19 pm
Language has always been an important part of my life. I have been fluent in 6 languages (Chaldean, Arabic, Spanish, Catalan, English, and French), and learned to read and write in 4 (Spanish, Catalan, English, and French). I was born in Baghdad, but I’m not Arabic. I’m Chaldean, a Christian ethnicity which originates from Mesopotamia (Babylon) that was previously a civilization in the Middle East (the area is now in Iraq). We have our own language, which very much resembles the ancient Aramaic. We use it to differentiate ourselves from Arabs and obviously as a part of our historic culture. Growing up in a Chaldean home, no matter where we lived, the Chaldean language has always been my “first language” and one that I’ve always spoken fluently. However, the rest of the Middle East communicates in Arabic, so we also learn how to speak Arabic. Every family prefers speaking one or the other, depending on where they lived. My dad grew up speaking mostly Arabic, whereas my mother’s family all strongly spoke Chaldean. So when I spoke to my mother, it would be in Chaldean; but to my father it would be in Arabic. When we moved to Spain, I then began school there and learned how to speak, read, and write in Spanish. However, the area that we initially lived in (and my brother was born in) was Catalonia, which is analogous to Quebec in Canada. Everybody spoke Catalan as their first language and not Spanish. So through exposure and school, I learned how to speak, read, and write in Catalan. When we moved to Barcelona, Catalan was still the official government language and so we developed a strong fluency in it. We then moved to Madrid, where Spanish was pretty much the exclusive language, and developed fluency in Spanish. After four years, we moved again, but to Canada. Frustratingly enough, Canada also has two official languages that are taught, street signs are written in, and everything government run is administrated with. We were first situated in Montreal and went to a French school. French being similar to Spanish, I picked it up fast, but lacked a lot in English. After only a year, we moved to Windsor where barely anybody spoke, understood, or even liked French. That’s where the “filtering” sort of happened. I was 11 and began forgetting Catalan, Spanish, and French, but learned English pretty well. I think that sort of shows how although learning multiple languages is something great to have and know, it’s rather ineffective unless it’s used. I can probably still read and write okay in French, but I can’t speak it or understand when someone is speaking it. At the same time, learning something out of a book or in a class might not always teach you the culture of the language or how to use it in very simple situations. When I was learning English for example, I would always wonder why it was “switch on” the lights, but “turn on” the T.V.; or why we “fill in” the blanks, but “fill out” a form. All of a sudden I was referring to a car as “it” and not “she”, as in other languages. Simple mathematical terms, like the natural logarithm (ln) is pronounced “lin” in Europe, “lawn” in Canada, and “l-n” in the U.S. Things like that are endless and really can’t be taught – they have to come through experience and exposure. Many languages, such as French and Arabic, are not spoken how they are written – so learning how to read and write doesn’t mean you know how to speak or communicate. We always joke around that Chaldeans have a good tendency to pick up languages quickly because of the curse of Babylon, but really I think the curse is that we always travel so much in order to learn so many. I’m not planning on moving to China, India, or Germany anytime soon, so I think my new language learning days are at a halt at the moment, but I’m content with the three I still know (Chaldean, English, Arabic).
Sarah Gorgis
Comment by sarahgorgis — June 30, 2009 @ 9:22 pm
In the past, women wore names that told others who they were. They believed every name had a meaning to it. From generation to generations, the practice of renaming was used. For example, they started using the names of saints. However, not all names represent that person or group.
In the Names of Women by Louise Erdrich, she talked about her family generation and the accomplishments her family made. She explained how her personality is just like her great grandmother, but slightly different. Instead of picking berries and storing food for the winter, she is working long hours in writing.
Many families believe their names are given to them for a reason. If it’s not their personality, it’s their way of life. While names can be unique or common, names can also identify a person or a group. For example, my name is Christina. The reason my parents gave me this name is because I was born the day after Jesus was born.
Comment by Christina Anagonye — June 30, 2009 @ 9:25 pm
The Dilemma of Black English
This short essay was about ebonics that has derived from the English language. The most common words are dis, dat, whassup, and nigga. The school board at the authors’ school thought that the school should teach the English language as a cultural dialect. African Americans took offence to this idea. The school boards idea did not follow through within the school.
I do not think that African Americans should have taken offence to the school boards suggestion because it can only help and not hurt you. Every one should practice adequate. You should know how to talk in front of different audiences. There are certain words that you might feel comfortable saying around your friends, but you cannot use those same words in front of your parents or a public area.
Then there was the controversy of having a good dialect can mean you are a “wanna be white person”. It seems like you can never please society. The society always finds a way to break you down. It is really sad that even though so many years have passed since slavery it feels like we have so far to go.
The author mentions that the words dis, dat, and whassup derived from slavery. The masters’ intent was to let the slaves pick up on this type of dialect so that the slaves would always be part of the lower class. When I looked up the word whassup it stated that it was derived from a Budweiser campaign. The ad campaign was run world wide and became a pop culture phenomenon. The phrase is a corruption of the phrase “what’s up”. The Simpsons, South Park, Teletubbies, ESPN Sports Center and Saturday Night Live use the words dis, dat, and whassup as a parody.
The author uses Magic Johnson, sports commentator, as an example. Magic Johnson was taking in public very informal and he was criticized. He eventually started taking classes to help his dialect. I think it is very important to know your audience because first impressions last a lifetime. So unless you are around friends and family it is best to speak formal or more intellectually.
Comment by Ashley Griffin — June 30, 2009 @ 9:31 pm
Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s speaking skills have improved tremendously from where they were in the 80s, even from the progress he had made until 1998, when Ken Parish Perkins wrote “The Dilemma of Black English”. The NBA, and professional sports in general, is a completely different business than it was when Johnson won his first Larry O’Brien back in 1980, and even after he won his fifth in 1988. During the Johnson-Bird-Bad Boys era, players just played. Other than the occasional Nike or Converse commercial, where a superstar would read off a cue-card, there wasn’t a whole lot of public speaking required.
Today it’s a completely different ballgame. As the game continues to become more and more media-oriented, more promotional skills are demanded from top players. Pre-game interviews, half-time interviews, post-game conferences, along with the blog-o-sphere taking over the NBA media, allowing virtually 24/7 access of your favorite team’s franchise player (or even your not-so-favorite team’s 11th man) has put players in the spotlight in a way they were never exposed in the 80s. Once a college or international baller is projected to be drafted by an NBA team, his agent begins honing the player’s PR skills almost as much as the kid’s athletic ability. Seriously. For example, let’s take a player who’s arguably considered the new coming of Magic Johnson, Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. I remember his Draft Day interviews, his press conferences during his rookie season, and his early promotional work. Horrendous. He could barely put a sentence together. But as his team became a playoff contender and he himself grew into an MVP-caliber leader, it’s no coincidence that his speaking skills improved. In today’s NBA, a huge premium is placed on a player’s ability to communicate with the fans and openly assess his team’s work pre- and post-game. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, not only do they all share incredible physical ability, but they also sound excellent in front of the camera. Perkins expresses in his article that Magic was considered almost a sell-out for trying to adapt his speaking style to a more camera-friendly language. Today’s NBA stars, however, are not criticized nearly as much, if at all, for sounding professional on camera because of the context of professional sports today.
Comment by Khurram Wani — June 30, 2009 @ 9:34 pm
Reading the essay titled “What’s in a Name,” written by Itabari Njeri, made me think about my name (and other people’s names) and some of the questions that I always seem to get every time I introduce myself. I like my name. It’s a conversation starter. People are usualy intrigued by the way it sounds and it possibly mean. “Is it God?!” That is probably the most common question I receive. Unfortunately, I,sometimes, sense that people feel unconfortable after I say my name (specially in a post 9/11 era).
This reminds of the time when I was hanging out at some social event with my brother and a friend of mine a while back. Peolple were just speechless after each time we introduced ourselves. We did not realize why until after few introductions, and we thought it was hilareous. The intro went something like this: “Hi, my name is Ala. This is my bother Kamil, and meet my friend Jehad.” To the listener it probably sounds more like this: “Hi, I am God, this is my Camel and I brought Holy War with me.” hahahaha
In conclusion, I do not put too much emphasis on a name. It is just a way to identify people and communicate in my opinion. Everyday the world is becoming more and more a global village. We encounter people from different backgrounds constantly and hard to pronounce names are more common now. Some people might be sensitive to their name, as it might have a significance to them. It could be a cultural significance or a personal one if the individual is named after someone they admire in the family such as the grandmother.
Comment by Ala Jammalieh — June 30, 2009 @ 10:04 pm
The book reading about Black English was very interesting. The author makes many points toward how the Black English was widely accepted, but he oddly still felt that the “proper” English should still be used. Personally I feel almost the same way. I don’t mind if a person uses slang, or has a different accent, but when it comes to academic/work related aspects I feel that proper English must be used. I have had many times during work meetings were slang was used, and like expected it sounded poor, and very unintelligent to the rest of the group. This brings into question also what is the “proper” English. I still struggle myself why the older England English is the proper form. There are many dialects, and changes to the English language, and sometimes I wonder why the main English dialects are not one of them.
The next reading What’s in a name was also very interesting. I have seen many of my family members come over from Europe and having to change their names to fit in. My uncle Adiis (yes two I’s) changed to Eddie, and my cousin had her name changed from Bojana (Christmas) to Christina. Although the new names are fairly common, both felt that they had lost a bit of their own personality. Many times they have expressed a somewhat disappointment of the nicknames they received from American natives. I on the other hand feel fine with my name being changed from Ante to Anthony. Maybe I am more accepting to the change due to the fact it was done when I was three, while my family had it done at age twenty-five plus.
The final reading was on what is the global language. I expressed in class that English has become and will stay (so far at least) the global language. This is mainly a fact that science and business both refer to English as their universal language. Since businesses have probably the most influence globally that is a huge factor in why many speak English. Without the global trade/business many societies would crumble without the knowledge of the English language. Finally because science is also world wide they use English as their primary language. This makes others also forced into learning English if they wish to be part of the global science community.
Comment by Anthony Injic — June 30, 2009 @ 10:26 pm
“Santaland Diaries”by David Sedaris was one of the most humorous and thought-provoking stories I’ve read thus far in class. I found that although this elf witnessed various interactions between parents and children, parents and employees of Santalnd and even parents/children and himself that were the opposite of people being very jovial and in the Christmas spirit most attempted to create this allusion that life was grand. They were determined no matter how vulgar their language became nor how passively they injected race into their holiday that their children WOULD be happy and WOULD believe in Santa and the entire ambiance of the Christmas holiday at large. From parents practically forcing their children to ask Santa for gifts, to standing in lines for hours for one photo with a man that doesn’t really exist these parents argued, used profane words with Santaland employees and overall did not accomplish their mission of an easygoing joyful holiday but rather a forced smile.
The concept that really triggered my attention was the idea that some parent actually factored race into their celebration of the holiday. Requesting a black or white santa and if that black santa wasn’t dark enough to please the parent then it resulted in rage causing a scene or simply saying he’s not dark enough. My initial thoughts were, if the parents feel this way then it would not be far fetched to assume they are teaching whether directly or indirectly their children the concept of race and the role it plays in simply enjoying a religious holiday…something i completely disagree with. By focusing on race in Christmas we have completely lost focus of the true meaning of the holiday and have somehow shifted the attention to our community/race. This then teaches children that race needs to be a factor in everything and not embracing the idea that we are all equal. If we continuously have different versions of santa for every race then it presents the idea that we are not unified but separate. Some may disagree and say that by people creating a santa that resembles their race they are simply making santa more of someone the children can relate to. This may be true but looking at this issue holistically, I feel, shows how we are embracing the idea that we are all different. Let certain things that were created by one culture be of that culture and things that can be related or altered to fit a certain should be done.
Ultimately, I stand firm in my opinion that children learn a great amount by their peers, teachers, and parents actions. If we, ourselves, present an idea that there’s a difference with something as simple as Santa then it makes it more difficult to teach our children and create an environment that is aiming to move away from separatism.
Comment by Shaquitta Stanley — June 30, 2009 @ 10:28 pm
Reading “What’s in a Name?” got me thinking about how Americans treat their names, and how they feel about their background compared to people from other countries. Even though my name is not an uncommon one, nor is my sisters, my Mother never liked it when someone called us by a shortened version of our names. Today, I really do prefer to be called by my full first name. As to exactly why Im not sure, but I am very proud of my heritage and I suppose I am trying to respect my parents and their background through the integrity of my name. Many Americans embrace shortened names, though. Maybe people in this country are not so familiar or interested in their heritage, and have far different values. Being raised Polish, I definitely felt a certain pride and honor that defined who I am today. Family, friends and tradition were a very big part of my childhood as well. Different countries and cultures have different values and priorities. Perhaps broadening ones horizon can change their outlook on the simple things about us such as our names.
Comment by David Pietrusa — June 30, 2009 @ 10:44 pm
English is considered to be fit in the ‘Global Language’ position usually. it is most popular language among others but off course not in all over world people speaks it. Many countries for example, in Europe, people don’t even understand English. How many different languages speak in the whole world? Most likely it is impossible to answer because languages’ distribution is not limited with the numbers of the countries. Each country itself has many languages; for example, in Pakistan there are four provinces, each has its own language, and one national language, along with some border cities and small villages speak different language. Similarly, in India, most people even don’t understand their national language; each state usually has its own local language. Thus, many other examples are still there, for rejecting the English’s position to be a global language, but no doubt its one of the most popular languages. In the other article, author discussed about the crises she faced after changed her American’s name to a cultural name. That’s true coz name basically represent ethnic background of a person. So, if she representing different culture, obviously, many questions can come in mind about her ethnic background, religion, ancestors’ life style etc. She felt upset when people were asking and getting information. And when sometime they were try to remind her slavery life by keep asking about her originality. That’s actually true; some cultures very much concern about the meanings of their names, and thinks that name leave impact on yours personality all over your life. Because our class contains students from very diverse background, so everybody had a story and personal experiences which they shared, it was really a fun and very informative.
Comment by summera kanwal — June 30, 2009 @ 10:45 pm
In the essay “Motherhood and Comp Time” it focused mainly on the struggle of a single mother. A woman named Le’Shawnda Riley in particular. I think this essay is very important, especially in today’s society. It’s obvious that many families cannot support themselves living on one income, therefore making it necessary for women to work. In Le’Shawnda’s essay, she mentions the dilemma she faces when one of her children get sick, due to the fact that she will not be able to afford medical bills and things of that nature. Another thing mentioned in this essay is the debate between labor officials and working mother to allow comp time. It seems very necessary, but conversely it is the woman’s choice where she works, how she supports her family and balances her time. Another essay discussed in class was, “What Global Language” it discussed English the authors opinion of English not being the global language. I definitely disagreed, it many countries in the world, English is taught. It seems very crucial to speak English in today’s world.
Comment by Joumana Amine — June 30, 2009 @ 10:56 pm
Nathan Missler
Response 3
In my response, I will be responding towards the story, “The Dilemma of Black English” by Ken Perkins. I feel that there should be some sort of boundary between formal and informal language. Formal can be followed as Sir, Madam, and please, and thank you. Informal language can be for example, dis, dat, brotha, and my hommie. Would you seriously talk to your relatives or even a stranger right off the street with that language? You automatically set a first impression on someone on how they dress, look, talk, and represent themselves and if you set an example like previously showed, your first impression would not be a great one to put it simply. Most people in today’s society would agree that the standard of the English language would give you greater opportunities within the job interview process and in everyday life. You would not go into an interview for a job that you are in desperate need for talking in very informal language. It’s rude, disrespectful, and a waste of the interviewer’s time with that language.
I feel to in order to stop this terrible trend of informal language, we should set up an assembly for elementary and even possibly middle school schools to teach students and even adults how informal and formal language play such an important role in our everyday lives. The whole point of school is to teach children to adult knowledge on how to become successful in society. Well, in my opinion, if we don’t stop this maddening trend we call informal language how are we ever going to have our children of the future successful?
Comment by Nathan Missler — June 30, 2009 @ 11:53 pm
Rich Gorski
In the first story, it showed how names can be related back to someone’s ancestry and how your name relates to you as a person. I can see this being true because I find myself doing the same thing some time. My last name is Gorski , so one could easily trace my roots back to Poland due to the –ski that is at the end of my name. A person’s name is used as their identity, so when you interpret someone’s name, there is a cultural aspect that goes along with it.
The second story presents a few good points. There was a statistic that brought to my attention that the English language has about 372 million native speakers next to the 1,113 million people who speak Chinese. This makes me wonder how we are almost ignorant of what goes on in the world besides what we do. The story went on to say that by 2050, there will be “1,384 million native speakers of Chinese, 556 million of Hindu and Urdu, and 508 million of English.” This makes me wonder what will be the official language of business in a ever growing global economy. I have studied a foreign language in my life and it has not been used since I stopped taking the class. I took Spanish for three years and if I were to interpret a paper in Spanish today, I would have some difficulty doing so. There would be a bunch of words that I would not understand, along with the slang words that I would have trouble figuring out. When I watch television and you have a hockey player from another country attempting to answer questions in an interview, they will answer in the most basic form of English and they will talk very slow. I sometimes find myself saying, “I can’t listen to this,” and I will change the channel. If that is how they sound, I can only wonder what they would think if the tables were turned and it was one of us being interviewed in their native language. I think it is important to have a common language in the world on the business level because it would only make conducting business that much easier. I wouldn’t know which one and who decides which one because there is always going to be that person saying, “I’m not speaking that language.”
Comment by Rich Gorski — July 1, 2009 @ 6:22 am
What’s in a name seemed to spark some conversation as to what is an “old lady” name or an odd name. I consider my own name to be different. Very few people that I have met have had my name, but yet everyone has heard the name quite a few times. It is original but not odd. As opposed to an old lady name, I believe my name is a little kid name. Many people also see a name on paper, and immediately have some stereotype associated with it. Whether it is something as to guessing their ethnicity, or even guessing their age, a name seems to mean a lot. Names can even be associated with fashion. There are fads with names. Each year the famous “Top 100 Baby Names” list comes out. When choosing my daughters name, I wanted to go with a unique name. I had a name that I would have liked to see her have. That is until people had no idea how to even go about the spelling. I do not like the idea of having her teachers not be able to say or spell her name. So I resorted to the Top 100 Baby Names list and changed the spelling of a name I liked on there.
Comment by Jill Starnes — July 13, 2009 @ 9:37 pm