Objectives:

1. Define grammar.

2. Reflect on the role grammar has played your own and others' lives.

3. Read and consider others' perspectives. 

In this module, we're going to be exploring a topic you might already have strong feelings about: grammar. I have a feeling, though, we're going to talk about it in a way you've never talked about it before. This module may surprise you, excite you, anger you, or all three. You may come out of it thinking you want to learn all the grammar in the world, or you may come out thinking you never want to learn another grammar fact again. One thing is for sure: we're here to start questioning what we always thought we knew.

In this module, you will learn the behind-the-scenes of grammar and language: who makes the rules, how different people are affected by the rules, and how this can lead to dire consequences. We're going to critique other people's arguments about the concept of linguistic discrimination, and create our own solutions to the problems we see. In the end of the unit, you're going to have a chance to pick a project with the purpose of stretching other people's awareness the same way that hopefully, your own will be stretched throughout this unit.

In order to make progress, we need to pause and take stock on our own experiences. Believe it or not, these can give us clues to how we're already affected by what we may not yet be aware of.

Let's start by having a discussion about we know, or what we think we know, about grammar. 

Comment below:

1. What is grammar? Try to answer this without looking anything up. If you simply must--please note where your information came from so we can look back on it later. 

2. What are your feelings towards grammar? (is it your happy place? or place of torture? do you feel good at it or bad?) 

Please try to make your comment 100 words or longer, because this will help you explain your thinking so that we understand your perspective. Feel free to respond to your classmates--here are some ideas for how to do that:

-"I agree @_____, with what you said about ____. I too....."

-"Adding on to what @_____ said about ______, I think that ____..."

-"Thanks, @______ for your response. I have to say I disagree with what you said about ____ because _____") 

Objectives:

1. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

2. Use domain-specific vocabulary: like pronunciation, accent, grammar, dialect, code-switching, and vocabulary--in context.

3. Evaluate the purposes of using Standard American English and non-standard dialects.

4. Read and consider others' perspectives.

Language Changes

Language is constantly changing. Think about the number of words that you use that your guardian or parent wouldn't understand. People are constantly coming up with new ways of saying things and sharing them with each other. Over time, this changes a language. 

Don't believe me? Take a look at the passage below. Can you read it?

Image from: http://www.thehistoryofenglish.com/history_old.html

This is English. It's just about 1000 years outdated. In 1000 years, your text messages (or this learning module) will most likely be just as unreadable!

Dialects

The thing about language change is that it happens among groups of people, which means it can change in different ways between different groups of people. Versions of a language are called dialects. We ALL speak a dialect. While dialects of the same language share many grammatical rules and words, each dialect has its own particular set.  Here's a preview of differences in pronuncations and words between regional dialects:

Video from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7ijTGd6hy0

To see what regions you most closely identify with, take this quiz. 

All Dialects Have Grammatical Rules

Beyond words and pronuncations, all different dialects have their own grammatical rules, too. They are rules that have been passed down through generations of groups of people, and evolved as people start inventing and copying new ways to use the language.

Here are some examples of differences between regional dialects in the US:

Because dialects form within groups of people, dialects can form between groups of people that share any other part of identity besides region, as well. Many people within the Black community can speak a dialect called African American Vernacular English (AAVE), also known as Black Vernacular English. A list of dialectical rules for AAVE here. 

In this poem, Denice Frohman describes her mother's language as a bilingual woman:

Video from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtOXiNx4jgQ

Or take this poet's explanation of why she uses three different ways to speak English:

Video from: https://www.ted.com/talks/jamila_lyiscott_3_ways_to_speak_english

Let's chat. Pick a question and comment below:

1. Why do you think people speak the same language in different ways? 

2. Taking all of these variations into consideration, NOW how would you define "grammar?" Who makes the rules? And what is the purpose of the rules?

3. What are words or phrases that you or your friends use that no one else uses? In other words, what are some examples of language you've invented?

Create an Update:

Sometimes we change the way we speak around different people. Changing the way you speak, or dialects, according to who you're talking to is called "code-switching." How do you code-switch, or speak differently, to your parents, your friends, or your teachers? Be specific. Share examples of would you might say to your teachers versus the way you would say it to your friends. WHY do you code-switch?

Objectives:

1. Define Standard American English--what it is, and who created it.
2. Compare and contrast "descriptive" and "prescriptive" grammar.
3. Evaluate the purposes of using Standard American English and non-standard dialects.
4. Read and consider others' perspectives.

Standard American English is Formal English

Standard American English is a form of English that is used in professional formal settings. It is often taught as English "grammar," however that is only because it is considered the formal form of American English. If you go to England, they would say that Standard American English is not the correct, formal version of English. 

Prescriptive vs. Descriptive Grammar

The reason behind all of this is an idea that some people believe, called, "prescriptive grammar." This is the idea that all people should speak a specific form of English. Since there is only one correct form, anyone that doesn't speak that form is speaking incorrectly.

But let's take a step back. Isn't the purpose of speaking to send a message? And don't we learn how to do that long before we get to school? Descriptive grammar--different from prescriptive grammar--says yes. Descriptive grammar is the the way that people actually speak. Here's a video that explains the difference between prescriptive grammar and descriptve grammar a little bit better:

Dr. Epstein explains why you might feel like grammar, up until now, has been pointless or boring.

Prescriptive grammar rules govern "Standard American English." That's where most of the rules you learn in school come from. Ever feel like you're not yourself by forcing yourself to follow grammatical rules taught in school? There is reason for that. It's most likely not the way you learned to speak from other people, because it doesn't follow the same rules as people do.  

Problems with Prescriptive Grammar and Standard American English

But Standard American English, while sounding formal and official, has its own problems. Commonly believed to be the "purist" form of English, SAE is actually just a form of English with rules that have been passed down over hundreds of years, despite how much those rules actually make sense.

Watch this video about the problems behind "Standard English":

Comment below on ALL 3 of these questions:

1. Re-watch 1:45-2:12 of the video above. Who got to make the grammar rule about the phrase "can't get no" versus "can't get any?" Why?

2. What does that tell you about who gets to "make the rules" about what grammar rules are "correct" and which ones are not?

3. How is your understanding changing about grammar, given your learning about dialects from last week and how Standard American English came to be this week?

Create an Update:

Pick 1 option and create an update.

Option 1: Post an example of someone correcting another person's English--whether it be in social media, a show or movie, or your own conversations. What dialect was the person speaking when they were corrected? Which dialect did the corrector think they were trying to speak? Should they have corrected that person in that situation? Why or why not?

Option 2: Find an example of a leader using non-standard English. You can interpret "leader" however you want to. Post the example and explain why you think that person chose to use non-standard English in that situation.

Objectives:

1. Define linguistic discrimination.
2. Identify instances of linguistic discrimination by applying that definition to media images.

Stereotyping

While it's not inherently "bad" to have one standard form of a language, it can become dangerous when people start associating forms of language with intelligence, character, or anything other than a person's choice of words.

This is actually quite common. Generalizing someone based on one attribute is called stereotyping. There are stereotypes for people's looks, and there are also stereotypes for the way people talk.

Video from: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/who-makes-grammar-rules/3325780.html

Linguistic Discrimination--They Train Us Young

While most of us have been trained to know that stereotyping based on race and racism is bad, not all of us have been trained to think that stereotyping and discrimination based on how we talk, or linguistic discrimination, is bad. In fact, believe it or not, most of us have been trained to linguistically discriminate since we were very young.

Linguistic Stereotypes in Cartoons

Prepare for Disney to be ruined.

Children's cartoons, even when they depict non-people characters, very commonly use linguistic stereotypes to add humor or communicate attributes about a character: that they're evil, not intelligent, or inferior, and vice versa from the main character. Take a look at these examples:

Video from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hCTI6JYtuo

Or take this clip from the movie, Cars. Mater, the beat-up car, speaks with a Southern accent/dialect, while the main character speaks more of a midwestern dialect. What are the subliminal messages being sent about each character? Which is more intelligent? Which is superior? 

Video from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5JlMEni71o

Comment on both questions:

1. Do you believe you have ever stereotyped someone by his or her accent or speech pattern--whether in real life, or on a TV show? If so, how?

2. Do you think judging someone based on his or her accent or speech pattern is different from judging that person based on his or her appearance?

(Questions from http://www.tolerance.org/sound-effects)

Create an Update:

Choose one and create an Update. 

Option 1: Search for an example of linguistic stereotyping in a book, show, or movie. Post clip or example, and explain how it is linguistic stereotyping.

Option 2: Search for another example that demonstrates a way in which we learn to linguistically discriminate. Post the example, and explain how it reinforces or teaches linguistic stereotypes.

Objectives:

1. Define linguistic profiling, and apply it to current events.

2. Evaluate the advantages or disadvantages of having a standardized language.

3. Read and consider others' perspectives.

Linguistic discrimination can start little...but have huge consequences

Many of you may have already experienced the effects of linguistic discrimination. Have you ever had an experience where somebody has either corrected your grammar, made fun of your speech, or even denied an opportunity to you because of the way you spoke?

Linguisitic discrimination, in school, in the media can have devastating consequences for people. Similar to racial discrimination in this country, linguistic discrimination can prevent people from accessing resources--and even achieving justice.

Linguistic Discrimination Leading to Violation of Rights

Linguistic discrimination can affect people's chances at jobs, loans, or services. Linguistic profiling is when someone determines someone's race based on the way they speak, and discriminates because of it. There have been multiple investigations that have led to charges against housing landlords for lying to people that housing was unavailable simply based on the way someone spoke on the phone. This public service announcement shows the way in which investigators have looked into discrimination cases, and advises people to know their rights when looking for housing: 

Video from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXxCYkquRYs

Linguistic discrimination can have huge consequences in court cases, as well. A key witness in the Trayvon Martin case, Rachel Jeantel, was said to have lost credibility as a witness because the dialect she was speaking--African American Vernacular English--was not well understood by the jury, in addition to looked down upon, by a lawyer in the case as well as the jury. You can read more about that here. 

While linguistic discrimination is illegal, it is still a widespread problem in the United States.

Pick one question and comment below:

1. Why do you think people think it is ok to judge someone on the way they speak, even if they think it's wrong to judge someone on the way they look?

2. Have you ever experienced, or seen or heard someone experience, linguistic discrimination that led to serious consequences? What happened? 

Create an Update:

Find an example of linguistic discrimination in the news, and post it in an update. Explain how and why do you think this happened?

Objectives:

1. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of Standard American English.

2. Cite information in order to support your claim.

3. Read and consider others' perspectives.

Pro's and Con's of Standard American English

The debate on whether or not all students should learn Standard American English is a controversial one. While it may not be right to discriminate against someone or assume someone's intelligence purely based on the way they speak, and it may not be fair that only one form of English is considered "formal," it is the reality of the country we live in today.

Watch this video again, and think about when this woman seems to be saying Standard American English is useful, and when it is damaging:

Video from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9fmJ5xQ_mc

Many claim that students should learn Standard American English so that they can have the ability in emergencies or when they need it, even if it is wrong that they have to use it. Others believe that teaching Standard American English is perpetuating the problem.

What do you think?

Given all that you know about Standard American English:

Should all students learn to speak and write in Standard American English? Why or why not?

Make sure that you cite at least 3 resources from the last few weeks in your response, as well as respond to at least one classmate's response.

You can use these sentence starters to help you:

I agree with ___ that ____ because....

-"I agree @_____, with what you said about ____. I too....."

-"Adding on to what @_____ said about ______, I think that ____..."

-"Thanks, @______ for your response. I have to say I disagree with what you said about ____ because _____")

-"I think ____ because according the video titled, _____, ...."

-"I disagreed with the video/article titled _____ when it said _____ because ______"

Objectives:

1. Create solutions to the problem that you see.

2. Cite information in order to support your claim.

3. Read and consider others' perspectives.

This week, let's talk about what we can do to change things. 

Kid President knows what's up: 

Comment below:

Given everything you've learned about linguistic discrimination, what should we do about it? What can you do individually, what should schools do, and what should society or government do? How can you, individually inflence all of those?

The image below is from this document on 40 ideas on how students can make a difference at their school--it might help you gain some ideas of what you can do.

Make sure that you cite at least 3 resources from the last few weeks in your response, as well as respond to at least one classmate's response. Feel free to pull in outside resources that you find, too.

You can use these sentence starters to help you:

-I agree with ___ that ____ because....

-"I agree @_____, with what you said about ____. I too....."

-"Adding on to what @_____ said about ______, I think that ____..."

-"Thanks, @______ for your response. I have to say I disagree with what you said about ____ because _____")

-"I think ____ because according the video titled, _____, ...."

-"I disagreed with the video/article titled _____ when it said _____ because ______"

Objectives for this project: 

1. Demonstrate your learning within one educational project.

Doubting you can actually make a difference?

Watch the following video about one girl who found a problem she cared about and did something about it:

The world doesn't change itself. It's up to us to do something before anything can happen. 

Now, you're going to have a chance to do something about what we've been learning.

You have four options for your project, however if you come up with a different idea, please feel free to run it by your teacher. This project is meant for us to practice acting on what we believe is right.

Option 1: Translate a passage in Standard American English into a non-standard dialect that you speak; annotate your translation with explanation of grammatical rules of your dialect. There should be at least 8 annotations.

Option 2: Find an instance of linguistic discrimination, and write an information text, create a podcast, or film a Youtube video explaining how it is discriminatory, and what should have happened instead.

Option 3: Imagine someone you know is mocking or putting down someone else's speech--either in person or behind their back. Write a message to them responding to their behavior--perhaps educating them on dialects or linguistic discrimination.

Option 4: Write a letter to the school board proposing a curriculum change to English classes at your school. What do you think should change? Make sure to back up your claim with evidence, and choose the dialect you will write in purposefully.

Option 5: Propose another option to your teacher.