Advanced Essay #2 Boubou Magassa - English without Diversity

English is a language that has developed over a period of millions of years. Throughout those years, English has morphed through the diversity of races. When slaves were forcefully taken from their homeland,and were brought to America, they didn't know how to communicate with their masters or fellow workers. Over time, they learned things around their environments by just listening. Everything they heard couldn’t have been received perfectly this were some of the first appearances of what we as Americans today call “Slang”. Without diversity, slang and other creative concepts of the American English would have never been created and also allowing it to be considered in a way its own language.

A quote from “If Black English Isn’t a Language” touched on my theory, that without diversity the American English would have never been created and also allowing it to be considered in a way its own language. “Blacks came to the United States chained to each other, but from different tribes: Neither could speak the other’s language.” The mixture of tribes caused even more diversity than just the blacks converging with the whites. Because of the mini diversities, there was even more turmoil because it would make it even harder for them to communicate and accomplish their tasks. In the future, this intelligible english had become normal and is even being considered the way all americans speak. Without the failed attempts of the slaves speaking english there wouldn’t be differences between British English and American English.

It was a normal day - I was doing my homework on the kitchen table as my Dad was reviewing some documents. My mom was cooking dinner and my little brother was already passed out on the couch.

“Babou, can you give me the envelope(ON-vuh-lohp),” said my Dad. Looking intensely at some sort of document.

“Pass you which one,” I said as I begin to rise from my chair.

“Give me the envelope(ON-vuh-lohp),” Said my Dad. He turned staring at me.

“Ohhh, you want the envelope(EN-VUH-lohp),” I said. The storm of confusion had finally drifted away.

“Yes, the envelope(ON-vuh-lohp),” Said my Dad. He looked sort of annoyed as if someone had played “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley on repeat for a couple of hours.

“Why do you say it like that? ”I said as my lightbulb of curiosity had lit up.

“What do you mean?” inquired my Dad.  

“How you say envelope(EN-VUH-lohp), you say it differently,” I said.

“That’s the way I was taught in school, I learned British English when I was young,” said my Dad.

“Why are you taught that type of english instead of the english that Americans speak?” I replied.

“I believe that we learn this type of english instead because it is more proper than the English that Americans today speak,” Said my father.

A quote from “How To Tame A Wild Tongue” talks about experiences of Chicanas have growing up speaking their language. “Chicanas who grew up speaking Chicano Spanish have internalized the belief that we speak poor Spanish.” Chicanas in the spanish community have to live with the stereotypes all the time with people saying to them that there language is improper and incorrect even though it is also said to be the purist. Just like American English after years and years of developing it is still to this day being called improper and incorrect even though it is one of the most popular languages in the world. The differences that they had didn’t just make it a language derived from British English but, a language of its own.

When I started off writing this essay I wanted to show you what english would sound like if there was never any diversity within the people. I had talked about evolution and changes that caused english to become what it is today. As I continued onward I talked about how in America people try to prevent more spread of slang or improper english by getting rid of the accents of foreign people. What I was left thinking was without diversity the American English would have never been created and also allowing it to be considered in a way its own language. My father who was taught the supposedly proper of two englishes has learned that American English isn’t improper it is no longer below British English but, of equal footing. My father now speaks with the tongue of a person who speaks slang and American english. As I end off I want you to think what life would be like if people were only taught British English and are not allowed to alter it. What do you think the image of America would look like. Would it still be considered improper because of other things or would it truly be appreciated for what it is, A way for people of different cultures to communicate and learn from each other.

Works Cited:

Anzaldúa, Gloria. “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” https://www.everettsd.org/cms/lib07/WA01920133/Centricity/Domain/965/Anzaldua-Wild-Tongue.pdf