Abstract of Project 1
In my essay Learning and teaching English in a beneficial and innovative way I talk about how beginner English language and writing classes should focus on teaching the basic rules of English. I argue dialects should be taught in a separate class. I use evidence from the Young and Motha texts to talk about my argument. In my essay, I counter and extend Young by using Motha’s text as a lens. My argument is that in order to codemesh two languages or dialects, someone has to be proficient in English and know the basic rules in grammar and sentence structure. I also mention that a lot of foreign students or people from specific ethnic groups are in risk of losing their language or dialect in the process of learning English. This could be avoided if parents and teachers play an active role in the teaching of the native language. Students would benefit from this, because they can learn to speak and write English, without losing or forgetting their native language. Something that I point out in my argument is that Young is mainly focusing on Black English, which is a very well know dialect in the U.S. and a lot of people understand it. If people codemesh other dialects with English, maybe that will not be as effective because that dialect might use a completely different sentence structure and people would have a hard time understanding what someone is trying to say. In the end of my essay, I suggest that by teaching the basic rules of English, teachers are preparing their students to be able to codemesh in the future, if they choose to.
Works Cited
Motha, Suhanthie. "Introduction." Introduction. Race, Empire, and English Language
Teaching: Creating Responsible and Ethical Anti-racist Practice. N.p.: n.p., n.d.
xx-19. Print.
Young, Vershawn A. "Should Writers Use They Own English." Writing Centers and the
New Racism: A Call for Sustainable Dialogue and Change. By Laura Greenfield
and Karen Rowan. Logan, UT: Utah State UP, 2011. 61-72. Print.
In my essay Learning and teaching English in a beneficial and innovative way I talk about how beginner English language and writing classes should focus on teaching the basic rules of English. I argue dialects should be taught in a separate class. I use evidence from the Young and Motha texts to talk about my argument. In my essay, I counter and extend Young by using Motha’s text as a lens. My argument is that in order to codemesh two languages or dialects, someone has to be proficient in English and know the basic rules in grammar and sentence structure. I also mention that a lot of foreign students or people from specific ethnic groups are in risk of losing their language or dialect in the process of learning English. This could be avoided if parents and teachers play an active role in the teaching of the native language. Students would benefit from this, because they can learn to speak and write English, without losing or forgetting their native language. Something that I point out in my argument is that Young is mainly focusing on Black English, which is a very well know dialect in the U.S. and a lot of people understand it. If people codemesh other dialects with English, maybe that will not be as effective because that dialect might use a completely different sentence structure and people would have a hard time understanding what someone is trying to say. In the end of my essay, I suggest that by teaching the basic rules of English, teachers are preparing their students to be able to codemesh in the future, if they choose to.
Works Cited
Motha, Suhanthie. "Introduction." Introduction. Race, Empire, and English Language
Teaching: Creating Responsible and Ethical Anti-racist Practice. N.p.: n.p., n.d.
xx-19. Print.
Young, Vershawn A. "Should Writers Use They Own English." Writing Centers and the
New Racism: A Call for Sustainable Dialogue and Change. By Laura Greenfield
and Karen Rowan. Logan, UT: Utah State UP, 2011. 61-72. Print.