Some Musings on Dialects and Language Choice
Caveat: This is not meant personally, this is not in reaction to anything specific anyone said or did. The simple reason why I wrote this is because I am a dork, and was reviewing my reading for Law today and came across the discussion of how linguistic choices in political ads create an "other" and a "white, feminized, 'soft' national body." Which I thought was really cool and interesting, and reminded me of a point I've meant to articulate better at some point. The book is The Cultural Politics of Emotion by Sara Ahmed for the interested.
I am fond of saying that my native language is a non-standard dialect of American English. Especially when the subject of language as culture, or an aspect of culture, arises, I seem to mention with increasing frequency the fact that I do not actually speak or write Standard American English fluently. I'm certainly not a native speaker; I have no knack for it, no natural skill. I have to study the rules to know them, and I have to consciously make the choice to switch into that language (or dialect, I suppose) when it is needed.
Of course I understand the necessity of speaking Standard American English. In an academic setting, as a college student, no one would take you seriously if you pose your ideas in a non-standard dialect. Even though my dialect is pretty subtle, my accent can give me away when speaking (though it's a pretty standard accent in this area too, but that's beside the point). More importantly, one needs to understand Standard American English to write a proper essay. I'm doing it now. Intrinsically, I know that if I want the reader to take what I'm saying, I can't write the way I might speak. In a written essay, even an informal one like this one, my dialect is not accepted. It is simply wrong. Wrong for this situation, but also just flat out wrong. My grammar is incorrect. Not because I am not following rules, as some people suggest, but because (as linguists suggest) I am following the rules of my dialect, which are simply non-standard, not wrong.
How many times have I been corrected when speaking because I didn't phrase something correctly? Because I ended a sentence with a preposition? Because I used less when I meant fewer, or fewer when I meant less? How many people have corrected my pronunciation of "day" (de, with a very slight diphthong), or "Wednesday" (whins-de, or even whins-di), or "twenty" (twuh-nee), or "car" (ca'), or "jacket" (gak-eh, sometimes with a soft d at the end), or anything ending in –ing (runnin, sleepin, talkin, schleppin, all with a soft nasal n)? How many times have I had to explain the difference which I perceive between "jacket" and "coat" (one's short and light and may be worn indoors if chilly, the other's long and heavy and is strictly for outdoor wear), or for that matter "chilly" "cool" and "cold" (they're varying degrees of not-warm-ness, which I also feel differently from most humans, which only complicates things, but specifically, it is "cold" at temperatures when normally it's only "cool" out if it is raining, that's just how it works), or the differences between "trousers" and "pants" (trousers are formal and usually black)? How many times have I been questioned because I always specify "maternal grandmother" vs. "paternal grandmother" and "maternal grandfather" vs. "paternal grandfather", or "you general" "you specific" and "you plural"? Or because I occasionally use Spanish or Russian pronouns because they are more specific? Granted, some of these are thins unique to me and not my dialect, but I'd rather talk about my own experience than make some grand generalizations anyway.
It is deeply insulting to be corrected on your grammar when speaking. In an informal setting, especially among peers, I feel like it should be acceptable to speak in your own dialect and not be judged. These perceived "mistakes" are actually cultural differences being expressed by speaking a different dialect from the Standard. The corrections are, in effect, saying, "No, your way of speaking is wrong. You are stupid for speaking the way you were raised to speak, for being a part of this specific group, you cannot speak that way anymore." The corrector is imposing their own language on the speaker, and is denying the validity of the dialect (and the culture inherently represented by the use of the dialect).
More than that, any correction in an informal setting (as mentioned before, I understand the importance of Standard American English in a formal setting, that is not the context I am particularly interested in here) reduces the speaker to simply their grammar and grammatical mistakes. Even if their point is completely understood despite being grammatically different from the Standard, a correction might be made, essentially telling the speaker "proper grammar is more important than the point you are trying to make." Or even, "any point you are trying to make is invalid unless proper grammar is used."
I understand that my sentence structure is frequently non-standard, especially when speaking. I understand that my pronunciation (pro-noun-ciation or pruh-nuhn-ciation?) of words is not always the Standard American (A-maer-ih-can or A-mer-kin?) Accent, but – and maybe I'm being idealistic here – I believe my points are still valid no matter how I'm speaking (or how I'm talkin). In fact sometimes the use of a dialect can be more expressive. For example, I perceive a distinction between "to speak" and "to talk" (speaking is one way, whereas talking involves at least two people) and important distinctions between "picture" "photo" and "photograph" (and, for that matter "picture" versus "painting" or "drawing"). Just as the occasional use of a foreign pronoun (tú, Spanish, very informal; toi, Russian, normal, peer-to-peer; usted, Spanish, polite; voi, Russian, cold or extremely formal) or nickname (Anna, my name; Anya, affectionate; Annushka, even more affectionate (also my preferred Russian name); on the other end of things: Anna Karlovna, very formal, even cold) gives useful information about who is being described and who is describing them, the use of subtle distinctions only allowed for in a non-standard dialect provides additional information to those that understand the distinctions. A correction into Standard American English is not necessarily "more correct" in fact, it is often homogenizing and destroys subtle points that are being made (perhaps even unconsciously).
Yes, in an academic setting as Standard Dialect is required, and it is inappropriate to use colloquialisms, or to speak in a non-standard dialect. That is a situation in which my non-fluency in Standard American English is very limiting, and negatively impacts the way I am understood and perceived. That is why I fully believe that children should be taught Standard American English, just as they should be taught any foreign language.
However, in informal situations a Standard Dialect is not only not required, it might actually be hindering. When every other member of the group is speaking, for example, colloquial Spanglish, trying to speak Standard American English would paint you instantly as an outsider, as "other." It is easy to see in that situation why it is favorable, if one wants to become a member of that group, to learn a dialect in the same way one might study a foreign language. So let's take a less extreme example, and use my own dialect. In a group of people speaking my non-standard dialect, speaking Standard American English would very clearly make you an outsider, even though the differences are only slight. I would pick up on them pretty quickly, and that distinction would provide a great deal of information. Never mind if you were correcting the grammar of the members of the group. Correcting the grammar, as mentioned earlier, is pretty clearly obviously making a judgment on the dialect (and culture) of the speaker.
But let's assume you aren't making any corrections, simply speaking Standard American English while the rest of the group speaks the non-standard dialect. If you are also a speaker of the non-standard dialect, your choice to speak Standard American English would be easily perceived as feeling like you are "better" than those that speak the non-standard dialect. Definitely I would assume, if you also spoke the non-standard dialect, that the conscious choice to speak Standard American English is some sort of judgment on the non-standard dialect.
If you do not speak the non-standard dialect, however, it becomes more tricky (or, as Microsoft Word suggests, trickier, which is actually slightly different from more tricky, but I digress). Is the person choosing to speak Standard American English while we speak in our dialect because they don't speak the dialect, and so they are trying to find a common language? Are they a native speaker of Standard American English? Do they have a native non-standard dialect that they are choosing not to speak with us for whatever reason?
Hopefully this makes it pretty clear that it's not just what you say, but how you say it. And how you say it doesn't necessarily have to be "proper" or "correct" or Standard American English. It can be a non-standard dialect, either your native one or something else entirely (and oh, what would that say about a person, if they chose to speak a non-standard dialect that wasn't even their own?).
Your linguistic choices, every single choice you make when speaking or writing, from word choice to grammar to what language or dialect you are choosing to speak, are not made in a vacuum. They are political choices, they are vastly important, and they say a lot more about you than you ever could.
I am fond of saying that my native language is a non-standard dialect of American English. Especially when the subject of language as culture, or an aspect of culture, arises, I seem to mention with increasing frequency the fact that I do not actually speak or write Standard American English fluently. I'm certainly not a native speaker; I have no knack for it, no natural skill. I have to study the rules to know them, and I have to consciously make the choice to switch into that language (or dialect, I suppose) when it is needed.
Of course I understand the necessity of speaking Standard American English. In an academic setting, as a college student, no one would take you seriously if you pose your ideas in a non-standard dialect. Even though my dialect is pretty subtle, my accent can give me away when speaking (though it's a pretty standard accent in this area too, but that's beside the point). More importantly, one needs to understand Standard American English to write a proper essay. I'm doing it now. Intrinsically, I know that if I want the reader to take what I'm saying, I can't write the way I might speak. In a written essay, even an informal one like this one, my dialect is not accepted. It is simply wrong. Wrong for this situation, but also just flat out wrong. My grammar is incorrect. Not because I am not following rules, as some people suggest, but because (as linguists suggest) I am following the rules of my dialect, which are simply non-standard, not wrong.
How many times have I been corrected when speaking because I didn't phrase something correctly? Because I ended a sentence with a preposition? Because I used less when I meant fewer, or fewer when I meant less? How many people have corrected my pronunciation of "day" (de, with a very slight diphthong), or "Wednesday" (whins-de, or even whins-di), or "twenty" (twuh-nee), or "car" (ca'), or "jacket" (gak-eh, sometimes with a soft d at the end), or anything ending in –ing (runnin, sleepin, talkin, schleppin, all with a soft nasal n)? How many times have I had to explain the difference which I perceive between "jacket" and "coat" (one's short and light and may be worn indoors if chilly, the other's long and heavy and is strictly for outdoor wear), or for that matter "chilly" "cool" and "cold" (they're varying degrees of not-warm-ness, which I also feel differently from most humans, which only complicates things, but specifically, it is "cold" at temperatures when normally it's only "cool" out if it is raining, that's just how it works), or the differences between "trousers" and "pants" (trousers are formal and usually black)? How many times have I been questioned because I always specify "maternal grandmother" vs. "paternal grandmother" and "maternal grandfather" vs. "paternal grandfather", or "you general" "you specific" and "you plural"? Or because I occasionally use Spanish or Russian pronouns because they are more specific? Granted, some of these are thins unique to me and not my dialect, but I'd rather talk about my own experience than make some grand generalizations anyway.
It is deeply insulting to be corrected on your grammar when speaking. In an informal setting, especially among peers, I feel like it should be acceptable to speak in your own dialect and not be judged. These perceived "mistakes" are actually cultural differences being expressed by speaking a different dialect from the Standard. The corrections are, in effect, saying, "No, your way of speaking is wrong. You are stupid for speaking the way you were raised to speak, for being a part of this specific group, you cannot speak that way anymore." The corrector is imposing their own language on the speaker, and is denying the validity of the dialect (and the culture inherently represented by the use of the dialect).
More than that, any correction in an informal setting (as mentioned before, I understand the importance of Standard American English in a formal setting, that is not the context I am particularly interested in here) reduces the speaker to simply their grammar and grammatical mistakes. Even if their point is completely understood despite being grammatically different from the Standard, a correction might be made, essentially telling the speaker "proper grammar is more important than the point you are trying to make." Or even, "any point you are trying to make is invalid unless proper grammar is used."
I understand that my sentence structure is frequently non-standard, especially when speaking. I understand that my pronunciation (pro-noun-ciation or pruh-nuhn-ciation?) of words is not always the Standard American (A-maer-ih-can or A-mer-kin?) Accent, but – and maybe I'm being idealistic here – I believe my points are still valid no matter how I'm speaking (or how I'm talkin). In fact sometimes the use of a dialect can be more expressive. For example, I perceive a distinction between "to speak" and "to talk" (speaking is one way, whereas talking involves at least two people) and important distinctions between "picture" "photo" and "photograph" (and, for that matter "picture" versus "painting" or "drawing"). Just as the occasional use of a foreign pronoun (tú, Spanish, very informal; toi, Russian, normal, peer-to-peer; usted, Spanish, polite; voi, Russian, cold or extremely formal) or nickname (Anna, my name; Anya, affectionate; Annushka, even more affectionate (also my preferred Russian name); on the other end of things: Anna Karlovna, very formal, even cold) gives useful information about who is being described and who is describing them, the use of subtle distinctions only allowed for in a non-standard dialect provides additional information to those that understand the distinctions. A correction into Standard American English is not necessarily "more correct" in fact, it is often homogenizing and destroys subtle points that are being made (perhaps even unconsciously).
Yes, in an academic setting as Standard Dialect is required, and it is inappropriate to use colloquialisms, or to speak in a non-standard dialect. That is a situation in which my non-fluency in Standard American English is very limiting, and negatively impacts the way I am understood and perceived. That is why I fully believe that children should be taught Standard American English, just as they should be taught any foreign language.
However, in informal situations a Standard Dialect is not only not required, it might actually be hindering. When every other member of the group is speaking, for example, colloquial Spanglish, trying to speak Standard American English would paint you instantly as an outsider, as "other." It is easy to see in that situation why it is favorable, if one wants to become a member of that group, to learn a dialect in the same way one might study a foreign language. So let's take a less extreme example, and use my own dialect. In a group of people speaking my non-standard dialect, speaking Standard American English would very clearly make you an outsider, even though the differences are only slight. I would pick up on them pretty quickly, and that distinction would provide a great deal of information. Never mind if you were correcting the grammar of the members of the group. Correcting the grammar, as mentioned earlier, is pretty clearly obviously making a judgment on the dialect (and culture) of the speaker.
But let's assume you aren't making any corrections, simply speaking Standard American English while the rest of the group speaks the non-standard dialect. If you are also a speaker of the non-standard dialect, your choice to speak Standard American English would be easily perceived as feeling like you are "better" than those that speak the non-standard dialect. Definitely I would assume, if you also spoke the non-standard dialect, that the conscious choice to speak Standard American English is some sort of judgment on the non-standard dialect.
If you do not speak the non-standard dialect, however, it becomes more tricky (or, as Microsoft Word suggests, trickier, which is actually slightly different from more tricky, but I digress). Is the person choosing to speak Standard American English while we speak in our dialect because they don't speak the dialect, and so they are trying to find a common language? Are they a native speaker of Standard American English? Do they have a native non-standard dialect that they are choosing not to speak with us for whatever reason?
Hopefully this makes it pretty clear that it's not just what you say, but how you say it. And how you say it doesn't necessarily have to be "proper" or "correct" or Standard American English. It can be a non-standard dialect, either your native one or something else entirely (and oh, what would that say about a person, if they chose to speak a non-standard dialect that wasn't even their own?).
Your linguistic choices, every single choice you make when speaking or writing, from word choice to grammar to what language or dialect you are choosing to speak, are not made in a vacuum. They are political choices, they are vastly important, and they say a lot more about you than you ever could.