Standard English?
JeRome L. Cooper
Mr. Cooper, what you need to do is come up with a handful of associated ideas that can prove a central thesis, and then use the essays as a tool by which to discuss those ideas--don't just list what each essay talks about--that's a summary, not an analysis--to analyze, the idea has to come from you, not the essays. Reread all of that introductory material before reattempting this.
The focus of the four tutorial essay was to discuss and to depict the
subject of " Standard English. " [give me an intro
sentence that defines a concept in common to each of these four essays--don't subordinate
it to the fact that there are four essays] Each essay discussed the aspects
of the language, but one of the essays seem to divert away from the subject and add a few
of bias in the written essays[give me some background on the IDEA
you've found in common, save your discussion of the Naylor essay for the body of the
paper--it talks about semantics, which doesn't really diverge from the points made in the
other essays as much as it complements them--i.e. the changing nature of language and how
words are assigned meaning]. When each essay is broken down, it is visible to
see how they all can be sequenced together. [lame thesis--you're
focusing on the fact that there are four essays--not on the ideas expressed within
them--what central point can you make that all four can modify or prove?]
_________________________________________________
OVERHAUL THESE BODY PARAGRAPHS. DELETE THEM IN THEIR PRESENT FORM AND REWORK THEM AROUND ASSOCIATED IDEAS THAT SUPPORT A CENTRAL THESIS.
First starting with the first tutorial essay, " The Brief History of
English, " written by Paul Roberts[this is a fragment] .
This essay probes into the origin of the English language to the present state of the
English language. In his essay, Roberts states that it is believed that the English
language begin around 400 to 600 A. D.. They feel that English began from the
transition of the Roman Empire in to the Christian Age. Even though England at that
time was under the leadership of the Roman Empire, the British Isles were not affected and
continued their Celtic ways. The Celts were given possession of England from the
Romans, but shortly after that the Anglo-Saxons moved in and took power over England.
From that time in history we get into the Old English period of history. This
time frame can be recorded as spanning from the 7th century to 1100 A. D.. From that
period spun Middle English which span from 1100 A. D. to 1500 A. D., and from there the
transition to Early Modern English to Late Modern English which pick up from 1500 A. D. to
the present. With this information that was provided in Paul Robert's essay it gives
a clear picture of when and where the English language was derived.
In the second tutorial essay, " The Prescriptive Tradition, " written by David
Crystal, the essay focused mainly on the grammar aspects of the English Language. It
didn't go into the history of language, but gave an overtone in how words should be used
in the English language. This essay didn't have many topics to cover, but the third
tutorial essay have a very controversial subject that it tried to tackle.
The third tutorial essay was entitled " Black Children, Black Speech. " In this
essay author Dorothy Z. Seymour attempted to tackle the issue of so called " Black
English. " This essay brought up many issues that were not well defined. The
first issue that was found is that she is still referring to the African-American
community as Negroes. This proves that she is thinking with a bias from another time
period in history. Also, to refer to urban slang as " Black English " is
an insult to the black community, because she goes on to say that is lacks proper grammar
and is the language of people who are lower class. Another issue that she brought up
was that this so called " Black English " can be traced back to Western African
origin. This would be an impossible notion to make sense it would be impossible for
any African-American to trace their history. When slaves were brought over from
Africa, their tribal identity was lost forever and they were given a new one. The
farthest that could possibly be recorded is that of the slave times which in itself is not
a good origin. Also another footnote would be is that urban language is a fad of
that time period. The language that is spoken in the urban communities do not last
for that many years. Words that were used to describe something of that time period
will obsolete and replaced with a new word. Urban slang is also spoken by more than
just black people. Many whites reside in urban areas and due to the exposure of
their environment will also speak urban slang. For Seymour to write such an essay
about urban slang, she should have first took a more accurate account of the language and
conducted a better study without her biases getting in the way.
Her essay ties in well with the next essay, " The Meaning of a Word, " written
by Gloria Naylor. In this essay she focuses on derogatory
words that have been form in the English language today. The most dominant example
that was used is that of the word " Nigger. " This word has been the
driving stake of many intense controversies. Naylor hit the nail on the head when
she made that remark of how not only the word plays a big part, but how it is delivered.
The way a word is expressed plays a huge in role in the strength of the word.
She also focused on how it is difficult when these words are exposed to young
children who haven't a clue about the word. That is a nightmare when you must teach
little children that someone has called you something terribly bad. This essay was
truly one that took a chance on a hard subject.
_________________________________________________________________
In conclusion each essay had its own aspect on what is known formally as the "
English Language. " [here, you've done exactly what you did in
your intro--you subordinated this sentence to your associated ideas, which in this case
were little better than individual summaries stringed together.] Although
each essay took its own approach to the subject they all related to one another in some
way. We know when and where the English language was derived, but something that we
don't know is the origins of such things as slang and derogatory statements [why is that important? focus in this paragraph on the importance
this issue has to society.]. Instead of trying to focus on the groups who
primarily used such grammar profiles, it would be best to find the start of such things.[how so?] This way it would be an easy subject grasp and to
somehow answer. [you think there IS an answer? tell me here
why the thesis is important]
Annotated Bibliography
Your citations are done incorrectly. Go back to the instructions on the annotated bibliography and try again. The rest of the citation information you need is in the instructions on the readings.
Paul Roberts, " The Brief History of English "
This essays speaks about the time periods of the different styles of the English language.
David Crystal, " The Prescriptive Tradition "
This essays talks about the English language in more detail and ties in well with the
essay written by Roberts
Dorothy Z. Seymour, " Black Children, Black Speech "
This essay talks about the Ebonics and how she feels that it is black English.
Gloria Naylor, " The Meaning of a Word "
This essay talks about how many words in the English language can be used in many ways,
for good intesions and for bad ones
REVISION: [Not Micro-Edited] Final Grade: C-
This is a really good example of how to revise
an essay by overhauling the one that had been written before. Yet, it still has a
long way to go in the use of quotes, focus and accuracy. The point in Seymour's
article about Black English being a legitimate dialect is lost here, and relegated to a
slang.
The most dominant language in the United States today is English.
English is not only a language to Americans, but a way to communicate with each
other. People communicate in their own households, and in other atmospheres such as
in business, school, and advertising. It can be seen that English's presence is
great in American culture, but we can see that alterations have been made in to it
throughout history.
It is believed that the English language begin around 600 A. D.. English could have
derived from the transition of the Roman Empire in to the Christian Era. It is also
recorded that even though England, at that time, was under the leadership of the Roman
Empire, the British Isles were not affected and were able to continue their Celtic ways.
The Celts were given possession of England from the Romans, and shortly after this the
Anglo-Saxons moved in and took power over England. From this time in history we get
into the Old English period of history. This time frame can be recorded as spanning from
the 7th century to 1100th century A. D.. From that period spun Middle English which
span from 1100th century A. D. to the 1500th century A. D., and from there the transition
to Early Modern English to Late Modern English which pick up from 1500th century
A.D. to the present. With this information that was provided in Paul Robert's
essay it gives a clear picture of when and where the English language was derived.
It is also clear how English went through changes in during those times in history, but
the 18th through the 20th centuries would create the most dramatic changes in the
English language.
During these periods of time, due to the time of America's revolt against England, the
greatest changes in the English language came to be. This is also the time were the
phrase " Standard English " came to be. During this period of time the
grammar aspect of the English language was starting to take place and many words were
revised and also added to the already formed language. The first thing to take place
was the deletion of the letter " U " to many of the words. Words such as
armour, humour, and many others were changed into armor, humor, and so on. This time
created the new norm in the English language that would be adapted by many countries
around the world outside of America.
From this definition of the English language many dialects started to be spun off.
Many regions in America used the " Standard English " language that had been
derived, but expressed these words in a distinct manner of speech. These manners of
speech are still prevalent in the long draw of people in Texas, or the twine sound to
words that is given off from southerners, of the more nasal persona given to words in the
New England states. These are examples of the first methods of altering "
Standard English " that had swept the country as America begin to span from coast to
coast that are still seen today. Slang soon derived out these earlier methods of
altering the " Standard English " language.
Slang is starting to become the most spoken form of " Standard English " in
America today. Many names have been used to describe this new fad in American
culture today. Slang words have been used primarily through the end of the 19th
century through the 20th century through the form of hate slang. Hate slang was
created by slave masters that came up with derogatory words to describe the slaves and
later it would be used all black people. All slang would not follow this path.
Most of the slang used today is expressed by children as a way to communicate with
other children. Today's slang is looked at as being a lower form of English, or is
better known as either " Ebonics " or " Black English." This
form of slang is not just used by the urban youth which is predominantly black, but as
well for many other ethnic groups including whites. This type of slang is no
different from that of the peace and tranquility slang of the sixties. I would hate
to venture into why this language is looked down upon. It is hard to believe that a
country that was founded on change is hypocritical in this form of slang. A country
that rewrote the English language as it is now. This is a hard pill to swallow, but
it is true.
The changes that English has made over the many centuries since its birth is amazing.
Its revisions have set the path not only for the countries where English is the
primary language, but as well for the countries where it is not the dominant language; to
communicate, to entertain, and the educate. No language on earth today other than
latin has been so dominant. It is truly a feat to see the progress that has been
made with the English language and the progress that will probably occur in the future of
the language. If it has come this far there is no telling how far it will go from
here.
Annotated Bibliography
Roberts, Paul "The Brief History of English." Language
Awareness. Ed by Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. New York: St. Martin's
Press, 1994: 89-98.
This essays speaks about the time periods of the different styles of the English language.
Crystal, David "The Prescriptive Tradition." Language Awareness. Ed by Paul
Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994: 101-106.
This essays talks about the English language in more detail and ties in well with the
essay written by Roberts
Seymour, Dorothy Z. "Black Children, Black Speech." Language Awareness. Ed by
Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994:
122-128.
This essay talks about the Ebonics and how she feels that it is black English.
Naylor, Gloria "The Meanings of a Word." Language Awareness. Ed by Paul
Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994:
305-307.
This essay talks about how many words in the English language can be used in many ways,
for good intensions and for bad ones
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