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Joanne Kilgour Dowdy’s “Ovuh Dyuh” discusses Dowdy’s insecurities concerning her search for the “right” language, and consequently the “right” identity for herself, as she is growing up as a young girl, and later as a young woman, in Trinidad. Dowdy relates her experiences as wearing several different “masks” and “playing” someone else. When Dowdy finally finds the balance between her two languages, and her two “selves”, she describes people like herself as having a need to live in “double realities” and the need to be “in two places at the same time, ovuh dyuh and here too” (11). Another way Dowdy addresses this same topic is by discussing the challenges of switching between the “home language to the public language” (13). But what is Dowdy’s true language? Is it Trinidadian that she speaks privately, or is it English that she speaks publicly? Is it in both? If all the Trinidadians are being encouraged to speak more and more Standard English, what will happen to the Trinidad language? As future teachers, how do we go about approaching students that will have similar conflicts as Dowdy has? Should we encourage both languages and encourage the student to find their “double reality”, or should we tell the student to leave their “home language” at the door and bring their “public language” to class?

Inquiry 1: Ovuh Dyuh

Joanne Dowdy gives her account of what it was like as an adolescent in Trinidad. Her mother’s wish was for her to become well acquainted with British English. This created a distance between Joanne and her peers. Joanne dealt with the struggle to be herself, or lose herself. This reminds me of using curse words around your friends. In the classroom and at home with your parents, curse words are not allowed (at least in your adolescent years). When students use curse words in front of teachers or elders they are looked at as a “disobedient student”, but yet with your peers you feel the need to use them to fit in and look cool. My question is why is it so hard to accept that people are different from one another? I think with the invention of the internet languages and people have become more and more interconnected and the newer generations are better at recognizing each other’s differences and accepting them. As languages have evolved they have merged with one another. In 1066 French was spread throughout the England. Through this the English language picked up little pieces of French and Latin. So, when, if ever, will it happen that the English language in America starts to pick up little bits of Italian or little pieces of Spanish? Ciao!

Her English May Be Good, But Her Philosophy Isn't

According to Joanne Dowdy, language is not simply a method of communication or a tool that certain sentient creatures have developed but is rather an essential and irrevocable facet of personhood. A person, says she, cannot truly be self-actualized (in a broad sense) if he or she is not allowed the freedom of his or her native tongue. An assertion like this is a bold one and one that demands thoughtful evaluation—perhaps more than Dowdy gave it herself. Inevitably, it leads one to the question: Can someone lead a meaningful, comfortable, fulfilled life identifying with a tongue that is not truly native?
The question, no doubt, has many contrived answers and yet even more questions that it raises. What is one’s native tongue pragmatically, metaphysically, and ethically? Is it the language that one heard when he or she was born? Is it the language in which he or she had the most formal or informal training? Does someone who is raised in a bilingual household have more than one native tongue, or must he or she choose the one which is truly native? Perhaps the problem in the first place is not really one that is specific to language but has much more to do with a general principle of oppression. Perhaps forcing someone to speak a foreign language is no different than forcing him or her to study in a field where there is no interest or forcing him or her to wear a particular garment. The implications that a worthwhile life cannot be come by unless it is lived in an atmosphere of some preferred speech is problematic indeed. The challenges may not be insurmountable, but the precipice of understanding is nowhere in sight.

Inquiry 1

In Joanne Kilgour Dowdy’s novel The Skin That We Speak, the main character is torn between her native language, Trinidadian, which connects her to her people and British English, which she can use to advance her social status. The “good girl” speaks in two different languages to please different people. When she wants to fit in with her friends and fellow Trinidadians, she chooses to speak in her native tongue, but when she is in a social setting like school, she feels as if she must please her mother and grandmother who have worked so hard to achieve a higher social status. How does this teenage girl know who she is if she cannot identify herself with a language? She uses each language depending on whom she needs to impress. Since she grew up with the each language that each had a particular purpose in life, she never got to choose who she wanted to be. If one were to ask her who she was, could she answer? In the first chapter “Ovuh Dyuh”, the “good girl” did not express which language she liked better or which one she wanted to use. She simply spoke whichever language was necessary. Is this girl loosing parts of her identity when she switches languages, or did she ever have one from the beginning? Will she ever get a chance to choose who she wants to be?

Language as a facet of identity

     The main point of the first chapter of The Skin That We Speak seemed to be not necessarily an argument but just an account of the way Dowdy used her language as a point of connection or rejection with not just her academic peers in elementary and secondary school but also with her strictly "right" speaking mother and grandmother. The idea of language as a facet of identity could pose problems to especially young people trying to mold whatever kind of identity they can. I feel the most important lesson learned from Dowdy's tribulations is the fact that if properly honed, code-switching can be an extremely advantageous tool to possess. Code-switching allows whoever masters it to flow freely across many social boundaries constructed by language the same way mastering different languages fluently to the point of accent control allows its masters to act as a native miles away from their homeland. The problem is overcoming the desire to be defined by your language. While taking pride in heritage is important, it should not make others feel excluded. However, we don't live in a perfect world and we do feel a special kinship to those with similar speech traits. We must all find a way to stay on the right side of pride and arrogance if such a thing is possible. In schools especially, diversity of language should be encouraged and teachers should never draw strict boundaries labeling some dialects higher over others. Knibb high football rules.

Dare to Explore?

Language is described as a means of survival in the first chapter of the novel. British English is associated with public success while Trinidadian is associated with the home and family in this chapter. The character in the novel finds it difficult to reach a happy medium between the language she is to speak at home and in the public. The exploration into the double life she is living raises many questions concerning language and identity. At what cost is one willing to give up a native language for the sake of being successful in the public eye? The character finds herself speaking in British English in front of her friends and being laughed at because she pronounced the “th” sound in the word “there”. Each time she uses British English she disconnects more and more with her own language and thus her culture. “The more I succeeded in this role, the more I felt segregated from my peers,” (Dowdy 8). This then raises the question – does a decrease in the use of a native language trigger a loss of identity? As the character disconnects more and more with her family and friends, does she lose a sense of who she is? In the case of the text, the character’s native language was still present, and she demonstrated this when she became the “good girl” in school. When the character was otherwise imitating the English language, the author described it as putting barriers or “chains” on a native language. Do these chains have the power to completely lockup a native language? Once a native language is locked away for some time, is there ever a point when it simply fades away? And at what cost is one willing to explore this?

Inquiry: Speaking Freely

In Dowdy's first chapter of The Skin That We Speak, we are introduced to the fact that our language affects far more than just our means of communication. The language that we speak has to do with our identity, and also how we are seen through others' eyes. She describes in her high school years that she wore "the mask of language" enabling her to blend in and be accepted by her peers. This happens all the time especially at the high school level. We see it we use slang terms amongst our peers. We do it to try to fit into our surroundings, almost in a survival like manner. If we hear someone speaking in a different dialect, we immediately recognize it as foreign, and it is difficult not to distance it from ourselves. We immediately see the unfortunate person as "not one of us." The foreigner has to overcome the "linguistic tension" that will be present before being accepted into his or her new surroundings.

This forceful usage of language seems to complicate things when we are trying to express ourselves, especially in our fits of passion. Dowdy explains this as our common “loss for words.” We have to go through an “act of translation, cooling the passion of the thought.” This diversion from the formal nature of the expected language blurs the line of what is considered acceptable in public conversation. Wouldn’t it be more natural to be able to fully express our thoughts all of the time? …Then again, this might have its repercussions as well.

what would you do?

Joanne Dowdy explores the tension of the two languages spoken in Trinidad, British English and Trinidadian, in the first chapter of The Skin We Speak.  British English is spoken as a well-cultivated language, the "right" language, whereas Trinidadian is conveyed as the natives' innermost feelings.  With this conflict of right and wrong many in Trinidad are faced with the problem of knowing when and where to speak both languages to suit their lifestyles and desires. 

Societies put too much pressure on different cultures to conform to speak the "right" way, but why?  What is the "right" way and why is it so important to speak? Many claim if everyone spoke correct English then it would make communication easier and make the speaker sound more intelligent.  British English is a well-rounded language that many countries can communicate at a scholarly level.  But what is the measurement of intelligence?  Is it the appearance of a person, their language or their knowledge and wisdom? Here stems an issue concerning intelligence.  How can a person's intelligence be measured and valued based on their dialect?  There have been many people in this world that have been noted as geniuses and some did not sound "intelligent".  Dialect is a cultural aspect of a person's life.  It is their identity of region, not a measure of intelligence. 

Is the hidden agenda of society to change a cultures' language to change their regional identity or is it really to make them sound more intelligent? 

Inquiry1: Like a Phoenix

In post-colonial Trinidad, Joanna Kilgour Dowdy grows up in a world splintered by language. While the language of English and once Trinidadian oppressors dominates and is held as the educated tongue of the elite, the native Trinidadian language is looked down upon as low class and vulgar. As such it is not used as an official language of business; it is only suitable for “the realm of entertainment” (11). The “good girl” and those in desired positions must learn to speak English and speak it as well as the British, but one must wonder: what does this mean for Trinidadian? Will this language be stamped out and eradicated as settlers have previously done to entire civilizations? Or is it possible that the vigor of people such as Dowdy and her associates could be an unexpected determining factor? They hold the native tongue and culture of Trinidad as something to be embraced because it holds a representation of their country and its proud and glorious ancestry. With these same ideas inspired in others, perhaps the rest of Trinidad will see that it is now free to rule itself in Trinidadian and not English, that the former British rule from which it has been freed is not needed to tell it that it is civilized or intelligent or the good country because it confirms to the British ideology of what a good civilized, intelligent country should be (a reflection of Brittan). In doing this, Trinidadian stands a chance of regaining the throne as the ruling language of its nation. Let it not be forgotten that English was once considered a low class, vulgar language, and Trinidad is living proof that it has risen from such ranks to conquer whole lands and become the elite tongue. Therefore, why should Trinidadian be written off as a language incapable of becoming more that what other people – people not of Trinidad – denounce it to be?

Divided Thoughts

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(I thought that it wasn't in the right place.)
KEC

Inquiry 1: Divided Thoughts

“Ovuh Dyuh” is Joanne Kilgour Dowdy’s account of how the two languages of Trinidad, British English and Trinidadian, are viewed in Trinidadian society. British English is spoken as an educated, well-cultivated language that is the “right” language to speak, whereas Trinidadian is the language that expresses natives’ innermost feelings and desires, which can cause a schism in the citizens’ lives. The native language comes more easily, of course, and the idioms that are used in it are more readily available to express what they want to say. English, on the other hand, may come haltingly; the speaker may search in her mind for the “right” phrase or expression, the resulting speech coming off with less emotion, simply because the speaker couldn’t find the words. In order to be the “good girl” one must speak in English, but to be accepted in one’s personal life, Trinidadian is a necessity. Trinidadian society considers its own native language one of a lower class. This stems from the country’s colonial rule, having ended only twelve years prior to Dowdy’s article. The country is still dealing with the transition of freedom and independence from foreign government control. It is understandable that those in power would still consider English the language of power, education, and class. Perhaps as the next generation comes to power, this purview will decline and Trinidadian will no longer be considered a poor choice of language for public communication. The native language may, in time, become the language which Trinidadian newspapers are proud to print.
Would this even become an issue if one of the languages were to die out in the region? Could Trinidadian even prevail as the public language considering the opportunities English poses? Will future generations care about the native language enough to save it, or will they perhaps consider teaching their children English as a first language so as to get rid of this issue altogether? Would that be a terrible thing?

*(Someone let me know I did this right!)*
Posted by KaciElise

Welcome! Fall 2009

Welcome to our class blog. I can't wait to read and discuss with you here. Although I'm sure you don't need it, here's a reminder about norms:

-Keep it professional.
Remember that the world is your audience, and that you're representing not only yourself and LSU, but the teaching profession. What we may know is intended as a joke could appear to be utterly serious to somebody who's never met you.

-Keep it topical.
This is a forum for discussing articles and issues raised by them related to language development and diversity. Make sure your postings and comments are relevant.

-Protect your anonymity, as well as that of others. 
Use either first or last names in posts, but not both.

-Seek to understand before being understood. 
Voicing disagreement is productive. In order to keep it that way, make sure you understand the point with which you disagree before offering your alternative. It's always a good idea to ask for clarification.

-Hold each other to high standards.
Push each other's thinking. Don't let assumptions go unquestioned. Ask tough and interesting questions. Make connections to other ideas we've talked about. Challenge yourself to think deeply about these issues, rather than simply getting the grade.

Below are posts from past semesters--don't use them as models, because the assignment was different. They are dealing with the same topic, however, so you will probably find them to be interesting reading.