Judith Baker’s “Trilingualism” depicts her experience in trying to relate her students to the different codes of speech she feels they need to survive in life. Through various experiments that cause them to look at and consider the language they use, Baker helps her students understand the difference between the language used for home, academics, and the professional world.
The work presented in this article really excited and intrigued me. Through the activities, she is allowing the students to see the importance of standard English and their own social languages in the world, instead of just telling them, “You need to learn standard English.” I think the students took an interest in it because their thoughts and opinions were validated, encouraging them to participate. What is more, students see not just how distant authority figures and strangers might view their language, but also how their peers react. I liked that Baker’s exercises taught that there is more than just “proper English” and bad English. The English spoken at home, in whatever dialect it may be, is accepted as appropriate there, as that is where it is used. Students are also introduced to the fact that different areas of business may require a different set of appropriate dialogue.
From the article, it seems clear that Baker’s students are coming to appreciate their language and others. However, there are students who feel differently about where some languages should be used. Specifically, for one experiment, a student posed as a junior executive presenting an advertisement plan in her home language. While some of the students felt this was inappropriate, others thought that it was fine and that it sounded like a good advertising strategy. In such a situation, I find the end results difficult to understand. I wonder, do her students realize that they may not have a choice as to where which dialect is accepted? Just because the speaker may feel that a dialect closer to home would be fine for one situation does not mean that the mass majority of mainstream culture accepts it, and therefore it is inappropriate. Students admit that some dialects do not seem appropriate for certain situations. But do they understand why those dialects do not seem appropriate beyond a simple “It’s not very professional” or “It does not sound proper”? Or, perhaps, are these questions queries that they are too young to reflect upon?
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ReplyDeleteKiki, I agree with your statements about if students truly understand the importance of code switching. I think, however that in some cases, such as the advertising one you mentioned, that sometimes in order to get your foot in the door, you have to take a risk. I do not think we can teach students the entirety of when and how to use code switching, because the situations and circumstances are always changing. I think it is wise to inform them and let them to determine when and how to use it. I mean if you think about it, since language is always changing, then code switching is simply an experiment. It is just trial and error.
ReplyDeleteAs we read through chapter seven, it has become evident that some students will remain uninterested, but it is our duty as teachers to give them something they are excited about to write. Maybe if we give them the liberty to write in their dialect and use it to compare others, then maybe they might be more than willing to write, because they are comfortable, yet we can use it to help our students better understand why code switching exists.