Phase 3

Abstract

In this essay, I was tasked with finding a specific example of a conflict in language or literacy and providing a critical analysis of the conflict. I chose Professor Carmen Kynard’s exchange with her department head because of the racial injustices she faced and wanted to focus on what exactly caused the conflict.

Critical Analysis Essay

Our freedom of speech and expression is one of our most important rights in the United States, and Professor Carmen Kynard believes her supervisor infringed upon that right, for her and her students. Kynard, in her syllabus, encouraged students to write however they want, to focus more on the content of their writing, rather than their formality and professionalism. She didn’t care how they wrote or spoke, as long as it was understandable. She encouraged them to use their own voices, and that they don’t need to write as if they were “the type of person who might wear wool/plaid jackets with suede patches on the elbows to be taken seriously…” (Kynard, par. 1). Her supervisor, the department chair, asked her to remove this phrase from her syllabus because it was “mean and unprofessional.” What the department chair really meant was that this doesn’t conform to the standards set by white supremacists. She wanted to make sure the white professors in the college did not feel offended, which infuriated Kynard. She believed in the students’ rights to expression and would not stand for this racism that the institution imposed. The ability to express yourself however you want is very important in today’s society, with how interconnected we all are. We all need to be able to show our thoughts and ideas, without being restricted by others. The domination of white supremacists over our language is burying the voices of minorities, and it’s not fair to them. They deserve to be heard and shouldn’t be held to the same standards as those who “wear wool/plaid jackets with suede patches on the elbows.” Everyone comes from different backgrounds and cultures, and they can’t be expected to act and speak the same way as the white man. It’s an unfair expectation, which is why linguistic freedom is a very important thing that Kynard advocates for.

In order to understand what this linguistic freedom that Kynard is so determined to achieve for her students means, we must understand the difference between a spoken and written language. Spoken languages always have their linguistic freedoms. No one really cares whether or not you use correct grammar in a casual conversation, as long as the point gets across. Spoken language involves so much more than just the words you say, but also your facial expressions and body language, which is why the expectations in terms of grammar are not that high. That being said, there are obviously exceptions, such as a job interview or business meeting. People expect professionalism, which is understandable. Using correct grammar in speech allows for less confusion in getting ideas across, although it may be less efficient than using slang and incorrect grammar. Obviously, some positions require use of correct grammar because a simple confusion or misunderstanding can be catastrophic, such as for lawyers in a courthouse or doctors in an operating room.

Written language, however, is the opposite. There are almost always high expectations for grammar and vocabulary because written language depends only on the words you use, there are no facial expressions or body language. There are exceptions to this as well of course, such as texting or writing notes. Kynard wants to remove these expectations in written language. She believes that the exceptions to the expectations shouldn’t be limited to just personal uses of written language. Students should be allowed to write freely in all aspects of life, that they shouldn’t all be expected to write in “white English.” Although her ideas are more liberating, there still needs to be limitations, because written language is essential for a society to function. It’s in our laws, books, reports, and newspapers. It needs to be uniform, so that everyone can understand what they’re reading. It’s unfair to produce a text that only Chinese Americans can fully comprehend, but Spanish-Americans can’t. It is also unfair to expect people to produce texts in multiple different dialects and accents for the convenience of everyone.

This specific linguistic conflict relates to the myth by James Milroy that “Children Can’t Speak or Write Properly Anymore.” Milroy wrote Myth 8 in Bauer and Trudgill’s “Language Myths.” In this essay, Milroy goes on to disprove all the claims that people make about children ruining English. They believe that linguistic and educational standards have been declining, and that “Young people… are liable to misuse the language, or not learn it properly: therefore, everything possible must be done to arrest this decline…” (Milroy, 58). When Kynard encouraged her students to write however they want in her syllabus, she also meant that they can use their own modern slang. Older people often frown upon the slang and vocabulary of younger generations, and it’s unfair to those generations. Language is constantly evolving as time progresses, and no one really controls what slangs exist. The younger generations are nothing more than just victims of an endless linguistic evolution, and yet they get blamed for using their language incorrectly. It’s ironic, however, because these younger generations can convey their ideas much more efficiently with all their acronyms, slang words, and excessive use of emojis. Being one of them, I can tell a whole story to my friends, or express my thoughts very quickly in very few words. Below are a couple of common terms that teenagers and young adults in America use.

It is because of the racist sense of dominance and negative attitude towards an evolving language that the department chair had that she decided Kynard’s syllabus was inappropriate. It is because of Kynard’s support for less represented people and minorities that she fought back against the institution, by spreading her syllabus as far as she possibly can. Linguistic freedom should be a given, like food and water. Even though there are exceptions to this freedom, where it is inapplicable, it should be an essential right to everyone else. Anyone who’s not a lawyer or a doctor, or in any other position where there must be a clear and precise language so that there are no misunderstandings, should be allowed to speak as freely as they want, with no expectations or standards from anyone else. It is an essential aspect of our personalities, and that should not be taken away.

Works Cited

Kynard, Carmen. “Stank 2.0 and the Counter-Poetics of Black Language in College Classrooms.” Teacher-Scholar-Activist, 9 Oct. 2017, teacher-scholar-activist.org/2017/10/09/stank-2-0-and-the-counter-poetics-of-black-language-in-college-classrooms/.

Milroy, James. “Children Can’t Speak or Write Properly Anymore.” Language Myths, by Laurie Bauer and Peter Trudgill, Penguin Books, 1998, pp. 58–65.