Language Investigation #1

I try to speak well and as consistently as possible, so when the prompt asked me how my language differs from one community to another, I didn’t really know what to say. Besides the fact that I have a collection of "colorful" words that I like to use on a regular basis (the censoring process is a current work in progress), my everyday language does not fluctuate often. The only difference I can think of is that I swear less at work and at church, and I use more slang around my peers. I think I speak “normally”, which I know isn’t the truth, but I can’t tell a difference. As I my identity has become more stable; I don’t feel the need to speak a certain way when I am around certain people. However, if someone were to observe me and follow me around all day, this probably would not be the case. I think speaking Standard English most of the time gives people the impression that I am an individual that needs to b taken seriously and that the way my words sound as they leave my lips should be a priority, especially when it means making a good impression.

When I got to college, I noticed a subtle difference in the way I spoke. I was utilizing an expanded vocabulary around people I met at CSU that I wouldn’t use around my high school friends. It was as if I was trying to impress them, like I was proving that I deserved to be at a university because I have control over the way I speak. Maybe I just sounded pompous, but I don’t think there was anything wrong with challenging myself to not use slang and experimenting with language in an everyday setting. In doing so, I also tried to eliminate bad speech habits, like by saying “like” every other word.

I should also state here that when I text, I keep abbreviations to a minimum, especially after I changed my major to English Education. How could I be an English teacher and slip into the bad habit of texting using bad grammar? I try to use correct spelling and punctuation within texts as often as possible, with only a handful of exceptions: bc (because), lol ((duh), and names of my classes (lit crit = literary critism, brit lit = British literature, ed = education) I only use these abbreviations because I feel that they are self-explanatory for those that know my “style” of texting, just as they know if I am being sarcastic, or bummed out, or pissed off, or any other emotion I may be feeling. And many of my friends can tell my mood from the way I text! Interesting… or just plain dumb? We shall soon see…

My parents, on the other hand, are from a small farming community in South Dakota. My parents speak fairly normally, with the exception of long “o” sounds that occasionally slip into the Scandinavian dialect that most northern mid-westerners are notorious for. (I know you are all thinking “Fargo” but that is just an exaggeration. In real life it is much more subtle, but gets thicker the farther north you go.) When we go back to their hometown, it’s another story. The “o” is obnoxiously amplified and they tend to use a lot of double negatives (“ain’t got no…”, or “don’t need no…”). Obviously, the “o” sound can be attributed to the area, but the double negatives could come from a multitude of things. Since it is a farming community, maybe they feel the need to speak like a stereotypical farmer would. ??? It drives me nuts, but I understand the need to speak a certain way around the people they grew up with in the community they are familiar with.

So there you have it: why I speak the way I do whether I recognize it or not.