Showing posts with label Codeswitch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Codeswitch. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Slavery talk and it's relation to the N-Bomb

Yo, this is how I see it. For reals, look at this passage and thinks to yoself bout how much sense this makes.
"'Yes'm, I'd like it, but we only had coffee at home."
"'You needn't say 'yes'm' in this house. We are not used to slavery talk here. If you like milk, I'll get it for you..."
Think about oppression and the continuation of the language of the oppressed. Granted, I codeswitch when it is necessary, after all, it is a show of respect and gains me access to other avenues of society. However, I do so knowing that I am adding to the endurance of an oppressive tool. The ability to speak street, slang, Ebonics, what ever you call it, enables me to enter communities that would otherwise be off limits. I gain an acceptance that can be compared to entering a Spanish speaking country with a good grasp of Spanish and a decent Spanish accent. Suddenly, by showing respect for the language intricacies of another I build a bridge for communication. However, that bridge is a one way bridge, it has yet to lead to someone else code-switching to meet my mark or my dominant discourse. Then again, I am not a classroom facilitator yet. Anyway, back to the quote, this was an attempt by an elder to break the youth of the oppressive language of slavery, a language that draws lines and enhances difference in society at large. I don't know if it is best to speak American English, I mean we all have different accents and variations, I think people from Texas sound like giraffes, I really like proper English or British English, but either way if we all spoke more alike we would have one less differnce. The elder telling the child to not speak slave talk, was tired of the slave days, and wanted to integrate. Slave language was forced, slaves brought from Africa did not speak English. They were forced to learn words quick without the ability to write.
My ramble is over
Thanks for reading if you did.
Rob