After reading Vershawn Young’s “Should Writers Use They Own English”. My initial reaction to the text was the writing style young used. It’s a much different form of writing than what is typically considered formal writing. He is using slang words and that way of expressing himself in a way that is considered informal  After watching Jamila Lyiscott, “Three Ways to Speak English”. my initial thoughts about the video were the way she spoke it was very unique and inspirational. She called herself a “trilingual orator” because she has three types of Englishes she uses around her surroundings. The first one she speaks in a informal  way mostly used with friends or acquaintances.The second one is the formal way society portraits standard English, and the third one is with family in her native Jamacian tongue. All the Englishes that were used were considered “broken” because of Eurocentric ideas that if you don’t use the proper way of speaking a certain kind of  English you are not considered articulate, but Jamila Lyiscott counters that argument by saying t hat her different forms of English does not mean she is not intellectual or not willing to code switch but she express that its part of her identity. Something that grabbed my attention in young’s “Should Writers Use They Own English” “If he meant everybody should be thrilled to learn another dialect, then wouldnt everybody be learnin everybody’s dialect? Wouldnt we all become multidialectal and pluralingual? And that’s my exact argument, that we all should know everybody’s dialect, at least as many as we can, and be open to the mix of them in oral and written communication.”(Young,111) I agree with the statement young made because learning different forms of dialect is a positive. There is not such a thing of a proper style of English. We shouldn’t be ashamed of our way of expression but embrace it. Something both Vershawn Young and Jamila Lyiscott tried to convey is that the way people speak in their own forms of English should not be frown upon because using different kind of forms of Englishes does not mean your not getting the point across to people.

Upon reading and listening to both, Vershawn Young and Jamila Lyscott’s responses on the ways of speaking and writing English were compelling and eye-opening. Both discuss different ways to speak English. For example at home, in the street, and what is considered an appropriate language, whether in a workplace or school. Each of them sounds different but, what makes one applicable and not the others? In Young’s response, she states “but don’t nobody’s language, dialect, or style make them “vulnerable to prejudice” It’s ATTUIDES. It is the way folks with some power perceive other people’s language.” It’s hard to say what is proper English and what isn’t, without being prejudice. people come from all around the world and sometimes English isn’t their first language. It is hard to tackle learning a new language, and even harder to adjust to the “correct” way of the language. Unfortunately, they are looked upon differently because their English doesn’t meet the standards considered worthy. What was eye-opening to me, was that I code mesh all the time. In Young’s response Code meshing is “the new code-switching; it’s mulitdialectalism and plurilingual-ism in one speech act, in one paper.” I observed several times at work, school, and home I code mesh without knowing. I don’t care at most times, but I get annoyed occasionally. At times at work, I code mesh when talking to my managers or co-workers and instantly know I messed up. I look at work as a professional workplace, and that I must be very careful about how I speak around others. Now I don’t mean cursing but slang and phrases, I would use at home and in school. For example, when I went to a job interview, I didn’t want to speak like I was at home, because I was afraid I wouldn’t get the job. But listening to both views of the responders has given me another way to look at it. Youngs states ” Code meshing also be used to add flavor and style…” I learned that I shouldn’t view it as a negative but as a skill. Therefore, English has many different styles. Everybody isn’t going to speak or write it the same. There isn’t such thing as proper English. Any way you use it can come off as respectful or disrespectful. We must embrace the diversity it withholds. It’s unfortunate, society has standards on English.

My initial reaction to the text was that I understood the situation about dialect/ forms of language because I see things similar to this in my everyday life. People speaking different forms of English whether its “formal/nonformal/professional and etc. I see people getting judge by others because of the way they choose to speak and talk. I think something Young and Lyiscott have in common is that they both understood the situation and incorporated how they felt about it in their writing. My main takeaway of the video was that everyone may have different abilities to speaking but many find their own more comfortable to speak and it’s completely normal to be confident or speak however you want. In the text, my main takeaway was it being mentioned dialects aren’t such a big deal and everyone has their own, and it shouldn’t matter to anyone else wherever you decide to use it. Whether it be at home, school, or work. 

I think both Young and Lyiscott use unconventional strategies for conveying their messages by giving their opinions to the audience. Then allowing the audience to have room to think and reflect on their opinions after reading or watching their piece to realize what they believe in. I think the two connect to each other very well because one talks about dialect while the other talks about forms of English. So it’s a very similar concept to each other. For me, I think the video was very powerful and grabbed my attention. It stood out to me because It was a video/illustration so I was able to physically see and hear the speaker at the same time allowing me to feel the message being delivered more. Rather than reading off of a text, I think I agree with the authors, people should be able to say what they want in whatever dialect or form of language they wish. Because speaking is a form of expression and people form impressions and meet other people with their voice first. So they should be allowed to use what they can and want to use. 

After reading Should Writers Use Their own English by Vershawn Young, I was surprised by the way the essay was written and the messages he tries to get across. Vershawn Young wrote in English that is not proper. He wrote this essay in his own tongue. The tongue that he uses to write this essay is the same tongue he would use if he was around friends or on the street. In Jamilia Lyiscotts video, we see her explain that just because she can speak a different type of English, it does not mean that she is below anybody. She brings up the idea of being trilingual. One tongue being her proper English, the other being her Jamaican tongue, and the third one being the English used in the streets. Young and Lyiscott both used their own tongues in order to get their message across because they did not feel like they had to speak ‘proper’ English to do so. Vershawn Young grabbed my attention when he said, “If he meant everybody should be thrilled to learn another dialect, then wouldnt everybody be learnin everybody’s dialect? Wouldnt we all become multidialectal and pluralingual? And that’s my exact argument, that we all should know everybody’s dialect, at least as many as we can, and be open to the mix of them in oral and written communication.”(Young) It grabbed my attention because Young ‘s argument is that if we can all learn to accept others’ English, then we can get rid of the singular form of English that is expected from us. I agree with both writers. A persons level of intelligence and literacy should not be determined based on whether or not they can speak or write in proper English. Everybody has the right to express themselves how they would like to. I enjoyed reading Youngs essay because it was the first time I had read a text that used his type of vocabulary. I’m so accostuned to reading in proper English, just like all of my past teachers have told me to do so that I found Youngs writing to be more interesting.

Vershawn Young and Jamila Lyiscott write in their texts about how there is more than one way to speak and write in English. Society and the education system have programmed us to believe there is only one correct standard of English. They try to teach us English in one specific “proper” way. Young explains how learning a new English dialect can be difficult and confusing for some people and I agree. People come from many different backgrounds, so their way of speaking English can be different from the “correct” way of speaking or writing it. Accents also play a significant role when speaking English, especially if a person’s native language is not English. For example in Jamila Lyiscott’s “Three Ways to Speak English” she writes, “Wha’ kinda ting is dis?” Speaking from her dad’s perspective. I thought this was important because even if a person has perfect English grammar or writing skills if they have an accent, they will be looked at differently. Both Young and Lyiscott also write about how code-switching or “code meshing” is commonly used amongst all types of people. For example, students may talk one way in class but then another way with their friends. Or think one way in their own heads but write their thoughts down differently for their paper. One part of Vershawn Young’s essay that stood out to me was when he wrote about Stanley Fish’s experience while teaching grad students. “He says his grad students couldnt write a decent sentence. Well, they wrote good enuff in they essays to get into grad school, didn’t they?” (Young) This part stood out to me because, for some professors, directors, or people in the workplace, your writing may never be good for them. So there is no point in using unnecessary words and difficult phrases to try and sound “professional.” It’s better to sound authentic. I like the way Young wrote his essay too. Some words or phrases sounded like the way I would think in my own head. Both Young’s and Lyiscott’s work seemed authentic. Overall, I agree with both of their writing pieces. 

After reading Should Writers Use Their Own English my initial reaction was to be taken aback by Vershawn Young’s language. In Should Writers Use Their Own English , Young writes in a way that is unusual compared to academic writing we are usually assigned to read. That is because Young uses a version of English that is his own and mostly used outside of academic spaces like at home or on the street. Furthermore after watching 3 Ways to Speak English my initial reaction to Jamila Lyscotts spoken word was that I was very intrigued by her argument of being trilingual because she could speak English in 3 different “tongues’ ‘. One tongue being her Jamaican accent , the second tongue being English she uses on the street , and the third tongue being what society considers to be standard and proper english. When comparing both texts , I noticed that one ideology both Young and Lyscott share is that just because they are not speaking what is considered standard English , does not mean they are any less articulate or intelligent than someone who is using standard english. Both Young and Lyscott make the arguments that being articulate should not be defined by the versions of English they are using. One excerpt from Should Writers Use Their Own English that particularly stood out to me was “standard language ideology insists that minority people will never become an Ivy League English department chair or president of Harvard University if they don’t perfect their mastery of standard English ” (Young , 113). This quote from Young’s text stood out to me because I had never viewed language as a form of oppression , until recently. The idea that defining anything but standard English as “broken” or “improper” plays into a larger system of oppression and racial caste. Personally it makes sense that someone considered a minority’s inability to master standard English , can be considered inarticulate , illegitimate , and ultimately unfit to hold academic positions even if the content of what they’re saying is significant. Therefore , young people emphasize how academia specifically marginalizes people who cannot speak standard English (usually minorities or people of color) even if what they are saying holds more substance than what someone who can speak proper English is saying.

I think both Lamott and Dila have very different perspectives on a first draft and none of them are wrong. Writing is expressing yourself and if that means that you go by your very own preference then let it be that way. I do think that everyone has their own set of writing techniques and Dia is right, you cannot force it. Do what works best for you. Personally, my writing process may be very similar to Lamott’s thoughts. I’ve always had a hard time coming up with topics to write about and how to start off my writings. Of course, when I do find the right topic, I find it easier for myself to focus and express what I have to say. I also do believe that the same method will not work every time and I find myself using Dila’s method of writing sometimes as well. The hardest part for me when I write is finding the best hook and the best concluding sentence. I want my writing to start off and end strong, it gives me a better idea of how to critique the rest. I would say one of the techniques that I have used in the past is to find a hook that relates to my topic and a concluding sentence and working around that to create the key content of my writing. It gives me a starting point and an endpoint. Keeps me on track!

Just to be clear, the Literacy Narrative Draft is NOT the same thing as the Pre-Writing.  What was due yesterday (Sunday) was a draft of the Literacy Narrative essay.  It should be an entirely new document.   Your PEER REVIEW should be of the DRAFT,  not the PRE-WRITE that you’ve already looked at.  If your partners’ have not yet uploaded a draft, you don’t have any peer reviewing to do today.

Please contact me if you have questions about any of this!!!

George’s perspective to writing a first draft is very clear. He wants to invest time into his draft and he has certain goals he wants to achieve. For him, his thoughts are built upon the ones that come before. This means he uses his writings initial opening to construct his next sentence. Therefore, he can’t afford to have “shitty” sentences because in his viewpoint it would hinder his ability to write down the line. Anne, on the other hand, understands that her first draft will lead to another and allow her to get closer to the perfect piece. For her, she needs words on her paper to allow her to pour in more of her thoughts. Anything that she can think of goes on her paper and as her piece progresses, she can refine her thoughts. I would say my writing is more like Anne’s but I would want it to be like George’s. Articulating my thoughts into writing is what I find most difficult and I feel like if I adopted George’s way of writing, I would be able to improve writing that is at a sufficient level to an even higher level. George’s way of writing would also help me develop skills that allow me to diversify my vocabulary from the get-go without having to use external sources.

Anne and George both have different views on their first draft. George is a perfectionist and likes to view and tweak his writing as he writes the first draft. Anne on the other hand tends to write freely because she sees this as a first draft and knows that people will not view the first draft more so of the final draft . I describe my writing style to a bit of both of them because even though I know that no one will see my first draft and that I can write however I want, I still like to tweak it around a bit so when it comes time for the final draft I’m not rushing it and trying to make it sound perfect. I just really have to fix the minor issues like grammar. As a writer I like to tweak my writings as I write or after fully finishing writing everything. As a current a writer, what works best for me is doing the first draft first, then coming back to it later and tweaking it around adding the final touches. I tend to write the first draft really roughly but do like tweaking it as I write the first draft, then coming back to it and adding the final touches.