Reflection on Language Attitudes

-




“'Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war!” warned world-renowned reggae singer Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley. Previously, I never thought that this lyric could be applied to my treatment of students’ language. However, after my experience at UTT, I have come to appreciate many things. Namely, that language is a part of being human and my students’ languages are them just as much as their skin and hair.
Students’ languages are part of their identity. Unfortunately, in Trinidad and Tobago, we have the misconception that Standard English is our mother tongue and the Trinidad Creole is a deterioration of that language. The misconception is also that the Trinidad Creole should never be used in the classroom.
I have come to learn that the Trinidad Creole is a language on its own. Although many of the words are English words, the Trinidad Creole has its own elements and fulfills the functions of a language in its own right. This new knowledge which I have learned at UTT has led me to think of students’ language in a different light. That profound statement stated in the first paragraph should be remembered especially by teachers in the classroom as discriminatory attitudes towards the make-up of students (which includes their language) can easily be transferred. Language Files states that “Language makes us uniquely human (3).” Linguist John Siegel makes the point that no well-meaning teacher would intentionally try to put down his/ her students but unfortunately these principles do not always fall over into the teachers’ attitude about students vernacular varieties of English (39). This happens because one of the main accomplishments of school is the acquisition of Standard English and unfortunately, many persons view the Trinidad Creole as a barrier to this.
When we were introduced to the Language Awareness Approach, I was skeptical. I did not understand how using the students’ home language in the class would help them to learn the Standard English. I still did not fully understand the beauty of the Trinidad Creole. However, upon reflection, I realized that students have been taught traditionally for years and their failing grades have shown that this approach is not ideal. I decided to use the Language Accommodation Approach at Barataria South Secondary and I had amazing results. It is only when I saw the positive effect that using the Trinidad Creole had that my attitude truly changed towards it.
Our students’ language is part of what defines them. As educators, we must recognize this and use their language to help them learn the target language. Their success is contingent upon us having a positive attitude toward them and their total identity.















Works Cited

 

Vedrana Mihalicek, Christin Wilson. Language Files: Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics. Boston Publishing Company, 2011. Print

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Textual Analysis of Sam Selvon’sThe Cricket Match

-
Linguistics complements the study of Literature. One site even went on to illustrate that if “Literature is like a drink. Linguistics is like analyzing its ingredients, where they are mined and possibly the politics of mining” (Quora). One might add that Linguistics is also the study of the ingredients and how they get together to perform the functions that they do i.e. to hold the entire drink together among other functions . Discourse Analysis is a branch of Linguistics. The University of Sheffield states, “Discourse can be defined as language beyond the level of a sentence, language behaviours linked to social practices and language as a system of thought. Discourse Analysis (DA) is a modern discipline of the social sciences that covers a wide variety of different socio - linguistic approaches” (University of Sheffield).Literary Linguistics is an integral part to Discourse Analysis . It is the study of literature from a linguistic perspective. Literary Linguistics is the
Read more

Okinoshima Dream

-
Why did you come to Oki? One month into my life on this mind-blowingly beautiful but remote island and this question is soon in succession after the initial greeting.  My simplified answer is: SAFETY. Oki is extremely safe and unfortunately, Trinidad is not.  In my interview for this programme, the same question was asked of Japan (Why do you want to go to Japan?) and my answer was the same. I've grown up hearing about how long ago in Trinidad, people would leave their doors open and if you dropped something, a stranger would not steal it but hunt you down to return it. We were always told of how neighbours lived together in harmony and there was no violence. This coupled with religious teachings that things are getting worse worldwide because we are near the time of the end caused me to believed that extreme violence was a constant all over the world and peace was a thing of the past. It was, in a sense, the natural progression of things.  I accepted that I would have no
Read more

My Greatest Challenge

-
I'm used to kids running to me and getting hugs from all different directions. I'm used to sweet smiles and clear understanding. This hasn't been the case in Japan. There is a lot of misunderstanding between us. They look at me curiously, I smile and then they run away. I understand why but it still stings a bit. I look different. In a nation that  places so much emphasis on sameness, my deviation is jarring. Further, the language barrier creates an even wider divide. This isn't just a job about teaching English. It's about opening little hearts and minds to see the beauty and even, safety, in differences. I ,like all foreigners here, carry not only the weight of my reputation but that of my entire race, country, region and foreigners as a whole. I carry it proudly as a gift to be entrusted with this responsibility. I'm here to create and change perceptions. It may not be done through a focused lesson but through words and actions outside the classroom as
Read more