“Which English You Speak Has Nothing to Do With How Smart You Are”

argumentative essay

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to give you the opportunity to write a short argumentative essay in response to readings.

Required Reading:

“Which English You Speak Has Nothing to Do With How Smart You Are” (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. by Anne. H. Charity Hudley.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/lexicon_valley/2014/10/14/english_variation_not_related_to_intelligence_code_switching_and_other_ways.html

“If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. by James Baldwin

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/29/specials/baldwin-english.html?_r=1

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, chapters 1-8 (you may the later chapters as well)

Supplemental Reading:

“How Code Switching Explains the World” (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. by Gene Demby (NPR article)

“What You Should Know about Code Switching and How it Affects the Black Community” (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Huffington Post Video

Topic:

Choose ONE of the following options:

OPTION 1:

In “Which English You Speak Has Nothing to Do With How Smart You Are,” Hudley cites educators who suggest that “it is useful to speak standardized English in certain contexts, like academia, but that it doesn’t have to come at the expense of speaking your own way in other contexts, with friends or at home.”

Let’s think about language in a broad sense of the word (words, facial expressions, body language and gestures).

Do you agree with the claim that “it is useful to speak standardized English in certain contexts, like academia, but it that it doesn’t have to come at the expense of speaking your own way in other contexts, with friends or at home”?

It might be helpful to think about the skills involved in code-switching, but also the challenges and problems associated with the need or expectation to code-switch. Think about how Starr feels she needs two different versions of herself. How can her experience help illustrate the process of code-switching and its effects? Consider your own experience. Use examples from at least one text (Baldwin, Hudley, The Hate U Give) and/or your own experience in your essay. You must use an example from the text, but your personal experience is optional. You may also use evidence from any of the other supplementary texts or videos from this unit.

You might want to consider some of the following in your response:

The benefits of knowing how to code-switch and the consequences of not knowing how to code-switch

What groups of people or most affected by the expectation to code-switch

The role power plays in what language is considered most valuable

The misunderstandings people have about language and the judgments and stereotypes that are perpetuated by these misunderstandings.