Acceptance of Black English and it's Affect on Identity.

 

Above image is of Lorrain Hansberry used

for her Biography. She wrote A Raisin in the Sun

African American English has been a very complex issue for many years often being stereotyped as incorrect, wrong, and as an uneducated language. People that often used it are also looked at as lazy. However, African American English is a way for African Americans to express identity, and is apart of the brutal history of African American enslavement.

African American English (AAE) is also referenced as Ebonics, Black English, and sometimes African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Many non-linguists will argue that African American English is not a language, but it in fact does follow its own sets of rules and sentence structure just as any other language would.

As a society we need to move towards the acceptance of Black English because it is widely used across a lot of communities. Many students use Black English within their classrooms, and many individuals use Black English in more formal setting instead of just within their homes. Black English is also a way of individuals expressing their identity. Identity in some ways can be seen as just who a person is. However, the true definition of identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and or expression that make a person. Using Black English is a form of expression that makes a person who they are. When Mainstream English is forced on people, it takes away their way of self expression. It causes them to conform to a standard that is not the only standard of English.

Author and award-winning teacher Brandie Bohney agrees that there should be an acceptance of Black English. She says "mainstream English speakers also need to have an accepting attitude toward other native Englishes, including African American Vernacular English (AAVE), Chicano English, Appalachian English, and so on, to better understand and appreciate other speakers and to reduce prejudice based on language use". Mainstream English is not the only variety of English although it is constantly forced upon those that speak other Englishes as the only proper way to talk and write. It causes a prejudice against non standard Englishes in which those are looked at as uneducated. Black English is constantly evolving, but the history surrounding the formation of Black English comes from a history of slavery. When slaves were first taken and shipped to America, they spoke their own African language. Each tribe had a language that was native to them. Slave owners separated them from each other so that they would not be able to communicate with one another and never be able to fight back or revolt. It was within that separation of languages that caused black people to learn a new way of communicating so that the slave owners would not be able to understand. But they also needed to be able to communicate with the slave owners as well. So Black English essentially formed as a means to communicate with one another absent from their original cultural form of language.

There are so many beautifully written literary works that incorporate Black English in their work and I believe its very important to look at those works in a light that not only show that Black English follows its own set of sentence structure but to show just how individuals express their sense of identity by using it. Some notable titles include Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Margaret Walker’s Jubilee, and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. One title that I believe does a wonderful job of incorporating Black English is Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun. In her play, she uses different characters each with their own identity but they all come together and speak in one accord. Each character goes through different experiences more specifically the changes they face after losing a father. The way that Hansberry uses dialogue between those characters to incorporate Black English allows for readers to not only get a sense of each character's identity but able to understand what it is that they are trying to communicate. Most people often assume that Black English is illegible or incomprehensible that they stray away from attempting to read it. However Hansberry crafts the dialogue so that it is understandable.

American legal scholar Patricia Williams wrote an article that outlines the hidden meanings of Black English. Williams argues that mainstream English is pushed upon everyone as the standard to follow, unfortunately, if you do not use it then you are often looked at with prejudice and seen as uneducated and illiterate. However, many Mainstream English speakers will incorporate Black English into their speech for purposes of entertainment or fitting in. Too often Black English is rejected when African Americans use it but yet is used in the entertainment industry by non Black English speakers. Black English should be accepted as another variety of English because of the history of how the language was started and formed. Everyone should be able to express their sense of identity and their culture by the way they communicate with others in the world. It is different from Mainstream English but it is not wrong and should be more widely embraced.

Spanglish: The Marriage of the English and Spanish Language

    I believe that the language of Spanglish needs to be taught and respected in schools today. Spanglish is everywhere, and it spoken by millions of people throughout the world  today. So many people live in households that are comprised of parents and/or grandparents that speak Spanish, and then go to school where English is spoken and taught. Most of these people are bilingual and have combined both languages making a new language called Spanglish. There are several varieties of Spanglish, and the variety of Spanglish that a person speaks is based on the area they live. Some Spanglish is more English based, whereas some other Spanglish is based more on Spanish.  Baquedano-Lopez's article agrees that Spanglish should be taught and accepted in schools. I agree with the article  that  states when a student is comfortable speaking a language that incorporates part of their culture, it is easier for that student to learn. It would seem foolish to take the time and put in the effort for students to "unlearn" Spanglish, a language they are fluent in, in order to try to get them to learn? And we all agree that when students are comfortable and feel at home, they are more successful. Unfortunately many people feel that Spanglish should not be taught, or even spoken in school. They feel that Spanglish makes Latinos appear dumb and lazy and that it holds them back and takes away their chances of success. Tato Laviera's poem, Spanglish, praises Spanglish as a language and refers to it as "literally perfect." Laviera believes people should be able to learn in the language they are the most comfortable, and the Hispanic population  certainly feel most comfortable speaking  Spanglish. My project leans heavily on the belief that Spanglish is a language and students must be allowed to speak it in school and learn in it in school. Spanglish is here to stay and must be accepted. A non standard language such as Spanglish should be accepted, as agreed by linguists, as the Hispanic population is growing at a fast rate, particularly in the cites. As the Hispanic population grows, so does the speaking of Spanglish. Ramon Antonia Martinez agrees that there must be a place in education for Spanglish, and that speaking Spanglish can have a very large impact on their academics. Can you imagine being bilingual in Spanish and English, and having the ability to speak and comprehend Spanglish, yet having a teacher saying you were not allowed to speak it? 

 

    Spanglish is everywhere today  and spoken by millions. It is casually spoken on street corners, stores, schools, and clubs. Today Spanglish is often heard in music and seen on television. It's here to stay, and we must respect that and allow these students to have the opportunity to speak and learn Spanglish in school. Spanglish is not a lazy language or dialect and speaking Spanglish does not decrease your chances of being successful. On the contrary, speaking Spanglish actually works your brain harder because your brain is forced to code switch between the two languages. Our world is a melting pot of people and cultures and it is our responsibility to help anyone and everyone be as successful as possible. Speaking and learning in Spanglish helps the Hispanic community excel and at learning in the classroom. It is our responsibility to allow these students to speak the language they know and are most comfortable speaking in order to give them their greatest chance to learn and be successful students. 

Modern-Day Relevance and History of African American English

The history behind African American English has a long-lasting effect on not only its speakers, but to all members of modern-day society, where the dialect continues to remain culturally relevant. 

But what is African American English (AAE)? AAE, also known as Black English, is a dialect spoken by African Americans, which is very different from what someone may refer to as Standard English. AAE has been around for centuries and is tied hand-in-hand with the history of slavery and communication between slaves during that time, and continues to be prevalent as it is a dialect we hear spoken around us every day. 

There are clear phonological differences between African American English and Standard English that are important to note here. AAE is very systematic in its pronunciation and verbiage. For example, there is a common omission of the present tenses of "is" and "are," where the phrase "they are walking" in Standard English would be pronounced "they walkin'" in African American English. In recognizing these differences from Standard English, AAE can be viewed as not only rich in history, but unique in terms of linguistic structure. 

These ideas are further explained and related back to cultural and modern-day relevance in many scholarly articles. In a chapter written from a book by April Baker-Bell, she proves to her audience how there is a need for African American English to be incorporated more into the education system, as she shows that African American students are not at all educated on the dialect and the long-lasting effect it has on our society. The students that were involved in the study and were analyzed in this chapter shared that they wish that they were taught more more about their culture in school. Similarly, in her article, Lisa Green discusses the relevance of the dialect in the 21st century through including descriptions of the language used by African American characters in the film industry. These two articles touch on some of the many ways that African American English is shown to have a lasting relevance on the modern-day world, and will continue to grow to become even more so incorporated in all other aspects of our society. 

Quote by Toni Morrison; author of best-selling novel, Beloved 

Finally, the relevance of African American English is highlighted through and through in the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison. This novel follows the story of the main character, Sethe, who is an escaped slave and suffered the most horrific forms of savagery, in the form of what many critics call a slave narrative. In a scholarly article by Sheldon George, he discusses the specific approach Morrison takes to incorporate this hard-to-talk-about topic of slavery into the novel. Sheldon makes an effort to break down every character from the novel in their entirety to reveal the deeper meanings to slavery and what aspects of it they represent. Beloved is among a group of many famous novels that are based on the premise of slavery. 

Overall, African American English and the history that is associated with it has a long-lasting effect on society and the speakers of the dialect. Whether it is through the education system, pop culture, or literature, it is a prevalent in that it is seen everywhere and spoken by many citizens of the country we live in. If everyone recognized this prevalence and became educated on African American history, perhaps there would be less prejudices and biases in our world and all cultures would be accepted and celebrated. 

The Importance of Learning About the Spanglish Language

 What is Spanglish?

Spanglish is a language that consists of vocabulary and grammar from both the Spanish and English languages. Spanglish is spoken by many people across the world, despite the contradicting opinions that surround the language; some believe that Spanglish is a dialect, rather than an actual language. 

Throughout history, Spanglish has risen in popularity. Although people are slowly starting to understand and accept Spanglish as a language, this was not always the case in the past. When the Spanglish language first emerged, people who spoke it were looked down upon by others. Spanglish speakers were perceived as uneducated and incapable of speaking a single language, causes the combination of both English and Spanish. People failed to recognize the fact that in order to speak Spanglish, speakers must be fluent in both the English and Spanish languages, and therefore educated. In order to move past this notion, it is important to develop an understanding of the Spanglish history, and how it has developed into the language that is spoken today. 

Many authors have evaluated the history of Spanglish, along with disproving the opinions of those who believe Spanglish speakers to be uneducated. Within his various literary pieces, Ilan Stavans describes Spanglish as an emerging language in America. Stavans uses personal stories to describe the history of the language, as well as the current view of Spanglish in the United States. By sharing first-hand experiences, Stavans provides readers with an important perspective one the history and use of the language in the United States.

Another author that dives into the history of the Spanglish language in an effort to provide others with knowledge of this unique lanugae is Eugenia Casielles-Suárez. In her journal article, Eugenia Casielles-Suárez focuses on the history and linguistics, sociolinguistic functions, and attitudes towards Spanglish in her writing. She places a specific emphasis on Spanglish among the Latino communities within the United States. 

Both Ilan Stavans and Eugenia Casielles-Suárez provide excellent information for anyone wanting to learn about the historical and current status of Spanglish in the United States. Learning this information opens up the opportunity to learn about how Spanglish can impact peoples' daily lives. 

Why is this important?

It is important to have a thorough understanding of the history and current status of Spanglish within the United States in order to comprehend the emotional effects Spanglish can have on those who speak the language. Although the Spanglish language is growing more popular and the acceptance of the language is becoming more widespread, there is still emotional trauma caused by the historical background. Not to mention, the current status of Spanglish within the United States shows improvement from the past, but it is still in need of a lot of change in order for Spanglish speakers to be completely comfortable in speaking their language. 

After gaining an understanding of these important factors of the Spanglish language, it is important to read literature that uses the Spanglish language. Authors like Diana Renee choose to write in Spanglish in an effort to educate others on their language. Additionally, Spanglish writing authors may use their writing as an outlet for their struggles and emotions that they face as a Spanglish speaker in the United States. This is what Diana Renee chooses to do in her poetry that is posted on her personal blog. She uses her writing to express the emotional affects speaking Spanglish has placed on her daily life. 

 

Pictured Above: Diana Renee

Author of “No Language.”

Overall, it is extremely necessary for all members of society to learn about different languages, like Spanglish. Although there is still some controversy in the world today on the status of Spanglish as a language, reading different literary sources can provide readers with a lot of important information on the historical background of Spanglish. Not to mention, reading about the current status of Spanglish in the United States is also vital in gaining a full understanding of the language. Once there is a notable level of comprehension on the historical and present status of Spanglish, the emotional effects on the speakers of the language can be explored. It is vital to know the emotional effects a language can have on those who speak it in order to make changes and strides to diminish these negative effects in the future. 

Spanglish as a dialect and as a cultural identity

Spanglish is a blend of Spanish and English in sentences, phrases, and grammar that has kept 

Hispanic cultures alive and well in the United States as speakers live with bicultural and bilingual influences. American culture has often expected people from other cultures to assimilate into their culture, but Hispanic people have rejected this transition. Spanglish was first started as an oral tradition, but as it became more widespread, this dialect became a written form through books, essays, movies, poems, etc. 

 

Spanglish can be both a uniting and dividing factor for those that speak it. Patricia Bazán-Figueras and Salvador J. Figueras discuss in their article that Spanglish is one of the main ways that Spanish speakers in the US have not had to let go of their cultural identity while living in among a different culture. At the same time, however, speakers have struggled to fit wholly into their Spanish and American cultures. The socio-cultural influences are a building block to creating a Spanglish identity, expanding Spanglish to also be a lifestyle. As Spanish gains more popular use in the US in fields like medicine, there is more of a demand to be bilingual. 

 

In the United States there is an expectation for immigrants to immediately immerse themselves into American culture, customs, and celebrations, and often classifies Spanish speakers under the assertion that they are uneducated. This is not the case in Spanglish speakers, as they are able to bend the rules of language and their societal expectations. Code-switching in Spanglish is using both Spanish and English vocabulary and grammar when speaking. Eugenia Casielles-Suárez talks about the idea of words changing meaning over time as two languages co-exist, and languages develop to adopt more meaning, called contact phenomenon. As more people speaking Spanglish experience several influences on their lives, and they find their own identities, their language reflects that. As there becomes an understanding of what could be some grammar rules for Spanglish, the understanding of Spanglish has become more standardized. 

 

Tato Laviera was an immigrant from Puerto Rico whose writing reflected the Spanglish dialect and culture as he experienced it. Stephanie Álvarez Martínez’s piece talks about Tato Lavera as an example a Spanglish writer, and how his explorations of cross-culturalism have brought an important voice to the Spanglish community. Laviera’s poem Spanglish narrates his experiences of breaking the bounds of his Puerto Rican culture by living in America, and breaking the bounds of his new American culture by speaking Spanish. In his bicultural experience, Laviera explains the difficulties of fitting into one identity, being labeled “immigrant” and his words as “mispronounced” and carrying the implications of those words. This personal experience helps readers to personify a Spanglish identity. 

Being bilingual and bicultural as a Spanish speaker in the US poses challenges and rewards. Spanglish speakers are able to develop their own understanding of Spanglish as a language, and as a lifestyle, fitting into more than one identity and expanding their minds. Spanglish is made up of two languages and two cultures, it consists of technical elements of language and elements of emotions that create an identity for Spanglish speakers. 

Finding Balance Between Standard English and African American English

 For speakers of African American English, a discrepancy between standard English and African American English can cause an identity dilemma that carries over into every aspect of life. 

African American English (AAE) is considered to be a dialect of the English language that is spoken primarily by African Americans, with its own grammatical and spoken features that differ from standard English. The language was created several centuries ago by enslaved Africans brought to the United States against their will as a form of communication with each other and their masters, and has evolved over time into what we hear and see today.

African American English is often viewed as “slang” or “improper English” by those who do not speak it, but in actuality, it is a unique language that has its own set of distinct rules that must be followed in order for it to be spoken correctly. Because many people see AAE as slang, its speakers are faced with both linguistic and racial prejudices that can affect their overall wellbeing and happiness. Being forced to face these prejudices head on makes it harder for many African Americans to succeed, which Audrey Watkins touches upon in her essay. For those who speak AAE as their primary language, it is often more difficult to find and keep a job. Many employers see AAE as unprofessional and require their workers to speak standard English. Since the use of standard English defines success in our predominantly white society, those who do not speak it fall down the ladder of success and behind their peers. It does not matter how smart, dedicated, or qualified the person is; if they do not speak standard English, they’re out of the running. Simple as that.

Starr Carter protesting the death of her unarmed black friend in The Hate U Give.

One of the most unfortunate aspects of speaking a dialect outside of the standard is the idea that one must conform to the standard to be accepted into society. In Hickey and McQuitty’s piece, they highlight the importance of teaching AAE speakers standard English and vice versa. The goal of this is not to erase a language just to replace it with another one. Instead, the goal is to add it to a person’s catalogue of languages so they have it under their belt and have the option of whether or not they want to use it. By teaching each language group about the structure and history of the other, it gives both groups an opportunity to learn about the biases that surround AAE and work together to erase any potential biases and create a more welcoming environment for everyone. 

Finally, the concept of an identity dilemma stemming from a divide in languages is seen in the novel The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Starr, the main character, is an African American teenager with dual personalities to fit each of her social lives. She has a personality for her family and neighborhood in which she uses AAE as her primary language, and a personality for her school in which she uses standard English in classes and with friends. She characterizes her poor income neighborhood as “the ghetto,” while her school is a prestigious, predominantly white high school in which she has a scholarship. Racial and linguistic biases are felt by her entire family, not just Starr. Both of her parents are successful in their job fields, but both are often seen as unqualified due to their backgrounds and their use of AAE instead of standard English. Many of Starr’s high school friends view AAE as slang and criticize those that use it, which only justifies her fear of using it outside of her neighborhood. If Starr’s friends had been exposed to AAE from an early age, they would have a better understanding of the language and how it works, and Starr would probably feel more inclined to create a single personality that encompasses both aspects of her life.

African American English speakers are subjected to harsh societal conditions put in place by those in power, and there is nothing that can be done about it unless everyone comes together to solve the problem. If everyone took the time to learn about both standard English and AAE and become an advocate for AAE speakers, prejudices and biases would be eradicated and the ladder of success would become a lot more diverse.

Spanglish Throughout Literature

This image is a visual depiction of speaking Spanglish.

What is Spanglish? Spanglish is a hybrid language combining words and idioms from both Spanish and English, especially Spanish speech that uses many English words and expressions.

Spanglish is represented as an emerging language in the United States throughout different works of Literature. Therefore, this blog will highlight a variety of different aspects of Spanglish and the history behind the new language.

During the early uses of Spanglish, many people who spoke the language were viewed as uneducated or speaking an "incorrect" language. Additionally, people who identified as Spanglish speaking were not accepted throughout the community. This resulted in many hardships for Spanglish speaking people and overall lessened their identity and role in society.

These ideas are further presented within different works of Literature such as, "How to Tame a Wild Tongue," written by Gloria Anzaldua.  Within the work, the author describes her viewpoint of identity and acceptance for people who are within different ethnical groups and who may speak a different language, such as Spanglish. Additionally, Anzaldua explains her own personal experiences as she was not accepted by the Hispanic or White people because of her spoken language. As her writing lengthens, Anzaldua eventually embraces her language and decides she will not be ashamed of her background. Anzaldua overall uses her writing to bring light to the Spanglish language.

In addition to Gloria Anzaldua's publication, there are many scholarly articles that also focus on the use of Spanglish as an emerging language. Similar to Anzaldua's work, the articles work to bring light to the language and clarify any misconceptions about the history and use of Spanglish. For example, the  scholarly articles written by Sharon Chappell and by Ilan Stavans both provide insight about the culture and understanding of Spanglish. In both texts, the writers describe how the use of Spanglish played a role within their own lives and the difficulties they faced. Each author describes how Spanglish speaking people worked to maintain their identity within society. Additionally, the authors also focus on how Spanglish was perceived and the changes the language has undergone throughout history. Each piece of writing overall brings attention to the use of Spanglish and leads to the acceptance of the language.

Therefore, there are several different publications that present the experiences of Spanglish speaking people and how those people eventually overcame the hardships. As shown, each piece of Literature lead to the acceptance of the language and changed history forever. Luckily, as Spanglish began to be accepted across the world, the language received more recognition and was soon viewed as a normal part of society. 

Overall, the recognition of Spanglish is valuable to the history of world because it represents all of the different people and their cultures. The language that was once seen as spoken by the uneducated, is now being taught at Universities across the globe. As a whole, the history of Spanglish has come full circle as once being seen poorly, to now having several publications about the use of the language. 

 

The Journey through African American English and Zora Neale Hurston's "Sweat": Understanding the Culture through Language.

          When trying to understand African American English, where it came from, and why we still hear it today, it has a very long history attached to it. An understanding that even some African American writers could not grasp in the early twentieth century. Zora Neale Hurston was one of those writers. It took Hurston years to understand how to write her characters and to portray them in a way more than one audience could appreciate them. In the story “Sweat,” Hurston writes about a washerwoman named Delia who works extremely hard all week long to make sure her customers are satisfied and can keep food on the table and a roof over her head. Her husband Sykes is not a nice man at all and is always verbally and physically abusing Delia while running around town with other women. Karma strikes when Sykes brings home a rattlesnake to scare Delia, but his plan backfires, and he falls victim to his own prank. 

  “Sweat” is a beautifully written story, but only appealed to a white audience when it was published in 1926. There are two major themes throughout the story that are deemed stereotypical in the story. In the story, the main character, Delia, is married to Sykes, the villain, or antagonist. Barbara Ryan says it’s “too close to stereotypical conceptions of ball men as violent and/or lazy.”  Men of the time would be very involved in the heavy lifting of the large laundry bags as well as doing other big jobs such as chopping wood or water-hauling. Sykes is the complete opposite throughout and is continually berating Delia. He does not like the idea of her washing clothes for white folks. The other misconception is the portrayal of Delia. Most laundry women of the time would be big in stature and much more muscular than Delia. Sykes is openly running around town with another woman that is much bigger than Delia. While they are fighting about the white folks' clothes being in the house, Sykes exclaims, “Gawd! How Ah hates skinny wimmen!”  

Washerwoman

  African American Vernacular was something significant for Hurston to grasp deepening on the region of the country she was writing for. African American English differed from region to region, and capturing the right dialect was very important. Knowing that Hurston went on various exhibitions to learn her characters better, learning the language was also very important. The online Encyclopedia explains this very well. “African-American varieties of English vary considerably, tending to reflect the social background and personal aspirations of individual speakers as well as the social circumstances in which different dialects thrive.” 
Zora Neale Hurston had a way with language, and one thing that really stuck out in “Sweat” is her use of code-switching from African American English to Mainstream English. Michelle Devereaux and Rebecca wheeler point out that, “Hurston does a masterful job of changing her language to elect to set.” Hurston uses mainstream English for the narrative and switches to AAE for the dialogue throughout the story. It gives the readers an idea of how the words are pronounced, and it is clear to see the significant differences between the two dialects.

Just as Hurston was trying to find her a way to reach as many people as she could, continually evolving with each story that she wrote, African American English was also growing and changing with the times. The dialect that Hurston’s stories were written in is vastly different from what we hear today and very different from just after WWII. There is a similarity in Hurston’s journey, changing and molding to fit the time she was writing in, just as African American English continuously evolving.  Patricia Cukor-Avila states that “While contemporary AAVE clearly shares many features with earlier AAVE, it seems clear that it is being transformed by new developments as well.” 

Along with trying to write stories to fit into more than one audience, Hurston also had to keep in mind the different from the African American dialects. The way African Americans spoke in Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida was different from those that spoke the dialect in Texas and more western states. On Hurston's journey to writing the perfect story, she would travel to different parts of the South, such as Louisiana and Florida, to watch, listen, and learn how individual people from different places lived and went about their daily lives. If Hurston had ventured into Texas, she would have found an African American dialect much different than what she was used to hearing. David Sutcliffe argues that African English breaks down into more of a Creole, “…little of the deeper basilectal AAE straying over the border into creole actually registers…” 

There are so many factors that go into writing a story like this and flooring, along with the different aspects of African American English and the vernacular. Understanding how to write and for a large group of audiences falls into a much broader category than one might think. Hurston had her work cut out for her when it came to capturing her characters in a way that would not only please the scholarly audiences but grab the attention of the people she was writing about. 

Spanglish: Do the Labels Matter? It's Important.

What is Spanglish? Spanglish is a language that connects two well known languages. English and Spanish are bonded together to creating a beautiful language in text and speech.

Spanglish is a language that has been a topic of debate for a long while. There are some that argue it is merely a dialect, while others define it as a language. If it is a language, would you consider someone who speaks it to be bilingual then? Araceli Osorio's article, "The role of Spanglish in the social and academic lives of second generation Latino students : students' and parents' perspectives" gives insight on this debate. In one light Spanglish is seen as a dialect because it is not spoken much in Spanish-speaking countries because the majority of Spanglish speakers are Latinos living in the United States. According to Thomas Moore Devlin, there are over 50 million people who speak Spanglish in the United States. For the Latinos living in United States, they could be considered bilingual, and in turn be capable of code-switching. Code-switching is a process of shifting from one linguistic code to another depending on the social context or conversational setting. Yet code-switching is something that can be accomplished without intention, so how can the use of it define bilingual status? There are specific words native to a language that are used in each language. For example a native Spanish speaker who uses the word DMV in speech, is switching to english. Although one may not realize they are doing so, they have to because there in no alternative to be used. Spanglish is much more than just code-swithcing; it is an effective form of communication for creating meaningful conversations and helps establish an identity within cross-cultural situations.

The Blending of Languages in Speech

An issue lies in that fact Latinos aren't on the same page when defining Spanglish. There are some that are greatly opposed to the idea, feeling that it is a corruption of the proper language Spanish. On the other hand, those who speak it are very proud and view it as representing both heritages: American and Hispanic. Here fails the issue of how we see the world. Everyone believes that their way of life, the language they speak is the correct way. Although not all may admit that is the reason for their disapproval, it's true that we are to wrapped up in our own lives to put ourselves in the shoes of others.

Regardless of one's opinion, we cannot deny the importance of the language. The role of Spanglish is very important an academic level. Research conducted by Ramon Antonio Martinez within his classroom proves that Spanglish allows students to accomplish conversational work. When the students were at a loss of words, the ability to utilize Spanglish allowed for continued conversation. Why would we deny students the creativity of expression through their language? There is simply the lack of acceptance of the unknown. If a student who only spoke English transferred to a Spanish speaking class, they wouldn't be told their language is nonexistent and incapable to be used. All of the controversy surrounding the defining of Spanglish gives it a bad name. There are many people that reject the term because they feel that it is a poor language. Ricardo Otheguy and Nancy Stern support this idea in stating that Spanglish needs to be discarded and replaced by Spanish because it is proper.

Spanglish. If you didn't know what is was before, you now have a bit of insight on what it is. We are all entitled to our own opinions in life, but I believe there are some fights that are not worth fighting. How can we sit back and tell someone that their culture and way of learning isn't valid? We all have different beliefs, morals, ideals, ways of learning, and express our culture in different ways. It's ok to be different. Now, we need to move towards accepting the differences so that Spanglish can be spoken within the United States without fear of judgement.

The Development and Perceptions of African American English

Categorizing African American English as a language has created much controversy among linguists and members of society today, finding many negative perceptions associated with it. The history of language, as well as the fundamental elements that make up a particular language, are important to draw upon when considering the basis of “how” the language has come about. 

Whether or not two speakers understand each other in conversation determines if that form of communication can be defined as a language or a dialect. There is a widespread use of African American English found in Zora Neale Hurston’s Mules and Men, in which former slaves share their stories told through Hurston’s narrative herself. The complex, rule-based linguistic system of African American English was formed as a result of former slaves cross-communicating with English speakers during early times of colonization. 

Representation of the diverse nation that we live in with careful attention
to the inclusion of African American English as a language.

Dennis Baron discusses the ways in which students from African American English speaking households communicate in the classroom and how Oakland schools set a great example for the rest of society- making it their mission to make sure their teachers leave any negative perceptions at the door, as their leaders educate them about the language of their own students. Although Oakland’s intentions were for the good of their students, they received large amounts of backlash, implying that the school's efforts made the concept of “Black English” relevant among students. This supports the general consensus of the public in regards to language in school as well as the workplace, as many people believe Mainstream US English to be a significant attribute of being viewed as a "good" student or businessman/woman.

Vinson Cunningham sheds light on this topic as he discusses individuals of societies’ inability to recognize and appreciate African American English for its complex and systematic structure, but rather as a random, bad habit acquired by individuals. It is in our nature to make assumptions about things that we simply do not know anything about. But it is this tendency that steers us down the wrong path as a growing, respectable society. Although African American English may not be of importance to some, it is safe to assume that those individuals have never taken the time to study the extent of its history and the strict patterns associated with it.

The variety of opinions on African American English being categorized as a language has raised the important question of whether or not it should be ruled as an “acceptable” form of communication. With that, we ask- Why not? As we are supposed to raise equality among all individuals of our nation, shouldn’t one’s language qualify for that same respect? Rather than trying to change members of society, it is our job to use our voices for the greater good and educate those around us to accept our nation for exactly what it is: Diverse.

Aspects and Variations of African American English

Studying the aspects of African American English is important for understanding how and why people spoke in this dialect long ago and why people sometimes speak in this dialect today. This dialect of English can be dated back all the way to when the slaves came over to America. They quickly realized they needed to adapt to their new surroundings and begin speaking English so they could communicate with Americans. By mixing English with their culture’s language, African American English was made.
 
There are many pieces of literature that accurately display how African American English was used both years ago and today. In Toni Morrison’s book “Sula” we can see through the dialogue of the characters, how they spoke to one another in this dialect. Readers can see different aspects of African American English presented such as absence of copula for contracted forms of is and are, general plural is absence, as well as the use of ain’t for didn’t.

Toni Morrison’s book “Sula” is a great example of African American English. This excerpt from the story shows some of the dialogue between some of the characters. The dialogue in the story is the main source for showing how people of color use African American English. The story however is written in third person. While reading the book, readers can see a direct contrast of African American English with regular English that is spoken today. Toni Morrison may have done this to show the differences between the two dialects and inform readers of how people who use African American English talk.

Many of the variations we see throughout the dialogue in this story are discussed by Wolfram in his chapter on African American English. These include the absence of copula as well as many others. These variations are also discussed in Holt's article "Mechanisms of Vowel Variation in African American English." In her article, Holt aims to prove that there is vowel variation among AAE speakers. They focused their research in North Carolina and ultimately they prove that there is some sort of vowel variation in speakers of African American English.

 Jessica Berry's article "Dialect Variation of Copula and Auxiliary Verb BE: African American English- Speaking Children With and Without Gullah/Geechee Heritage” ultimately aims to prove the same thing: the dialect of African American English is not uniform in all speakers of the dialect. Berry aims to prove however, that the heritage of a person directly affects how they speak African American English. After researching with children, with and without the Gullah/Geechee heritage, they found that there is a correlation between a child's heritage and the way they speak AAE. Both these articles show that although many people speak AAE there is much variation in the aspects of the dialect.

In Terry's article, "Relations between Dialect Variation, Grammar, and Early Spelling Skills" she talks about how there is also variation in the way African American English is spoken in children. She also aims to prove that children's use of African American English directly correlates to how they perform in school, mainly reading and writing. After testing students on things such as spelling patterns, productive morphology, and word reading, they found that the dialect in which children speak directly affects their performance in school. While we did not see much of Sula's time in school it is clear that children have a harder time in school if they speak a different language. 

Toni Morrison's book "Sula" is a great example of how African American English was spoken. Throughout the dialogue in the book we see how African American English was used by people who spoke the dialect. We see many variations throughout the book and different aspects used, such as the use of ain't for didn't. When we look at how many variations and different aspects there are in African American English, we see just how diverse the dialect really is.

Abrzándose of Two Languages

Spanglish can be described as the hugging of two languages. Spanglish is a beautiful way that Spanish speakers are able to hold onto their native language yet also bring English into their dialect.  

Some people feel that Spanglish is the product of being raised bilingually. This is true that if a person is raised bilingually then they are able to switch back and forth between two languages also known as code-switching. Yet a person is capable of code-switching even if they are not bilingual. For example, when at a restaurant people are code-switching every day, yet they do not realize it. If a person orders a taco at a restaurant they are actually saying the Spanish word taco. This could be seen as code-switching. Thomas Moore Devlin in his article, “How Many People Speak Spanglish, Where Is It Spoken?” saw Spanglish as code-switching and nothing else. Although Spanglish may fall under the title of code-switching it can also be seen as more than that. Spanglish can instead be seen as translanguaging. Translanguaging is the practice of using multiple languages by bilinguals. Henderson and Ingram in their article, "Mister, you're writing in Spanglish" discusses that Spanglish is not actually code-switching but is instead translanguaging since it is spoken by mostly bilinguals. Since the United States is heavily populated with Spanish speakers it would make sense for most Spanglish speakers to be bilingual, which would then move Spanglish into the translanguaging category instead of just code-switching.

Since Spanglish is spoken by bilinguals it is usually the way that some native Spanish speakers hold onto their Latino identity. In the website Aula Hispánica in the article, “What is Spanglish” it is said that there are 35 million Latin Americans in the United States which makes it one of the most important regions of Hispanic origin. With so many Latin Americans in the United States, it is no surprise that Spanglish occurs. In Matínez’s article, “Spanglish as Literacy Tool” he noticed that Spanglish is actually mostly spoken when communicating with family or peers. 

There is a stereotype that people who speak Spanglish are just native Spanish speakers who cannot pick up the English dialect. These people feel that Spanglish speakers are uneducated however, they are wrong. Since Spanglish is often spoken when communicating with family or peers it shows that Spanglish has a bigger meaning. Spanglish is instead a way that Latin Americans hold onto their native culture and embrace a new one. Sánchez-Muñoz in her article, “Who Soy Yo?” discusses that Spanglish speakers are people who do not identify with the Ango-American cultural values and also do not identify with the Mexican cultural values. It is important that society embraces Spanglish speakers because although it is not a known language it is important to the people who speak it.

Although Spanglish is not a classified language, people are beginning to accept it more and more every day. There are books, poems, and songs written in Spanglish. Justin Bieber’s hit song “Despacito” is written in Spanglish. In his songs, he goes back and forth from singing English and Spanish. The chorus is always in Spanish while the rest of the song is in English. There is even a children's book written by Susan Hood, called, Spike The Mixed Up Monster which is written in Spanglish about a monster who speaks in Spanglish. This little monster in the book is constantly talking in both English and Spanglish. The monster is code-switching throughout the novel. In Tato Laviera’s poem, “Spanglish” he is not only writing in Spanglish but allows the reader to feel the emotions that a Spanglish speaker feels. Laviera’s poem is great because in one line he will write in all Spanish and then in the next line he will write in all English. However, in some lines, he writes in both English and Spanish by code-switching. It seems that society is slowly beginning to accept Spanglish into the world. 

It is important that as a society people begin to accept Spanglish. America started as a melting pot people came from all different parts of the world. It is important that we do not take away one's culture. America is supposed to be a melting pot therefore, we need to accept everyone's culture. Spanglish is a way that native Spanish speakers hold on to their culture and embrace the new culture they learn in America. We do not want to whitewash people but instead accept everyone.

AAE in the Classroom to Boost Student Achievement

1996 Ebonics Controversy

African American English is spoken by many Americans all across the United States including school aged children. Statistically, children who speak AAE are more likely to fall behind in school than their peers who speak Standard English; this is largely due to the fact that most teachers do not obtain the pedagogical knowledge on how to help AAE speaking children develop literacy skills. Some may even hold a dialect bias, due to the controversy of AAE being in schools and dialect ignorance developing the belief held by society that AAE is the “wrong” form of English. These factors can lead children to feeling inadequate and unable to learn, which is something major that needs to change in schools all across the country. To the children speaking this dialect, Standard English can seem like a whole different language. 

Julie Washington is a speech pathologist who studies African American English, she found that when a child who is fluent in AAE listens to a story written in Standard English there are a bunch of things that the child has to be able to do. They have to first understand the story in an unfamiliar dialect, then retain it, and translate it to their dialect to be able to fully comprehend it; by doing that they are code-switching the dialects. Some of these children learn how to code-switch naturally, but by the end of third grade about one third of them still are still not able to and are not going to unless it is taught. 

Elementary school teachers specifically are on the front lines when it comes to helping AAE children with their reading comprehension skills. If the students are not taught how to properly code-switch they will most likely not be able to keep up with their school work due to the confusion it can bring them. Students who speak AAE may find it very difficult to be able to connect oral pronunciation with written pronunciation which means they may not be able to properly sound out written SE words leaving them unable to understand text. There is an approach to teaching these students Standard English that many teachers are using. The teachers will run different drills with the students to help them match words that they know in AAE with words that mean the same thing in SE. Code-switching between the two which are much healthier for students and shows them both dialects are respected and able to be used in the classroom.

Though the belief of anything other than Standard English being “wrong” is still present in some cases due to teacher bias and dialect ignorance. These are teachers who believe AAE to be “inferior”; where teachers automatically assume these children to be “at risk”. Studies have shown they will usually take points off of homework for grammar other than SE instead of the child’s knowledge on the subject, leaving them with low grades they do not deserve. In other cases these teachers will request them to be in special education classes. Both are damaging to the child’s self-esteem and can make them feel unable to learn, leading to them giving up. Teachers with the pedagogical knowledge on how to help these children will result in all students having the option to reach their full potential.

The Importance of Spanglish Representation

Representation of Spanglish in pop culture has a great amount of influence in helping immigrants and first- and second-generation Spanglish speakers feel more represented in American Culture. In recent years songs like Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" have made massive strides in bringing Spanglish into mainstream American culture. 

This kind of representation is extremely important for the more than 50 million Spanish speaking people in the united states, 59% of whom are bilingual, and able to speak comfortably in Spanglish. The blend of Spanish and English commonly seen in bilingual people, called Spanglish is a unique dialect with this own structure and grammar rules. Despite its structure many Americans see Spanglish as a bastardization of English and see those who speak it as uneducated.

Order in English sign outside Geno's Steaks Philadelphia

This view of Spanglish has been used as a way to discriminate against immigrants who come to the United States, as well as the generations who were born and raised speaking both English and Spanish fluently and use Spanglish in their everyday lives. Signs like the one above show how Spanish and Spanglish have been unfairly stigmatized in the U.S. to the point that both the language and dialect, as well as those who speak it have been the subject of unfair ridicule and harassment, as well as outright racist oppression. 

In order to allow Spanish speaking immigrants to feel more welcome and connected to the U.S. the stigma around Spanglish needs to change. One of the best ways to do that is through normalizing the dialect through exposure, we've seen this work in the past with dialects like Yiddish, which was seen as a form of broken Hebrew, and we’re currently seeing it with African American Vernacular English through influences like Hip Hop and Jazz. Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” is a very good example of how Spanglish can enter mainstream American Culture, having been streamed over 550 million times on Spotify, and recently preforming the song during the Super Bowl Halftime Show as seen below. Shakira has been very vocal about the significance of blending Spanish and English in her music, saying that she doesn’t want to lose where she comes from to pander to American audiences.

Shakira Preforming at the Super Bowl 

The song features Wyclef Jean, another Spanglish speaking musician, however Shakira and Jean both speak different forms of Spanglish since they come from different countries and speak different dialects of Spanish. Their collaboration shows Spanglish speakers from any background that there is no “proper” form of Spanglish and allows speakers to feel represented in American culture. Normalizing Spanglish doesn't just change English speakers views, it also works to change the views of First-generation immigrants, who often times refuse to speak Spanglish out of fear of being seen as uneducated as they attempt to assimilate. Normalizing the dialect would allow for them to assimilate to American culture much easier since they would be able to feel more comfortable speaking Spanglish.

Normalizing Spanglish in American pop culture would improve the lives of millions of people currently living in the country, as well as people hoping to immigrate in the future. With songs like “Hips Don’t Lie” this normalization is possible, and is already happening now.