Assignment 5

What is "correct" language?

I believe that the “correct” language for anyone is the language that they identify most with. For example, Gloria Anzaldua says she identifies most with her Chicano language, the language she was born and raised in. Chicano is the language she speaks with her family, and if you asked her who she was, she would say Chicano. Speaking the language that you most identify with has positive effects on a person biologically. Studies show that if a person speaks a language they feel most at home with, they will experience a better immune system, fewer heart problems, and lower risks of depression (I read these facts in my Psychology book senior year of high school, and unfortunately, I can’t find the book anymore.)

However, while I do believes it’s great that people speak languages that make them happy, I do understand why society promotes one standard language. If everyone spoke different languages, no one would be able to understand anything. Everyone would have to become fluent in fifty different languages, which is just impractical and unrealistic. Society accomplishes goals because everyone is able to work together, and a vital part of that is everyone being able to communicate. To conclude, I see the practicality in one common language, but I do not believe that people’s native tongues should be hammered out until they are nonexistent. 

How does audience affect the language you use?

Audience is the entire reason a person writes, so consequently, audience has to be taken into account every time a person writes.  Writers don’t write to have their text ignored; they write so people will read their work. The language a writer uses has to be carefully chosen so it is relevant to an audience. Also, “language” isn’t confined to English, Spanish, French, or German. A “language” can be much more specific. For example, scientists in the laboratory speak their own language. They use terms that relate to their work, and normally, non-scientists would not understand what they were saying. I believe that is the definition of a language.

To continue, the language a writer chooses to write in has to be understood by the audience. A white American missionary wouldn’t write letters to native South American chiefs in formal English; he would have to write to him in the chief’s native tongue, which the missionary would first have to learn. If a kindergarten teacher was creating a worksheet for her class, she would not use complicated syntax and impressive diction; she would write in simple, concise sentences with basic English words.

If the author chooses the wrong language for his audience, his points will go unproven, and his work will be useless. It is safe to say no one would understand him.