Writing Workshop I Essay

Submitted By Valencia11
Words: 397
Pages: 2

You Talking to me? William Deresiewicz
The decline of Grammar? Geoffrey Nunberg

We are in the midst of a new era of standardization. In what sense? Well, as a bilingual individual, I find myself in the same predicament when learning how to confront situations in my native language. As a vernacular of this estranged language, it is mystery to master the influx of recent arrivals into this new social sphere. New Yorkers and southerners are truly easily identified as the individuals who possess the capability of constantly speaking bad or unacceptable English. But which New Yorkers? Which Southerners? Perhaps, the social class and the social acceptance individuals desire to achieve, can determine the ruling for which speech to adapt and utilize. William Deresiewicz mentions that “our language should be a playground, but instead we make it into a minefield”. How so? His answer is simple, treating the akin English language as that estranged culture. Do you speak American? Mentions that the scholars think that it would be absurd to talk about a language changing for better or worse, yet they censure the ever and constant changing decline of elegance in the language. Today, Shakespeare is read and no one seems to complain about the lack of rules not followed on his great literary works.
Sadly, with this continuous influx of ever changing words, addition of new words and even made up words such as Yadda! Yadda! being considered and accepted into the standard