If there’s something valuable I’ve recognized under these unprecedented times is the importance of communication. The ways we interact with each other through words, gestures, and costumes are reflections of our human nature. Human beings are born with an innate need to socialize and be surrounded by its similars. Verbal communication is both a collective and individual expression that men and women have used since ever. Throughout History, populations developed languages, dialects, and accents as well as their lifestyles: groups of people began defining cultures.
The English language is one of the most known on the planet. Considering the place where I’m currently located and the major journey I got to live these last four years, I wanted to reflect on the language of the United States, English, especially its role among its native speakers. Learning English has always been part of my education since kinder-garden, but I feel that I’ve learned more in four years off campus in cities like New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, rather than just between four classroom’s walls. What I know for sure is that since I’ve been exposed to and learned from these experiences of mine, including trips and interactions from multiple backgrounds, I got to see what the United States truly are: a complex country, full of astonishing resources and underrated discrepancies.
How does the English language reflect its speakers’ culture?
As a journalism student, I read and write every day. In addition to that, being involved in the fields of fashion and entertainment, I make sure to stay on top of the news and to read them with a critical eye. I try to understand how art and its admirers, workers, and consumers play a role in society. Given my African-Latino background, I am driven by a sense of representation, which I try to make it transparent and clear between my lines. My motivation nurtures my words, by making them powerful and valuable.
For this reason, I wanted to ask myself if and how the English language represents its native speakers’ stories? Is English an inclusive language? What are the areas where English could improve to welcome more narratives and realities?
The conversation with Jourden
In order to answer this question, I’ve decided to chat with Jourden Lloyd, an African-American linguist based between Philadelphia and New York. The interview turned up to be an insightful change of stories and information that you can find here. Usually my podcast episodes last 30 minutes, but given the nature of the project I decided to go with the flow and record the whole episode in its entirety, with no limitations from both parties (Jourden and I).
With Jourden I focused on three main aspects that can helped me understand, discover, and navigate this issue. Among the many works and readings done for this class, one is particularly fundamental and I will make sure to include in my analysis: Min-Zhan Lu’s From Silence to Words: Writing as Struggle (1987). Born and raised in China during the 1950s, Min-Zhan Lu has lived a conflict between the education she would get at home and the one she would be instructed at school. The process she had to deal with while learning English allowed her to catch two different experiences at the same time. “In literature and political philosophy classes, we were taught a large number of quotations from Marx, Lenin, and Mao Tse-tung. Each concept that appeared in these quotations came with a definition. We were required to memorize the definitions of the words along with the quotations“(p.441, from Silence to Words: Writing As Struggle). Whenever I think about her relationship with the English language, I think about how this activity has shaped her and how English was able to mold her. Was English able to represent her culture, while giving her access to a new world, society, and culture to live in and with?
In order to find the answers to the big picture and considering Min-Zhan Lu’s experience and mine, I touched some issues with Jourden:
- How other countries can learn English and the culture that its language is part of?
2. Dialects in the USA: do they matter in America? How much are they validate? Is there a wrong usage of them?
3. The language and grammar in the LGBTQ+ community: how does English help its members and allies to represent themselves outdoors and conserve their safe places?
By considering the pieces and the discussions I’ve had in class, I made sure to include my perspectives and curiosities in the podcast episode, with the goal to share them with Jourden and find valid answers that could clarify the purpose of this project.
Final thoughts
I think that my studies helped me a lot to understand my big college adventure here in the USA. It meant a lot to conclude this reflection with Jourden, a very good friend of mine and one of the most enthusiast linguists I’ve ever met. As a writer and aspiring journalist, I believe that this assignment turned out to be more beneficial than expected, that goes beyond the academic scene. Communication and social representation go hand in hand: I’m glad to have discovered and merged both the art of storytelling and the interests of civic engagement together in one place, a blog post.
the curly flower in the world: a course in civic engagement 