Gem's mission
GEM is interested in the social pressures surrounding "standard English" in the United States. Most children are expected to learn the standard form of English in school and to abandon their native languages and dialects. We explore this concept from a social standpoint; even though there are no official bans on languages, people feel pressure to assimilate in order to succeed in the U.S.
We view this social pressure as negative because it perpetuates discrimination against minorities who speak differently. For example, having a foreign accent or not speaking English fluently can make someone feel stigmatized, and may even prevent him from getting a job he is qualified for. This is a social injustice that people should be aware of and fight against, even if it does not effect them directly. As the saying goes, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. People should always be aware of their social privilege, in this case, being a native English speaker who "talks white." Only by acknowledging this can we end linguistically-based discrimination.
We view this social pressure as negative because it perpetuates discrimination against minorities who speak differently. For example, having a foreign accent or not speaking English fluently can make someone feel stigmatized, and may even prevent him from getting a job he is qualified for. This is a social injustice that people should be aware of and fight against, even if it does not effect them directly. As the saying goes, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. People should always be aware of their social privilege, in this case, being a native English speaker who "talks white." Only by acknowledging this can we end linguistically-based discrimination.
Gloria, Erica, and Melissa all explore solutions to different yet intertwined issues:
Gloria looks into the stigma placed on students, specifically African students, who are in ESL in U.S. schools. She argues that awareness of discrimination is not enough; action needs to be taken. Her idea is that by integrating classrooms rather than keeping ESL students separate, the stigma on ESL students will be lessened. White students can learn about other cultures and languages, and minority students can learn standard English skills by immersion.
Erica explores the disappearance of minority languages, in this case, Spanish in the United States. She argues that code meshing in the form of Spanglish is an important way to maintain Spanish in the United States. She also supports speaking native languages in the home so that children do not forget them.
Melissa explores discrimination surrounding Ebonics, or black English, in the United States. She argues that code meshing in schools is a great first step to reduce discrimination. She predicts that code meshing will let black students be more comfortable with "talking white," and let white students become aware of other dialects and languages.
Therefore, although our chosen languages/dialects of study differ, we have the same general theme. We all believe that change must occur in order to end language-based discrimination. We all delved into the social environment of school, and Erica also looked into the home. We have developed unique solutions to stigma- speaking Spanglish freely, integrating ESL and native English speakers, and code meshing with Ebonics, just to name a few.
Gloria looks into the stigma placed on students, specifically African students, who are in ESL in U.S. schools. She argues that awareness of discrimination is not enough; action needs to be taken. Her idea is that by integrating classrooms rather than keeping ESL students separate, the stigma on ESL students will be lessened. White students can learn about other cultures and languages, and minority students can learn standard English skills by immersion.
Erica explores the disappearance of minority languages, in this case, Spanish in the United States. She argues that code meshing in the form of Spanglish is an important way to maintain Spanish in the United States. She also supports speaking native languages in the home so that children do not forget them.
Melissa explores discrimination surrounding Ebonics, or black English, in the United States. She argues that code meshing in schools is a great first step to reduce discrimination. She predicts that code meshing will let black students be more comfortable with "talking white," and let white students become aware of other dialects and languages.
Therefore, although our chosen languages/dialects of study differ, we have the same general theme. We all believe that change must occur in order to end language-based discrimination. We all delved into the social environment of school, and Erica also looked into the home. We have developed unique solutions to stigma- speaking Spanglish freely, integrating ESL and native English speakers, and code meshing with Ebonics, just to name a few.
Moving Forward
We encourage others to delve deeper into this topic because there is so much to explore. Our research is limited to a few interviews of minority students. It would be helpful to conduct more interviews from different points of view, including teachers and white students. People might be able to build on this topic by looking for solutions as well, maybe by testing forms of language awareness and interpreting the results. We have all developed solutions to language stigma, but have no resources to test them at the moment. To have someone put these ideas (and more) to the test would be revolutionary for this issue.