Perkins 1 Jason Perkins Dr.

Gayle Mercer English 111 18 April 2013 The Power of Linguistics Language has an expansive reach on the world. From childhood to death, language is one of the most pivotal aspects of life. Connections with other humans are not possible without some type of linguistic bond. While language obviously can have negative effects upon our race, can you imagine life without the positive effects words create? I, for one, can not. The positive effects of language are far reaching and are not limited to a couple of minor benefits. The most important effect that words can leave is the power that is associated with successfully harnessing a language. The correct usage of language is not an automatic realization, it takes much work to reap the benefits of mastered speech. In the not so distant past, language was used in America as a detriment to the enslaved Africans being shipped over to our country. bell hooks addresses this through her essay titled Teaching New Worlds/New Words. The slaves were forced into America and transported abruptly to a world where the very sound on ones mother tongue had no meaning (hooks 174). As immigrants, they had no knowledge of the new language and had to adapt as they were tortured by the oppressors. The adaptation, though, proved to put the slaves in a position of power by misplacing words in the sentences they were forced to speak. The owners were left confused and frustrated by the rebellion of the slaves, For in the incorrect usage of words, in the incorrect placement of words, was a spirit of rebellion that claimed language as a site of

Perkins 2 resistance (hooks 175). The power of language was gained by figuring the right way in which it must be used. This, in a way, is similar to how a student must adapt their use of language in the classroom. Barbara Mellix, From Outside, In, and David Bartholomae Inventing the University, chronicle how students must morph their language to appease the teachers that grade their work. Mellix explains that, as a young Southern girl, she was forced to learn when to use her vernacular, and when to use standard English. She knew that if she wanted to succeed in higher education, English was a necessary tool. This is where Bartholomaes essay helps explain how, exactly, language in the classroom transforms. He states that upon entering the college classroom, the student must quickly learn to blend with the discourse community that his essay is being written for, The student has to appropriate (or be appropriated by) a specialized discourse, and he has to do this as though he were easily and comfortably on with his audience (Bartholomae 209). I agree with what he says because in order for the student to be viewed as an expert in their craft, they must be able to bluff their way around the jargon of the community. With this bluff in order, the student is perceived to have shared knowledge with their superiors. The adapting can be uncomfortable for the learning party, but the feeling is necessary for the desired result of power and self growth. One can not feasibly start from the bottom, and go straight to the top. Struggles are inevitable. Mellix addresses this sense on inferiority when writing about her beginning stages of using strictly standard English, Each experience of writing was like standing naked and revealing my imperfection, my otherness (Mellix 82). Likewise, hooks was forced to use standard English in her early works, and felt the same inferiority as Mellix. hooks, though,

Perkins 3 believes that her vernacular is a necessity in her writing. She believes that without it in use, the language could potentially be lost. When she first wrote her essays with vernacular sprinkled in, they were sent back to her corrected in standard English. She did not give up and now, as a teacher, encourages her students to use their native tongues in her classroom. hooks gets her power from standing up to the oppressors language and not letting go of her roots. Mellix, however, chooses not to include her vernacular into her works, but still uses it outside of the classroom. Her power is gained by the feeling of accomplishment she gets from writing in standard English, In a sense I was proud of the letters I wrote for the company: They were proof of my ability to survive in the city, the outside world- an indication of my growing mastery of English (Mellix 80). I agree with all each of the authors in a different way. I believe that hooks is on the right track with her teaching of using vernacular, so that it is not overtaken by English, or as she eloquently put it the mask that hides the loss of so many tongues (hooks 173.) There is also much admiration in how Mellix is able to continue to grow within herself as a writer, and gain power from each experience. I think that her and Bartholomae are on the same page with this thought, and he sums the idea of power up perfectly by writing that the student is not so much trapped in a private language as he is shut out from one of the privileged languages of public life (Bartholomae 213). The student is turned away from the private language until they have proved to be worthy of it. There is much to be learned from words and the way they can be articulated to gain power, but the student has to be willing to sacrifice the pain and sense of inferiority in order to obtain the strength. Power is not something that can be easily gained, but takes

Perkins 4 strides of determination and perseverance. I write and continually give birth to myself (Mellix 78) Works Cited Bartholomae, David. Inventing the University. Composing Knowledge. Ed. Rolf Norgaard. Boston: Bedford/St Martins, 2007. 208-215. Print. hooks, bell. Teaching New Worlds/New Words. Composing Knowledge. Ed. Rolf Norgaard. Boston: Bedford/St Martins, 2007. 172-180. Print. Mellix, Barbara. From Outside, In. Composing Knowledge. Ed. Rolf Norgaard. Boston: Bedford/St Martins, 2007. 76-86. Print.