Mind Your Language by Paul J. Meyers

Our English language – the most widely-spoken and necessary language in the world. Necessary for its being the most widely-spoken and for its prestigious position as the world’s most prominent means of communication. English fluency, more so than any other language, is the most sought after linguistic endeavor of those who were born of another native tongue. In fact, it has become so commonplace to hear English spoken properly with all sorts of accents that we, living in a native English-speaking country, have taken this beautiful melting pot of a language and diluted it by throwing too much water into the pot. Thus, it can only be the job of the teacher to set things right with the proper mixture of ingredients that will not merely sustain the commonality of the language, but to rescue the integrity and dignity of the English language.

Without delving too deeply into an etymological diatribe, I will simply offer that English has come to be a culmination of many languages both archaic and other living, breathing languages of today.

Though technically considered a West Germanic language of England, its early influences include Old Norse, Norman French, and Latin. Throughout its evolution it has picked up bits and pieces from Greek, modern French, and more.

With a language so widely-influenced and now influential in its own right there should be no question of its richness, its subtle nuances, its sudden twists and turns, and yes, those many unexplained “rules” we have all had to endure.  Moreover, one would assume if so many people are learning proficient English from thousands of different native tongues, then in those countries such as America where English is the native tongue, people would speak it the most proficiently – incorporating its extensive vocabulary and eloquent grammar.

Sadly, the trends show no truth to this assumption as our mainstream society speaks on a level that experts once said was of an eighth grade proficiency level but have since downgraded to levels even lower than that. As the foremost goal of acquiring the most material wealth possible gives rise to a quantity over quality mentality, so does our accepting nothing more than mediocrity when it comes to our own language, which so many others strive to speak and have increasingly surpassed us at doing. Perhaps this cannot be better exemplified than by considering the future global economic projections that predict the United States losing ground to the Far East and an ever-growing united Europe. For what good is the most impressive knowledge one possesses if he or she does not have the proper tools of communication to convey and articulate that knowledge to others?

Already, at the dawn of my teaching endeavors I have come to see where emphasis on the fundamentals of English falls through the cracks at all levels of education from first grade through to college. It seems that with each grade the teacher assumes that his or her students were exposed to the specific vocabulary words and rules of grammar laid-out by the curriculum and, therefore, never revisited or reinforced them at a later time. Therefore, by the time one reaches high school and college not even the English teachers are taking notice of deficiencies in grammar and diction, let alone the teachers of other disciplines such as social studies, science, and so on. The shift then turns to content, as it is expected of one to use proper grammar and more eloquent words by this point.

Let me clarify that when speaking of English as a subject taught in school, it is a two-headed monster, if you will. On one hand there are the fundamentals or mechanics of grammar. This is usually associated with the lower grades. Then, from middle school onwards, there is the shift towards content brought on by literary analysis and critical thinking. It is at this point when the grammar head is decapitated, leaving the content head to stand on its own without the support and dressing up that only a well made-up face can do – even making the ugliest argument look good! The solution? Teachers need to be grammar sticklers throughout the grades!!

This is not a suggestion aimed only at English teachers per se (see how English allows for the slipping-in of the Latin phrase to seem so seamless?), but must be followed by teachers of all disciplines. It is our responsibility as educators to uphold the integrity of our language. Don’t cop-out by regarding it as a job for the English teachers. More importantly for you aspiring English teachers, don’t ever assume that simply because your students should have been exposed to the proper use of commas, for example, as the state-mandated curriculum dictates, that they have all retained it and can properly use commas for the rest of their lives.

Continually assess and reinforce the rules of grammar while simultaneously building on your students’ vocabulary throughout the grade levels. This should be done without making it seem tedious, mundane, and redundant. Instead, do it in all sorts of creative and innovative ways as expected of any Antioch-trained teacher.

If this epidemic of accepting substandard levels of English proficiency continues, then we may arrive at a point when “See spot run” is no longer spoken by the beginning learner of English but becomes the average level for the American adults’ speech.