Teaching acceptance alone is inadequate (response to question 2)

Any try to get “everyone” to accept different forms of language, without them having a full understanding of the disparity of power associated with language, will likely be perceived as a degradation of standards. Speaking proper English is perceived as being educated; speaking improper English is perceived as being uneducated. Saying “proper English is no longer the only acceptable way to speak” will likely be interpreted as “these poor minorities can’t understand how to speak proper English so we have to change how we speak to accommodate them.” This obviously misses the point all together, which is that we (as affluent or semi-affluent, white Americans) have a disproportionate amount of power because the accepted language in our society is one that reflects our culture. Necessarily prior to teaching acceptance on a wide scale (to “everyone”) is teaching everyone the importance and power contained within language. It needs to be shown that controlling the accepted language of a society in effect controls many other aspects of the same society.

Kevin Hockett