Everyone is born somewhere and in that place there is a unique accent, that really only belongs to that area. For me, it is da Yooper’s accent. I was born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so ja I am one of da lucky ones too call ourselves one of da few Yoopers, da lucky people! This accent is very cool in many ways. It is hard to write in the way a Yooper would talk because the big thing that we do is we have a very pure O sound. So we would say GO ShOpkO, eh? Instead of go Shopko! I myself do have a Yooper accent and I am very proud of it.
However even though I am very proud of my Yooper accent many people think that it is a bad thing or that just because you talk with one it is because you are a hick. Which, I would have to say, I am not. Knowing this fact is one of the main reasons that I try my hardest to turn my accent off when I am around people other than my closest friends and family down here at school. Moving down to school has made my non-Yooper accent show up more than it did while I lived in the U.P.
When I moved down to East Lansing my school language was the primary way that I talked. I switch between a generic Michigan accent and a Yooper accent all the time when I was at home because both were very acceptable. The language that I use in school is what you could call almost Standard English. I talk like teacher teach us to teach when we are in grade school, in the proper form but with slang here and there. For example I say gonna a lot more than I say going to. However even with the use of some slang it is really easy for me to take the slang out when writing papers.
Moving here was the biggest event in my life that showed me that I switch between my two accents. When I am on the phone with my parents or talking to my friends I let my guard down and my Yooper accent comes out more. Whenever I talk to fellow Yoopers with an accent I start talking with mine. I never noticed this in me before until I was away form Yoopers and only around a select few. My home language is the Yooper accent and not being around it made talking with it not happen all that much.
However even though I talk with a Yooper accent a lot I hardly ever write in one. This is because writing in a Yooper accent is hard because most of it is how we pronounce our vowels. There really isn’t a way to put that in writing. Because of this I believe that my writing style and my speaking style are the same. Being a Yooper affects the way I talk but not really my writing style.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
IAR Analysis of "It Bees Dat Way Sometimes" by Smitherman
What is invention? (What activities did the writer have to engage in to create the text?)
Smitherman had to understand Black English before they could create the text. They also had to have a good understanding of White English so that they could be able to explain the Black English with White English. Also they would need to be able to give good examples. They also had to engage in talking and practicing both Black and White English. Smitherman also had to have an understanding of how the Black and White English has changed over the years. Finally Smitherman had to create a bunch of examples to explain the difference of the two languages.
What is being invented? (What ideas, practices, arguments, etc. are created by the text?)
The ideas that are being invented through the text are that Black and White English are both valid languages and that they are both very different with very different rules. Another argument is that many white people don't like Black English but a lot of that is because they do not understand the rules. White English and Black English both have very different rules to follow and sometimes that makes it being confused. The text is creating the practices of speaking Black and White English and showing examples of how the two languages are similar and how they are different. It explains very well how the two languages are similar and how they are different.
What is being arranged? (What is being put into relationship to what?)
This text puts the two different Englishes into a relationship. The text first relates how Black language is pronounced compared to White English. The text also relates how the two are grammatically related, which also goes into detail about how patterns are used in both. The most common word that this text talks about is how Black English uses the word be and different variations of be. The text talks about be and how it is compared to be and how it is omitted all together. The text then talks about been and how it is used with emphasis. Another word that is talked about in the text is the word done. Along with the words and how they are used in Black English the text describes how it is used in the sentence. Depending on how the word is used will depend on what it means. The text also talks about how the 's is used in Black English compared to White English. Then the final topic that the text talks about is how negatives work in Black English and how they are allowed.
What is arrangement? (How are things being put in relation to one another?)
The whole text is arranged in a very nice order. It starts out with a nice introduction to what the text is going to be talking to. Then it goes straight into the way that Black English is pronounced compared to how White English is pronounced. Then it transitions from this to how the two Englishes are grammatically set up. This is a good transition into how the patterns are used relating them to each other. Then from here the text talks about the different word uses and how they are used in Black English. After the sections on all of the different word uses the text then talks about how the words are used in sentences because that can effect the meaning of the word. Next the text talks about the 's usage and then finally it talks about the use of negatives in Black English.
What is revised? (What is the writer trying to change (e.g. what ideas, practices, etc.)?)
Smitherman is trying to change the confusion of Black English as a bad English. They are trying to prove that it is not bad English to use the Black dialect. They are trying to help everyone else understand that just because the Blacks use their own dialect does not mean that they do not know how to speak proper English. They are trying to explain all of the rules to make it all make much more sense. Mostly Smitherman is trying to help people understand how Black English is set up and how it is used.
What is revision? (What strategies are engaged specifically to help the writer achieve the revisions?)
Smitherman used a few strategies that really helped show what they were trying to get at. The most helpful of what they did was using examples of Black English and then translating this straight to White English. They also used a lot of real life situations that are were easy to see how Black English is applied to real life. Smitherman really achieved the revisions was by using the real life examples of Black English that were then translated into White English.
Smitherman had to understand Black English before they could create the text. They also had to have a good understanding of White English so that they could be able to explain the Black English with White English. Also they would need to be able to give good examples. They also had to engage in talking and practicing both Black and White English. Smitherman also had to have an understanding of how the Black and White English has changed over the years. Finally Smitherman had to create a bunch of examples to explain the difference of the two languages.
What is being invented? (What ideas, practices, arguments, etc. are created by the text?)
The ideas that are being invented through the text are that Black and White English are both valid languages and that they are both very different with very different rules. Another argument is that many white people don't like Black English but a lot of that is because they do not understand the rules. White English and Black English both have very different rules to follow and sometimes that makes it being confused. The text is creating the practices of speaking Black and White English and showing examples of how the two languages are similar and how they are different. It explains very well how the two languages are similar and how they are different.
What is being arranged? (What is being put into relationship to what?)
This text puts the two different Englishes into a relationship. The text first relates how Black language is pronounced compared to White English. The text also relates how the two are grammatically related, which also goes into detail about how patterns are used in both. The most common word that this text talks about is how Black English uses the word be and different variations of be. The text talks about be and how it is compared to be and how it is omitted all together. The text then talks about been and how it is used with emphasis. Another word that is talked about in the text is the word done. Along with the words and how they are used in Black English the text describes how it is used in the sentence. Depending on how the word is used will depend on what it means. The text also talks about how the 's is used in Black English compared to White English. Then the final topic that the text talks about is how negatives work in Black English and how they are allowed.
What is arrangement? (How are things being put in relation to one another?)
The whole text is arranged in a very nice order. It starts out with a nice introduction to what the text is going to be talking to. Then it goes straight into the way that Black English is pronounced compared to how White English is pronounced. Then it transitions from this to how the two Englishes are grammatically set up. This is a good transition into how the patterns are used relating them to each other. Then from here the text talks about the different word uses and how they are used in Black English. After the sections on all of the different word uses the text then talks about how the words are used in sentences because that can effect the meaning of the word. Next the text talks about the 's usage and then finally it talks about the use of negatives in Black English.
What is revised? (What is the writer trying to change (e.g. what ideas, practices, etc.)?)
Smitherman is trying to change the confusion of Black English as a bad English. They are trying to prove that it is not bad English to use the Black dialect. They are trying to help everyone else understand that just because the Blacks use their own dialect does not mean that they do not know how to speak proper English. They are trying to explain all of the rules to make it all make much more sense. Mostly Smitherman is trying to help people understand how Black English is set up and how it is used.
What is revision? (What strategies are engaged specifically to help the writer achieve the revisions?)
Smitherman used a few strategies that really helped show what they were trying to get at. The most helpful of what they did was using examples of Black English and then translating this straight to White English. They also used a lot of real life situations that are were easy to see how Black English is applied to real life. Smitherman really achieved the revisions was by using the real life examples of Black English that were then translated into White English.
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