They Say, I say-
Chapter 9: “Ain’t So/ Is Not”
Academic Writing
Doesn’t Always Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice
The chapter starts with the question “Have you ever gotten
the impression that writing well in college means setting aside the kind of
language you use in everyday conversation?”(p. 129). My answer to that question
would be yes, and then I’m not just talking about using slang. Teachers have
always told me that I need to use advance words and create complicated
sentences. They said that it would be more convincing and trustworthy. I’m not
saying that they where wrong, in fact I agree with them. “Standard” English is
better to use in certain situations.
When I got my assignments back in high school there were words,
sentences, and phrases highlighted all over the paper, and usually without an
explanation. I most certain don’t trust my own writing skills, and I’m always
nervous turning in assignments. Even if I know exactly what the assignment is
about I always think I have done it wrong until I get it back.
I like that the chapter shows that you can mix your own
language with “standard” English. By using your own language it points out what
a person says and the way they say it. “You can always experiment with your
language and improve it. You can always dress it up, dress it down, or some
combination of both” (p. 127). It’s also important to know when it’s
appropriate to mix your own language with “standard” English. The audience and
purpose need to be considered before mixing. We also need to understand that
when we mix these languages the “standard” English is changing over time.
They Say, I say- Chapter
11: “I Take Your Point”
Entering Class
Discussions
I think it’s very important to be a part of the class
discussions, that way you can show your classmates that you understood their
point of view, and you can also share your opinions. What I think is most important is that you
stick to the topic, and that your comment is relevant. One of the things that
the chapter points out, is that one of the most important things when joining a
class discussion is to link what you are about to say to something that has
already been said.
At SBCC some teacher gave us extra points every time we
talked in the classrooms. I would say that there are two reasons why they did
this. The first one is because they wanted the students to participate more and
the second reason is because they wanted to start a conversation. I personally
think it’s a horrible idea… People started to talk about things that wasn’t
even relevant to the class material…just to get extra point. I’m not saying I
didn’t do this, when I figured out that I could say anything or just agree with
the person who spoke before I took advantage of that. I started doing what
everyone else did to get extra points. After a while it started to get really
annoying, and I didn’t like to participate in those classes.
Hi Angelica,
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to what you're saying about chapter 9. I feel like we're both on the same page when it comes to writing in english due to the fact that we are both international students and don't have that great vocabulary like the rest. So I think you were just as glad as me to read that it really doesn't have to be like that way and that we'll hopefully feel more comfortable writing in our own words.
On chapter 11 it's good that you were also able to learn from that and I totally agree that it is important to stick to the topic, I feel like sometimes that is kind of hard for people because everyone wants to bring in their own opinion and thoughts and before you know we're at a whole different page. I agree with what you are saying about SBCC about why they made people talk in class, even though its not necesarily a bad thing but I do get how people just come up with ''Bullshit" just for the extra points. But I believe there are also people who get more comfortable with speaking up but it's more a personal thing. Hopefully here at antioch you feel much better with the class discussions! :)