An Analysis Of Should Writers Use They Own English? By Vershawn Ashanti Young

Yongqi Chen 50911183

Professor Sabrina M. Cravens

READING AND WRITING FOR COLLEGE SUCCESS 0232

27 April 2023

With society's rapid development and diversity, whether writers should be allowed to use their own English has already been a hot and important topic to discuss. In the article "Should Writers Use They Own English?" Vershawn Ashanti Young argues that gatekeeping in rhetoric and writing should be dismantled, and writers should be allowed to use their own English vernacular even in academia (Young). Young also says that he does not think Fish's perspective about language and writing is completely right (Young). As someone who believes in the power of language and the diversity of human expression, I totally agree with Young's perspective

Young cites a 2004 survey conducted by the National Writing Commission, which found one-third of employees at the nation’s blue-chip companies wrote poorly, and companies have to spend as much as $3.1 billion a year on entertainment training (Young). This suggests that even those who follow standard grammar rules are not necessarily proficient in writing or speaking. I consider that rather than enforcing these prescriptive rules, we should teach language descriptively by studying how it is used in various cultural contexts. Young also suggested that writers should learn to understand and write in multiple dialects at the same time, making the dialects blend. Young cited the example of former Harvard University president Lawrence Summers, which is regarding his criticism of a professor who wrote a passable academic text. At the time, Fish criticized Summers' grammar, but linguist Kyoko Inoue thought the sentence was still clear and understandable (Young). This can be seen, in fact, everyone has their own grammar standard in their mind, and following the so-called standard grammar rules does not necessarily make what one writes more convincing. So I agree with Young that the focus of writing should be on clear and effective communication rather than formalistic strict adherence to those so-called standard grammar rules

I agree, and I think that using Code meshing allows writers to write more authentically and engagingly. Code meshing is a form of communication that brings together dialects, international languages, local idioms, chat room lingo, and the styles of various cultures. This method of communication is not limited to anyone, whether they are people of color, politicians, professors, journalists, advertisers, and writers of all backgrounds, this method can be used (Young). For example, Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley mentioned in Yong's article, sent two tweets to President Obama in June 2009 that integrated common text message abbreviations, standard English grammar, and African American rhetorical techniques. Grassley's message illustrates how Code meshing can help people from different language backgrounds communicate more effectively (Young). As an international student, I have experienced the challenges of Code-switching. In my experience, Code meshing was useful stuff for me to communicate more effectively with people in situations where English was not my first language. What's more Code meshing is a much more effective way to communicate than simply teaching students to write in standard English. In my opinion, educators must recognize and accept Code meshing as a valuable form of communication that can enrich language and writing. It allows people to