In our textbook, Valli, Lucas, Mulrooney and Rankin inserted a pre-course survey that addresses 30 misconceptions about language. (Valli, Lucas, Mulrooney and Rankin, 2011, p. 227) The pre-course survey is a very interesting one. It contains various preconceived notions regarding language. Some statements are views I was exposed to growing up and have adopted as things I feel strongly about. Others are blatantly against what I have ever believed. After reading File 1.2 in our text book I realize that all of the views are misconceptions that have permeated our society. Some of the statements that were familiar to me were mainly stereotypes, the use of double negatives, how swearing affects language, and the effects of sloppy speech. Regrettably, there …show more content…
The main ones are that the use of double negatives, sloppy speech, and swearing show a lack of mastery of the English language and that “correct spelling preserves a language.” (Valli, Lucas, Mulrooney and Rankin, 2011, p. 227). Consequently, those views developed because my grandma and mom were teachers and they drilled “correct English” into us. Although I am very thankful that I learned some higher level grammatical structures which in turn are helping me through college and my career, I do not want to become static in my approach and perspective of language. Another reason why I feel that profanity, “degrades a language” (Valli, Lucas, Mulrooney and Rankin, 2011, p. 227), is for religious reasons, as well as, realizing that although there is a time and place for profanity in our culture, the blatant overuse becomes offensive and causes a sense that there is a lack of respect for our language and those around the speaker. As a result, it begins to feel like more of a vulgarity than an expression of language. On the other hand, I do not share the same view with statements that express stereotypes, the opinion that sentence structure is stagnant, or that limited vocabulary equals limited thinking skills to name a