Standards II

[Bop]

I want to discuss the nature of language in our society. Not just the use of profanity but rather the correct grammatical speech that is somehow deteriorating as time ebbs along. It seems to me that the failure to communicate civily has contributed to the degradation of our society (to an extent we have seen it here in our own little community), but I am getting ahead of myself.

Let me ask- and I know I will get slack for this as I did last time- does the importance of a style of speech to remain involved within a group of people, hinder the ability to communicate with others? The most blatant example is the unwavering use of ebonics (or jive) of and amongst black americans. How does (if at all) their dialogue and race specific slang alter their ability to communicate and gain respect with outside races?

Also, do you think that the use of language has been too often neglected in schooling, so much so that it has become a secondary objective? I am a junior in college, and I witness presentation after presentation- in which groups of my peers use the vocabulary and sentence structure that would characterize the level of middle schoolers. I hear the words "like" and "um" between pauses; I hear poorly structured ideas. Tell me, was it important to you in your learning to write and speak correctly? Do you care at all?