Quotes About Language
Below is a series of quotes that have been extracted from seminal work on linguistic variations. These quotes capture the essence of how people feel when their languages are ignored, devalued, marginalized and/or stripped away from them. You will come to understand from reading them that language was not the only component of which these individuals have been robbed. They were robbed of their cultural heritage and identity. They "battled for their souls" and in most cases fell victims to linguistic victimization. I also include quotes from allies and warriors who battle on behalf of those individuals whose language(s) have been relegated to the margins.
"Denying or denouncing Spoken Soul requires either missing or forgetting the cadences and capabilities of the vernacular in everyday speech, and the way its beauty, poetry and wisdom have been tapped by black and white authors for more than two hundred year" Rickford and Rickford, Spoken Soul
"It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized grammar was an indication of class and cultural background in the United States and that there is a bias against people who do use language "correctly." Christen, Whose Standard? Teaching Standard English
"The colonizer's language, English, continued to set up a force field against which I had to do battle for my soul." Dowdy, in The Skin That We Speak
"I have come to realize that acquiring an additional code comes from identifying with the people who speak it, from connecting the language form with all that is self-affirming and esteem-building, inviting and fun" Delpit, in The Skin That We Speak
"Students do not leave their language patterns at the door when they engage in any educational activity..." Hudley & Mallison in Understanding English Language Variations in U.S. Schools
"Denying or denouncing Spoken Soul requires either missing or forgetting the cadences and capabilities of the vernacular in everyday speech, and the way its beauty, poetry and wisdom have been tapped by black and white authors for more than two hundred year" Rickford and Rickford, Spoken Soul
"It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized grammar was an indication of class and cultural background in the United States and that there is a bias against people who do use language "correctly." Christen, Whose Standard? Teaching Standard English
"The colonizer's language, English, continued to set up a force field against which I had to do battle for my soul." Dowdy, in The Skin That We Speak
"I have come to realize that acquiring an additional code comes from identifying with the people who speak it, from connecting the language form with all that is self-affirming and esteem-building, inviting and fun" Delpit, in The Skin That We Speak
"Students do not leave their language patterns at the door when they engage in any educational activity..." Hudley & Mallison in Understanding English Language Variations in U.S. Schools