Week 1: Language, identity, bias, and privilege

Sunday, 13 March 2016

Throughout my last years of high school, I always dreamt of studying linguistics at university. Why?

Because punctuation was my passion.

Now that I am, in fact, studying it, I realise that I was slightly misinformed.

Linguistics is the scientific study of language and its structure, and it has opened up a whole new world for me. 

"You can tell a lot about someone by their speech."

My reaction to this statement was,"Yes, of course." I didn't even think about it. 

When I was proven wrong, I felt extremely unsettled. 

I have always thought of myself as a non-judgemental person, but am I really? The truth is that when I am speaking to someone and they don't speak like me, I judge them. 

When I talk to someone who speaks the same dialect as I do, I immediately find it easier and more comfortable to converse with them.

In contrast, when I talk to someone who speaks a different dialect, I unconsciously separate us on levels with regard to who is higher and who is lower, in terms of intelligence.

It is something I absolutely despise about myself, but also something that I was only recently made aware of. 

We often make judgements about people based on their speech. 

We judge their level of education, their socio-economic status, their trustworthiness, their race, and their attractiveness. 

Many people believe that non-standard dialects of English are inferior to the standard dialect of English. 

"Do non-standard dialects have a place in the media?"

Once again, I replied with,"Yes, of course." But the truth is, when I hear non-standard dialects of English on TV, I immediately change the channel. 

My heart says one thing, but my actions say another. I need help.

It is not that I don't understand what they are saying, it's that I don't hear what they are saying. 

I hear how they say it.

In my opinion, the main reason non-standard dialects aren't widely represented in the media is because those who work in the media do not wish to displease the majority of people who want only standard dialects.

But hold up people!

We as South Africans need to take a stand. The media representation is crucial for us to learn about different cultures, religions etc. 

This generation is already set in their ways. We NEED to become aware of our own bias in order to ensure that we do not pass it on to the next generation. 

Once we recognise that our way is perhaps not the best way, then, and only then, will we be able to look forward to a brighter day.