DW 4A.

For this assignment 4 (Multigenre essay project), I chose to convey about how AAVE has been treated in the composition study field especially in classrooms. The reason why I chose to talk about those themes in this assignment is that I felt that the main lesson that I get out of this course is “AAVE is not a slang or uneducated language. It is a variance of English that has grammatical or structure rules as Standard English does”. Therefore, to sum it up what I have learned in this course and talk what I have learned in this course for this assignment, I chose to talk about how AAVE has been treated in the composition study field especially in classrooms. I will draw evidence upon some of the course-required readings that related to it or some of the academic journals that I have found during this course. I feel that it would make my main theme stronger and more persuasive to the readers. The four genres that I chose to do so for this assignment are imaginative writing, personal/private writing, workplace/professional writing, and visual pieces. For imaginative writing, I chose to do a dialogue between two people talking about what students learned in classrooms with AAVE and how it has been viewed in the composition study field. For personal/private writing, I chose to do an email exchange between two people (parents and sons or daughters) talking about what sons or daughters have learned in classrooms (WRA) with AAVE and presenting what they have learned to their parents. For workplace/professional writing, I chose to do a report about how a reporter reports the issue of AAVE in the academic composition study field that one observed in the classroom. For visual pieces, I chose to find a photograph that relates to the freedom of African American students speaking AAVE in their classrooms’ discussions among students and teacher/professor. So far this is what I planned for this assignment to talk about how AAVE has been treated in the composition study field especially in classrooms.

DW 3B.

Question: For this assignment, you will respond to the same questions listed for DW 3A, but this time using evidence from 1 recently published article in a related journal you found in the library database (2000-Present).
Answer:
For doing this DW 3b, I chose to read the academic journal, which is titled “Five Easy Pieces: Steps toward Integrating AAVE into the Classroom”, written by Jessica Whitney. Jessica Whitney suggests that teachers should not discourage students to participate in class discussions, just because if they speak non-standard English. She puts five steps for teachers to encourage all students to learn as much as they could possibly without having a fear for their languages been corrected by teachers. She makes quotes from different people to support her main idea. According to Jessica Whitney, students can draw on class discussions to reflect on appropriate uses of home language and school language. She uses couple of quotes to support this idea. Jessica Whitney connects the quote of Elaine Richardson with this idea. Elaine Richardson said,

“Educators may deem English monolingualism as more effective for student
learning. Yet restricting languages other than English from the classroom limits
access to literacy by limiting students’ ability to construct meaning and
knowledge from other discourse, culture, and language communities of which they
may be a part.”

What Elaine Richardson talks in this quotation, which Jessica Whitney used, is that if educators (in this case teachers or professors) limit students’ access to participate in the classroom discussion, just because of the difference between language that they use at home and school, then teachers or professors actually limit the ability of students to gain knowledge that are from different backgrounds that maybe useful to them. Her intention to connect this quote with the idea of students being able to draw on class discussions to reflect on appropriate uses of home language and school language is that if students are not being able to participate in the discussion because the teacher didn’t allow to use their home language, which is different from Standard English, then the students may not be able to learn things that the teacher wants them to learn. She used this quote to persuade teachers or professors to incorporate multiculturalism into classroom by allowing students to talk without any barrier of language difference. That was one of her five steps to integrate AAVE (African American Vernacular English) into the classroom.
Another step that was very effective and persuasive was “Encourage and demonstrate code-switching in the classroom”. She used quote from Wheeler and Swords to talk about the meaning of the word “code-switching” for people, who may not be familiar with the concept of the word. Code switching is the “ability to choose the language variety appropriate to the time, place, audience, and communicative purpose”. According to Jessica Whitney, if “Teachers work with students to contrast the differences between non-Standard English such as AAVE and Standard English, students are less likely to use features of AAVE in their writing.” (68) I think that she is telling that when teachers just ignore students’ opinions, because they talk different variety of English than the Standard English, the teaching technique has been ineffective. However, if teachers try to work with students rather than just ignoring them, then they could possibly learn as much as their potentiality looks like.
From those five steps, Jessica Whitney definitely says that the AAVE needs to be respected by teachers or professors as a variety of English that can be used by students.
I think that she makes an argument about AAVE’s role in composition studies very effectively. The reason why I think as she does make an argument very effectively is that she not only talks about her opinion in her work but also having put some of famous scholars’ quotation to support her main ideas throughout this journal. Therefore, I think that Jessica Whitney makes effective argument about AAVE’s role in composition studies.

DW 3A.

Question: For this assignment, you will carefully work with one of the readings we have read so far. Here, you will summarize the author’s main idea, supporting evidence of that idea, and how you think it discusses scholarship of AAVE/AAL in composition studies. What does the reading seem to say about AAVE/AAL? Does it effectively make an argument about its role in composition studies? If so, how? If not, what is missing?

-One of the readings for this project, I chose to work with “Students’ Right to Possibility: Basic Writing and African American Rhetoric” by Keith Gilyard and Elaine Richardson. Main idea that the author has put on this work is some students do not really have rights to use their own variety of language, which may be different variety of English from the Standard English, in the classrooms. Because most people think that people, who speak AAVE, do not really score high on the standardized tests compared to people, who speak Standard English. Supporting evidences are 1) “In 1974, a special issue of College Composition and Communication contained both a resolution asserting students’ right to their own language and attendant explanations of the sociolinguistic and pedagogical premises that shaped the resolution. The combined statement, revolving around a core concept of linguistic equality, supported certain progressive work around questions of language, identity, hegemony, and inclusion- with much of the focus on African American students- that was unfolding inside composition studies generally and the basic writing wing in particular. Although the document and sentiment behind it have remained important, especially during the latest publicized skirmish in the decades-old Ebonics controversy, the SRTOL (Students’ Right to Their Own Language) is still controversial.”, 2) In attempt to maintain the status quo, they discourage vernacular usage in schools, usually within an argument that they are preparing so-called minority students for success in the market place, all while many of the most successful people in the market. I think that the author, Gilyard, did a great job of discussing AAVE/AAL in composition studies. By showing results of positive correlation between AAVE/AAL usage and high score on the standardized tests (ex: essay), he did a great job for proving that the AAVE should not be looked down upon by others especially in schools. I think that he would like to using this statistics result of AAVE and score on the essays to one of the reasons why students should have their rights to use their own language, in this case the different variety of English (AAVE, Black English), in the classrooms without any restrictions given from instructors. This reading seems to me that it favors SRTOL in schools. The author, to my viewpoint, would like to see students, who speak AAVE would have as much of freedom to speak their ideas in AAVE, compared to students, who speak Standard English. I definitely think that it (AAVE) makes an effective argument about its role in composition studies in this reading. Because, by having examples of showing that AAVE does not really make people, who speak this variety of English, having less amount of knowledge, it could be really a great argument work to teach instructors that academic society should broaden and allowing many AAVE speakers to talk about their great ideas in classrooms.

DW 2b.

Question: Now that you have selected at least one website, you'll want to compare the work that you did in DW 2a to at least one of the readings/websites we've read in class. Do they represent AAVE similarly or differently in these spaces? In what ways?
For this DW 2b assignment, I chose to compare the website (www.bet.com) with Adam J. Banks’s “Talking Black Technology Use Seriously”. In Adam Banks’s work, he says, “The implication of this point is that the wide body of research in composition that fails to take into account the power of these traditions and continues to view Black student writers as less prepared than others, merely “writing like they talk”, needs to be questioned and ultimately repudiated as antithetical to both the field’s stated goals of fostering inclusion in writing instruction and the actual practice of writers”. In those long sentences, Adam Banks is saying that people generalize Black students to write less professional than students in other color. On the website that I used for DW 2a, which was BET’s website, I found that many users on the websites write as they talk. By using AAVE structured sentences to provide their opinions about the issues or news about hip-hop/pop musicians, I could see that why Adam Banks is saying that people generalize Black students’ writing ability less professional than other students. When I was in the BET website to listen how users talk through how they typed their opinions, it wasn’t necessarily English language that I would hear from professors or announcers in the news on TV. Some of examples of that was this one user talks about how he thinks about Diddy. “LOL!! “Last train to Paris” Stop on Block Ent today and it was BIG!!! I told ya that He do it BIG!! LOL!! Thanks BET networks for the Show today!”. By reading this comment made by the username (“south28”) on the BET website. I thought that this person would always write as he talks. After reading Adam Banks’s work and this specific comment on the BET websites, I couldn’t say to myself enough that it represents a great example of how these represent AAVE similarly and how this comment supports Adam Banks’s statement very efficiently.
Also, Adam Banks is saying something about how on African American’s websites, people usually have the right to their own language. The specific quote about that is stated as, “Common to almost all of these sites is the African American oral tradition-… Because these spaces exist outside of the official gaze of schools, workplaces, and governments, those who became part of them truly do have the right to their own language.” In these sentences, Adam Banks is saying that people who become part of those websites, such as BET or others like being known as mostly used by African Americans, have right to their own language. By commenting one’s opinion with one’s own language seems to be acceptable on BET websites. No one clearly said anything to user “south28”, whom I talked about earlier on this assignment.
So, I guess that this also supports Adam Banks’s statement about people have right to their own language on those common sites. So, I think that the BET websites represent AAVE somewhat similarly compared to how Adam Banks represents AAVE being used in online spaces on his work.

DW 2a.

Question: Select one of your three websites to analyze carefully. Here, you will want to identify a major argument as to how AAVE seems to be discussed and/or appropriated, and then refer to specific examples, quotes, and passages on the web site to support your claim. We'll also talk at length as to how websites should be cited in MLA.
I selected to look up a website called, www.bet.com, to find out how AAVE seems to be discussed and/or appropriated in an article. The reason why I chose www.bet.com out of all the possible websites that I could use is 1) bet channel on the TV is generally known as being watched mainly by Young African Americans. So I felt that I could find many articles that is written as AAVE (African American Vernacular English). One article that grabbed my attention imediately as I went on to the bet website was called, "50 Cent Targets DJ Khaled's Mother In New Video". Not every letters obviously is written as African American Vernacular English on the article itself.
However, the author of the article discussed AAVE as "One of cool languages that person can use while talking to the others". There are specific examples or quotes that support what I said in the last sentence. “I know where your mama [sic] house at, now look you can see, but I just wanna tell you what a psychic told me.” In this sentence, 50 Cent is saying directly to DJ Khaled that he (50 Cent) knows where DJ Khaled's mother is living at. Words, such as "mama", and "sic", mainly used by African Americans. Also, "“I just wanna tell you what a psychic told me, I’m not the kinda n***a you should f*** with,” 50 says. “I’m special.”". These two sentences is being described as 50 Cent's usage of AAVE is being cool, popular, and even special. I think that the reason, why the author used these quotes in this article, is that a person, who speak AAVE is definitely a special and cool person. 50 Cent even says that "I'm special". Also, in the first sentence of this quote, "..., I'm not the kinda n***a you should f*** with,", made me feel that 50 Cent is a special person that one shouldn't possibly mess with. This sentence contains so strong meaning for me while I was reading this article. Also, the author appropriates AAVE as the language that makes person to feel as a special one, popular one, and etc.
Therefore, after I read this article, "50 Cent Targets DJ Khaled's Mother In New Video" by Anthony Springer Jr. , this article affected my opinion or knowledge about AAVE and people who use that language prior to read this article. My opinion, before reading this article, was 'The AAVE is mainly used by African Americans in music or rap usually. And it describes a person, who sing in AAVE language, to be a rebellious or cocky person.' However, now I am being somewhat affected by this article and how Anthony Springer Jr., the author of this article, that AAVE maybe a language that makes a person more special or popular around others. Overall, the topic and article itself was interesting for me, Asian student, to read. Even though, I couldn't really relate myself to how 50 Cent, one of people who use mainly AAVE, is being described in this article by Anthony Springer Jr.

DW 1 (b).

(b). For your second writing exploration, you'll practice analyzing course texts. For this essay, select a specific quote/passage/idea that resonates with you from one of the readings. Summarize that passage or idea, and explain either how it is similar/different from the experiences outlined in your literacy narrative, OR use this exploration to analyze how you think the autor(s) would support/reject or add to those experiences you've previously outlined.
- "As descendants of those caught up in these forces, we found ourselves in a classroom with a speech therapist who wasn't sure what to do with us. Nobody was dyslexic. No one was aphasic. There was not even a stutterer among us. I mean, here was this young white girl, a teaching assistant at the university, who was just trying to get her Ph.D., and she was presented with this perplexing problem of people who didn't have any of the communication disorders she had been trained to deal with." It is a passage taken from Geneva Smitherman's "From Ghetto Lady to Critical Linguist".
I chose this passage because I have somewhat a similar incident compared to that of Geneva Smitherman. The main idea about this passage is that Geneva Smitherman is saying that she was put in the classroom with other people and a speech therapist. In the beginning of her story, "From Ghetto Lady to Critical Linguist", she said that when she was about to go to college, she flunked (failed) a speech test, which a college required every applicants to take. Then she tells that her reason to fail the speech test was because of the difference between how she pronounces some words compared to what a college considers as a standard way of pronouncing words. That is why she tells readers that she has put among the groups in the classroom with a speech therapist. However, the speech therapist wasn't able to find a way of helping those students in the classroom.
When I was in Korea before coming to the United States to study, I learned English both in school and private academy. When I went to a private academy for the first time, they made me to take test to see which level of classroom that I need to go and study. They told me that my grammar is not that bad at all. However, my pronunciation is not close to how white people would pronounce the words. So I couldn't get into the high level of classroom, instead they put me into one of middle level of classrooms in the academy. Once I got into the classroom, where they put me into, the instructor told me that he wasn't sure that why they put me into that class with having some grammar knowledge. I felt that the reason why my pronunciation wasn't even close to that of white people was that I have been taught pronouncing English words with having Korean accents. My experience at the English private academy that I went in Korea is somewhat similar to the experience that Geneva Smitherman had in the classroom after flunked the speech test. Even though I don't have African American accent when I speak, I have Korean (my native language) accent. I think that if Smitherman hears my experience, she might tell me that keep trying to develop my pronunciation without feeling discouraged the fact that I have Korean accent.

DW 1(a).

a) For your first writing exploration, you will construct a literacy autobiography or narrative of 1-2 significant events in your life that identifies and analyzes the differences between the way you use language in school and the way you use it at home. Be sure to describe not only scenarios that deal with the differences between the way you speak at home and school, but also, note experiences with how your use of language to read and write differs from the way you read and write both in school and at home.
-For doing this literacy autobiography assignment for the WRA 125 class, I thought deeply about how different the way I read and write the language at home compared to the way I read and write the language in school. I clearly saw some differences between the ways I read and write the language in two different places (home and school).
When I am at home, I usually interact with my family or my friends with whom I feel more comfortable. So, I use loosely formal words and ways of speak, read or write. Specifically when I write e-mails or send text messages to my family or my friends, I use the words like for example "Hey," "What's up?", "Yo" and etc. Also, I don't really speak in a way of established form necessarily. Another difference is that when I speak with or write to my family or friends, I could begin my conversation with the main topic.
However when I am in school, I usually interact with professors, advisors, or classmates. I don't feel comfortable as much as with my family or my friends. So, I use formal words or try to use formal words possibly every moment when I speak with or write to professors, advisors, or classmates. I could say that I use different types of words or phrases when I am with them. When I had a meeting with my advisor before every semester to talk about my class schedule, I used mostly formal words or phrases, such as "Would you suggest any classes to me?", "Hello, professor ...." and etc. I feel like I need to use formal words or phrase, if I can, every moment I speak with or write to professors, advisors, or classmates. I feel that way not only because I do not feel comfortable as much as with my family or friends, but also I think that using more formal words or phrase would show respect to those people (professors, advisors, or classmates) from my understanding. Also, when I begin my conversation, I don't usually start talking about the main topic I want to deliver to them (professors, advisors, or classmates). First I ask about how they are doing and bring the brief reason why I came to meet or talk to them.
Therefore, by looking at even these two simple and similar situations with totally two different groups, I use totally different way of language when I speak with or write to those two different groups of people.