Standard English Vs. the World

Standard English Vs. The World

It seems today that Standard English is taking over the world. Standard English is the main language many countries call their national language. Even foreign countries are starting to use the English language more often. The University even offers English Second Language classes so that foreigners can learn English. Everyone in today’s society as we know, speak English. It’s almost universal. The way I see it, is there are 2 kinds of people in this world. People who speak English and people who wish to speak English.

There are many reasons why one would wish to speak English. One reason being is that the United States is the most powerful country in the world. Even back in the day, it was a dream for any immigrant to be living in the United States. It’s the land of the free; a land where one can worship whomever he wants to worship. It’s where the people have a say on who leads our country and how he/she leads it. America is where men, women, black people, white people, brown people, yellow people, gays, straights, Christians and atheists all have equal rights. America is also where one has the right to speak whatever he wants to be spoken. But it is hard for one to speak and be understood if he/she does not speak, write, or comprehend Standard English.

Being able to fully comprehend the English language puts you ahead of anyone who doesn’t. Especially if one wants to be successful and make it in the United States of America. Even knowing a little Standard English puts you ahead of the rest that don’t know any at all. There is no such job that doesn’t require talking, or better yet, doesn’t require communicating. Simply put; want to make it in America? You best be learning English.

Our country started off as 13 small colonies, all being owned by England. Our country was practically born English. Our Declaration of Independence, our Bill of Rights, even our money is all written in English. Even if someone didn’t want to learn the language, it’s almost impossible for him/her not to be exposed to it. It’s on TV, the news, it’s in magazines, it’s in books, it’s in music and it’s even in this paper. For a non-English speaking person in the United States, English is like death. No matter how bad you don’t want to die, death is certain and it’s going to happen sooner or later.

English is spoken in almost every country now and more immigrants have a desire to learn it. So why do people still refuse to learn proper Standard English? Besides the anti-American non-English speaking people out there, there are also people in our own country that don’t believe we need to speak or use proper English. It’s America though right? They should have the right to speak however they want to. Whether it is in Pidgin or if they use Black English, why are there people cramming English down their throats. Again, this is America right? Don’t they have the right to refuse English too?

In Hawaii, a language called Pidgin is commonly used. It’s not Standard English, but in a way, it’s derived from it. Basically when white men settled on the islands of Hawaii, they made it known that English is what the main language of Hawaii was going to be. In the old plantations of Hawaii, plantation workers from all over the globe came to work the fields. Living in small communities, this mixture of ethnicity and culture gave birth to what we know now as Pidgin English. Words such as dakine (the kind), manini (small), bumbai (or else), and shoots (later/ alright then) are just some of the examples of the Pidgin vocabulary. As you can see in the parenthesis, it’s really a different way of saying and using the English language. There is no proper way to use Pidgin. Unlike Standard English, there are no rules or conformities that anyone has to follow. Basically, anything goes. It is looked down upon by many because many of the locals or “mokes” don’t know any way to speak other than Pidgin. Pidgin being used in the class is also a big concern because Hawaii has one of the lowest test scores in the country.

Another looked down upon language is the Black English language. It’s a language very similar to Pidgin. It too has a vocabulary deriving from regular Standard English. There is also no set of rules to speaking Black English. Like Pidgin, Black English also holds many concerns