Essay
woshinibaba
GRADED_XiaoxiYue-101-Paper1.pdf
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Xiaoxi Yue
Dr. Stanton
English Composition 101
06/05/2019
Code Meshing is Better
Language is one of the most important things as it determines how a person
communicates with other people. Language also determines the perception that other people will
have on a person. Vershawn Ashanti Young, authored the article “Nah, We Straight” where he
emphasized on the need to embrace and make use of one's original language instead. In this case,
Young is referring to the English language where philosophers like Bartholomae claims that all
students should strive and make sure they learn proper speaking and writing of an academic
discourse so that they can have standardized English. In the article, Young claims that it is not
ethical for any person to abandon his/her dialect and embrace another dialect as he terms this as a
perfect and indirect way of promoting racism. To argue a series of reasons where code switching
is not appropriate but rather code meshing, Young makes use of several methods. This essay
shall hence focus on clarifying the difference that Young see as being the distinction between
code switching and code meshing and identify the one that he prefers. Secondly, the essay shall
identify the various argumentative methods Young uses to convey his position to readers and
how effectively does he do so.
The author successfully uses an opening example of President Obama method to illustrate
his argument that code switching is not valid and that people should make use of code meshing.
According to the author, code switching entails making a total change in one's dialect
abandoning the initial dialect hence taking up another dialect. On the other hand, code meshing
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allows one to use his/her original dialect and still communicate with each other. It is a perfect
way of interacting cultural idioms where one freely expresses him/herself through words or
behaviors in an original way to outrightly illuminate his/her personality. For instance, in the
book, President Barack Obama was captured saying “Any black person in America who’s
successful has to be able to speak several different forms of the same language (pg. 50)”. The
statement is a proof that he is aware of his language and style of communication. The author
makes use of President Obama’s use of African American dialect during his presidential
campaigns in 2008 and demonstrates the negative effect of code switching. He claims that
President Obama could not thoroughly reflect his personality as to whether he was a white or an
African American. The fact that he is conversant and fluent with a number of dialects could use
the different English dialects alternatively depending on the area he could be campaigning. He
could use the AAE language in situations where it could suit him in order to connect with the
people and Standard English in areas and states mostly occupied by the whites. President Obama
is a well-known person, the author starts his article by providing the example of Obama is an
eye-catching way to make the audience have interest in his following statements.
The author effectively uses textual evidence method to illustrate his argument against
code switching. In the article, Young claims that the original dialect is linguist A and it is the
strongest in a person, and this is the reason why it becomes almost impossible for one to forget
completely the first dialect learned. This is the main reason why students being taught the
Standard English find it hard to overcome their original dialects because code switching
demands students to entirely get over the original dialect and make use of the Standard English.
However, Young argues that "Unlike code switching, code meshing does not require students to
‘hold back their Englishes’ but permits them to bring them more forcefully and strategically
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forward. The ideology behind code meshing holds that peoples’ so-called ‘nonstandard’ dialects
are already fully compatible with Standard English” (Young 62). He further argues that code
meshing, mingling aspects of various Englishes, is not only inevitable but desirable. To support
the idea of code meshing, Young claims that speakers and writers should fuse Standard English
with their native dialects to make writings and speaking more colorful. He claims that people can
only live comfortably and promote their cultures if only they are allowed to practice their native
behaviors and languages leading to diversity (multi-dialectical instead of mono-dialectical).
The author did a great job in using extensive use of WEB Dubois ideas to illustrates his
argument against code switching. Young says, “Du Bois believed that legal segregation produced
a similar, if metaphorical, mental disorder in blacks -- racial schizophrenia.(52)” In the article,
Young appears to constantly prefer code switching to segregation practice in the United States
where he cites them using the term “double consciousness” from the WEB Du Bois which he
terms as a kind of “racial schizophrenia” that is normally caused by segregation. With the quote,
Young agrees with Du Bois and demonstrates code switching is a direct way of promoting racial
segregation as one dialect is made to appear superior over others. The more reason is that the
author claims that it is not fair that one culture has to abandon its dialect and instead embrace
another culture's dialects. According to the article, code switching calls for a person to one
dialect to be favored over the other. In this regard, Young emphasis that students in different
learning institutions should be treated the same where they should be allowed to use the dialect
they are comfortable with. Young cites from Du Bois who was a famous scientist to make the
readers trust him; he effectively uses the influence of celebrities to increase the credibility of his
own words.
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Code switching entails learning and applying a number of dialects like President Obama
perfectly did during his 2008 presidential campaigns. Code meshing, on the other hand, entails
the act of people making use of their original dialect and learning to communicate in every
person's unique lingo. Young the author the article "Nah, We Straight" argues against code
switching and uses different methods to support and encourage readers to make use of code
meshing instead. Using President Obama's case, the author claims it is almost hard to determine
whether President Obama is a white or African American as the use of different dialects creates
confusion in terms of personality. The author also makes use of evidence to prove that people are
so attached to their primary language and hence should be allowed to make use of these dialects.
The WEB is also another method used to demonstrate how code switching is an obvious way of
promoting racial segregation while as code meshing would promote racial equality. Young was
succeed in using all these strategies and we actually learn much from his article.
On my honor, I have neither received nor given any unauthorized assistance on this assignment
