Phase 2: 3 Ways To Speak English
African American trilingual orator and Assistant Professor of Social Justice Education, Jamila Lysicott, gave a very impactful speech on the English Language at a Ted Talk in 2014. She delivers her entire speech in the form of poetry astoundingly expressing her own confidence and rhythm with her use of the English Language. In her speech, Lysicott repeats how she’s articulate in speaking 3 versions of English. She demonstrates her articulation all throughout her speech as she smoothly transitions from Standard English to Black English to Patois. Delivering her speech in the form of high energy slam poetry further emphasizes her articulate tongue which easily captures her audiences’ attention alongside expressing her own passion. Her purpose is to infer how Black English is just as clear and concise as any other variation of English and she exhibits this with her smooth codeswitching capabilities as she references personal conversations she has in her daily life. My purpose for this essay is to reiterate how English isn’t a language that belongs to any one culture therefore no one should be judged or mistreated for their use of the English language.
Lysicott starts her speech by code switching her trilingual orations of the English language. She demonstrates how well she switches up her language between talking to her professors, parents and friends in the hood. In school, where Standard English was primarily spoken, she would often address her professors in Black English. When her father spoke to her in Patois, she would answer in Standard English, and when her friends spoke in Black English, she would respond in Patois and be understood in all situation exhibiting her codeswitching abilities.
Lysicott shows her audience how even Black English has rules such as when you’re in the hood, the proper way to greet one another is to say, “What’s good?” She schooled her mother on Black English informing her that the word “madd” cannot be placed before a present participle (Line 34). The word “madd” is rather used to provide emphasis on something such as “This is madd cool” or “That was madd boring”. It can be tricky because standardly the word “mad” signifies an emotion so her mother’s statement “Y’all be madd going to the store” might’ve been correct in terms of Standard English, but it went against the rules of Black English. What’s interesting was that as someone who speaks Black English, I feel as though I’ve innately known the rules of Black English but to hear Lysicott put it into actual words of what the rule was of using the word “madd” was very impressive for me.
She then proposes the question, “But who controls articulation?” (Line 22) inviting her readers to rhetorically provide an answer. Lysicott goes on to explain how the English language is spoken in many various ways and is in constant flux. Those who speak “articulate” English sound foolish to the British who are believed to be the originators of the English language. This argument would be received well by others because it doesn’t happen with just the English language. Some Hispanics are judged by how they speak Spanish to other Hispanics. It reinforces the overall argument that no one should be treated differently or thought less of for how they speak a certain language.
Lysicott, in her speech, asserts not to judge her by her language or say she’s too ignorant for teaching others because she’s actually capable of speaking 3 tongues; one she uses at school, at home and when she’s with friends (Lines 41-43). It can be challenging having to censor yourself to speak a certain way according to the person you’re speaking to or location you’re speaking at. The author reflects on how she must refrain herself from speaking Black English or Patois in the classroom. She exemplifies her feelings of confusion with the ridiculous notion of her cooking in the bathroom. This appeals to the imagination with a bizarre reference to explain just how out of place she can feel.
For the final half of her speech, Lysicott attacks racial disparity by implying that her hair has been called “bad” but hasn’t even robbed a bank (Line 62). The idea of having good hair comes from this perceived notion of straight or loosely curled hair. Hair that is strong, thick and soft to touch. Black people aren’t known for having this texture of hair but rather nappy and perceived as “unmanageable” as if “good hair” is known for good deeds such as donating to charity, Lysicott exclaims. She continues on to summarize how Black English was stripped away and replaced with Standard English (Lines 57-58). Standard English is the English that’s taught primarily in schools. I, myself recently discovered Black English was considered its own language after years of speaking Standard English because this is what I was brought up to believe; that there was only one way of speaking this language, the correct way.
Lysicott clarifies that she’s not promoting ignorance of other English variations but is rather celebrating her trilingual capabilities (Lines 70-71). This line right here invokes a sense of pride in me due to me realizing I speak the same three tongues as her. It taught me that I don’t have to confine myself to a single version of English but rather I’m free to use my other English tongues as I so choose. She concludes with another demonstration of her articulation and provides a very strong argument that she can diversify consumer markets and she’s willing to back it up which gives her high amounts of credibility and trust (Lines 73-74). Readers would most likely hold the similar belief that there are correct and incorrect ways of speaking English, that those who speak “uneducated” actually are. But Lysicott is here to show that she can speak both Standard English and Black English rather fluently depending on her demographic. I myself can talk all fancy and proper for the big shots and the high and mighty, but I can also speak with and relate to those seen as minorities for how they speak their version of English exhibiting my own form of codeswitching. This helps me specifically when it comes to excelling in my customer service careers because customer service entails communication with many people of various backgrounds. It’s helped me ace interviews and in turn become good friends with my managers and coworkers.
References:
Lyiscott, J. (Director). (2014). 3 ways to speak English [Video file]. Retrieved March 24, 2021, from https://www.ted.com/talks/jamila_lyiscott_3_ways_to_speak_english
Lyiscott, J. (Director). (2014). Transcript of “3 ways to speak English” [Video file]. Retrieved March 24, 2021, from https://www.ted.com/talks/jamila_lyiscott_3_ways_to_speak_english/transcript
