Want to "empower" more DCPS students? Have schools offer speech class.

[Anonymous]

One of the more economically impactful steps that DCPS could take is to provide basic elocution lessons for a lot of its students. The stark truth is that many DCPS students don't know how to speak well. Speech is frequently slurred, mumbled, badly enunciated, and often is street slang. I'm sorry if that offends someone's idea of cultural sensitivity and inclusion. To be frank, there is no room in my business -- and I suspect this is also the case with most offices -- to include anyone who can't communicate clearly and effectively. DCPS could alter the economic prospects of many at risk kids and other poor students if it thought them to speak in intelligible sentences in standard American English.

[Anonymous]

Why do you be the change and start a Toastmasters Junior afterschool club at your nearest DCPS high school.

[Anonymous]

Ok.

Do you want a sticker today?

[Anonymous]

“Speak Standard American English” means “sound white,” right?

[Anonymous]

Should Ivanka get in on this?

[Anonymous]

Meant to add.. and have Melania as her special guest?

[Anonymous]

They are communicating quite effectively in the particular dialect of English they speak, which linguists refer to as AAVE. It sounds "wrong", "low class" and "unclear" to you because it's coded as Black and you, as an average white American, subconsciously view all things coded Black as inferior and threatening.

Now, that said, they certainly need to know how to code switch into Standard American English if they want to be hired at most white collar workplaces, since most hiring managers are lowkey racist just like you. Too bad.

[Anonymous]

Last time I checked, mumbling and failure to enunciate were clear symptoms of adolescence, regardless of location or school system. Thanks for your concern!

[Anonymous]

There is an infinitely better way to frame this: Many students in DC are functionally bilingual. We spend tons of money on creating immersion schools and adding foreign languages, yet overlook the most obvious bilingualism this city has to offer. What some may categorize as poor elocution is in fact a different dialect. Code switching, or whatever you may call it, is not about elocution (such British invention anyway) but about switching languages. This is common in many countries and often a source of great pride and recognition that bilingualism comes with unique advantages and drives cognitive development. Recognizing that and leveraging those assets is what's completely missing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are communicating quite effectively in the particular dialect of English they speak, which linguists refer to as AAVE. It sounds "wrong", "low class" and "unclear" to you because it's coded as Black and you, as an average white American, subconsciously view all things coded Black as inferior and threatening.

Now, that said, they certainly need to know how to code switch into Standard American English if they want to be hired at most white collar workplaces, since most hiring managers are lowkey racist just like you. Too bad.

Does it make you feel better to call others racist?

Many Southerners, Appalachians, rural New Englanders, etc. face the same problem. It's about education (or perceived level of edcation and competence), not race. Most vernacular speech sounds not smart to many people. Fair or not, that's reality. We

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“Speak Standard American English” means “sound white,” right?

Sounds successful, as in get a decent job. That's the reality. Ebonics is for losers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are communicating quite effectively in the particular dialect of English they speak, which linguists refer to as AAVE. It sounds "wrong", "low class" and "unclear" to you because it's coded as Black and you, as an average white American, subconsciously view all things coded Black as inferior and threatening.

Now, that said, they certainly need to know how to code switch into Standard American English if they want to be hired at most white collar workplaces, since most hiring managers are lowkey racist just like you. Too bad.

Most white collar offices (is that term of oppression) don't want someone who sounds like a Metro train operator answering the phone.

[Anonymous]

Turn off Sports Center and ESPN
Anchors should be held to a much higher grammatical standard.

[Anonymous]

I had a very well-spoken metro train operator this week. Gracious and funny.

Let's not use stereotypes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a very well-spoken metro train operator this week. Gracious and funny.

Let's not use stereotypes.

Some operators are outstanding, but sadly they are few and far between. Most can't make understandable announcements. At least the newer train cars have switched to automated, clear announcements for this reason.