I love language. I've been thinking extensively about different languages and what appeals to me and what doesn't. The only real conclusion I could come to was that I love the sound of words rolling off of people's tongues whether it is English, Ebonics, German, or Spanish. There is something intimate, open, and truly beautiful about it. Language is how we communicate and how we express ourselves. (For those of you that haven't figured it out, I love to express myself.)
As for being labeled the "prescriptivist" of the class...I'm not sure if I am completely comfortable with that. I've been evaluating how I speak to different people as well as how I'm judging people by their speech and language. I do draw parallels between how people speak and what that makes them as people. I was raised by a first generation American that placed a great emphasis on the proper usage of the English language. When people speak a variety of English that doesn't follow my ideas of what is proper it truly does bother me; I can understand that different people have different methods of identifying with language and the self, but it still drives me batty. Just as a mentioned, I do judge people by the way they speak. In certain situations, I think it is appropriate to use a particular brand of "proper speak." There are different varieties that should be respected in certain social settings. It's when people don't respect these boundaries that "improper use" really bothers me.
:) I'm not so sure if any of that made sense, but that's all I can really think to write.
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