Reading Journal
Copy + Paste this template into a different document (do not try to type directly on it). Then fill it out and post to your blog.
| Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page | Elbow, Peter. “Ting the Mother Tongue:Inviting the Mother Tongue: Beyond ‘Mistakes,” ‘Bad English,” and ‘Wrong Language.’” JAC Online Journal, www.jaconlinejournal.com/archives/vol19.3/elbow-inviting.pdf. |
| Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words | The author Peter Elbow expresses his emotion on the current state of language in education, he believes we are too set on what’s correct language and what is perceived as incorrect language. Elbow uses the term ‘mother tongue’ throughout the length of the article in order to explain how no language should be considered wrong or be frowned upon because the way the ‘mother tongue communicates is not our standard written language. Elbow describes how words and descriptions which come more naturally when we are speaking can often be incorrect for standard written english, which would be perceived as incorrect. Once you accept the fact that your everyday dialect is not inferior and see yourself as smart, you will be able to write without resentment. |
| Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author. | “to keep it from being misused, debased, corrupted. No wonder we hear strong calls for “English Only.” (Elbow 361) The term debased is a new term to me, the way Elbow used it in this sentence allows me to understand the meaning. Debased is a synonym of degrade; which means to reduce something that may have value. |
| How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?
|
The reading connects with my research I did in History in high school about the development of language. Over time our language has become more and more complex and we have advanced so much we consider our “mother tongue” sometimes incorrect when we are in formal situations. |
| Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion. | Do different generations have different versions of SWE or has it consistently developed through all age ranges. |