Description
In this discussion, you will share one of your experiences with language and power and you will examine the experiences of your classmates.
Initial Post (due by 11:59 p.m. on Friday)
Reflect on your experiences with language and power in a personal or professional setting and write 2-3 paragraphs where you:
(1) describe your experience
(2) tell how the experience impacted your perspective on language and power
(3) demonstrate the grammar and writing skills covered in the course so far
Peer Response (due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday
Respond to at least one of your classmates and comment on her/his experience with language and power. Here are a few things you might consider when writing your response:
How are your experiences the same or different?
What do you think is the source of any similarities or differences between your and your classmate’s experiences with language and power?
What insight have you gained from reading about your classmate’s experience?
What insight might you offer your classmate regarding her/his experience?
Week 2 Topic 2: Language in the Workplace
In this discussion, you will share your perspective on language in the workplace and you will examine the perspectives of your classmates. Be sure to review the assigned readings before you begin this discussion.
Assigned Readings:
McWhorter, J. (2012, August 13). Good applicants with bad grammar. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/08/13/i…
Rushkoff, D. (2013, January 30). Its not just grammar: Its clear thinking. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/08/13/i…
Haussamen, B. (2012, August 13). What good writing indicates, and doesnt. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/08/13/i…
Truss, L. (2012, August 13).The harm when schools play down grammar. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/08/13/i…
Challenger, J. (2012, August 13). Consider the candidate and the position. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/08/13/i…
Initial Post (due by 11:59 p.m. on Friday)
Reflect on the assigned readings listed above for this week and the debate around grammar and professionalism. Then, write 2-3 paragraphs where you:
(1) identify the reading selection that most resonated with you and why
(2) outline and justify your perspective on whether grammar should play a role in hiring and other professional decisions
(3) explain how your core values affect your perspective on language and power
(4) demonstrate proper verb tense and subject-verb agreement, along with the other grammar and writing skills covered so far in the course
Peer Response (due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday)
Respond to at least one of your classmates whose perspective is different from your own. Here are a few things you might consider when writing your response:
How are your perspectives different?
What do you think is the source of the differences between your and your classmate’s perspectives on grammar and professionalism?
What insight have you gained from reading about your classmate’s perspective?
What insight might you offer your classmate regarding her/his perspective?
Below is my classmate discussion post
discussion 1
Language is important because of what it communicates and how it does it. The impact and power of language can influence our behavior and the way we think both negatively and positively. If you think negatively about yourself you will begin to feel that way, however, if you think positively you will feel more productive. The words that we use hold the power of making us or the other person feel confident, but also the power to feel poorly.
Working in the billing and insurance department of an eye clinic, I see how a person’s words can affect another’s mood and the situation that is happening firsthand. We get many patients that call in very upset over receiving a bill or returning a call about an insurance issue. These patients are usually screaming at you and cursing you out at times, but rather than getting just as irate as they are, we do our best to calm them down so that we can explain and fix whatever the issue is. Once they realize that we are trying to help them, they do calm down and are way more polite than they were five minutes prior. By choosing to use positive language, the patient also changes their language and tone with us.
Its not just our words that can be powerful, it can also be nonverbal; our facial expressions and body language tend to give our emotions away. Our words can impact any situation and make it either better or worse, its in how we deliver the message. We also need to make sure that when we do communicate that our message is clear so that the other person understands what we are trying to say. Language on its own has little power if no one is paying attention to what we say.
discussion 2
The article that most resonated with me in this week’s discussion was John McWhorter’s “Good Applicants With Bad Grammar.” I’ve worked with a large number of people from drastically different backgrounds. I’ve worked on farms, with the FDA, and in banks. Grammar and language in each of those places was drastically different, and what dictated whether someone was good at their job was not the grammar they used. The sentence in McWhorter’s essay that stuck out the most was “There is an extent to which scornful condemnation of bad grammar is one of todays last permissible expressions of elitism.” There are many people who are brilliant in their respective fields, but because they cannot perfectly communicate in a way that business prefer, they are held back from positions they deserve and would likely thrive in.
There are situations in which grammar is incredibly important and is a mandatory requirement for hiring. There is nothing wrong with that in the slightest, but the problem begins when people associate grammar with intelligence. The current professional mindset is that people in positions of power should speak in perfect formal english with no discernable dialect. Anything that strays from that pattern is deemed unacceptable and in turn unintelligent. However, as someone experienced in working with a wide range of coworkers, I know that a person’s grammar is not indicative of their ability to do their job well. More often than not, it’s their work ethic and drive that determines their success.
It’s difficult to say how my core values affect my perspective on language and power. Financial success and professional growth are both affected positively for me in today’s current system. English is my first language, I have no dialect, and my ability to speak professionally to clients and coworkers has only helped me succeed. I recognize the power that language has in professional growth and see the unfair treatment of coworkers that cannot communicate in a way that’s considered “acceptable” in the finance environment. I empathize with those coworkers greatly and will often encourage them to seek positions I know they’re deserving of.
