Making Sense of "Bad English": An Introduction to Language Attitudes and Ideologies

by Elizabeth Peterson

Why is it that some ways of using English are considered "good" and others are considered "bad"? Why are certain forms of language termed elegant, eloquent or refined, whereas others are deemed uneducated, coarse, or inappropriate? Making Sense of "Bad English" is an accessible introduction to attitudes and ideologies towards the use of English in different settings around the world. Outlining how perceptions about what constitutes "good" and "bad" English have been shaped, this book shows how these principles are based on social factors rather than linguistic issues and highlights some of the real-life consequences of these perceptions.

Features include:

● an overview of attitudes towards English and how they came about, as well as real-life consequences and benefits of using "bad" English;

● explicit links between different English language systems, including child’s English, English as a lingua franca, African American English, Singlish, and New Delhi English;

● examples taken from classic names in the field of sociolinguistics, including Labov, Trudgill, Baugh, and Lambert, as well as rising stars and more recent cutting-edge research;

● links to relevant social parallels, including cultural outputs such as holiday myths, to help readers engage in a new way with the notion of Standard English;

● supporting online material for students which features worksheets, links to audio and news files, further examples and discussion questions, and background on key issues from the book.

Making Sense of "Bad English" provides an engaging and thought-provoking overview of this topic and is essential reading for any student studying sociolinguistics within a global setting.

Genres: Linguistics, Sociology, Nonfiction

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2019

Reviews

[alienticia · Rating 4 out of 5]

esse é metade a versão em inglês do Preconceito Linguístico do Marcos Bagno e metade um geralzão de tudo de sociolinguística e fonética básica. mas é bom porque é muito do que eu já quis ler em um livro de linguística aplicada do inglês!!! e não é muito difícil de acompanhar também

[Hind H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read which offers insights about what it means to have a standardized variety of a language, and where and how that variety came about. Some varieties of English, for example, are considered “Bad English”, but this book offers different ways of viewing these varieties by shedding light on the social context and the historical aspects that might inspire the reader to look at the situation in an alternative way, rather than dismissing it as “Bad English”.

[Suellen Rubira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um livro muito legal sobre variações no inglês. A gente fica por dentro de várias outras formas de expressão e como elas funcionam. O capítulo que mais gostei foi sobre African American English.

Como eu já tenho uma visão bem democrática da linguagem, por conta de ter estudado Marcos Bagno na graduação, o livro não mudou minha visão, mas agregou conhecimento em relação a padrões e estruturas.

Ele está zero reais versão Kindle na Amazon.

[teohjitkhiam · Rating 4 out of 5]

#FoodForThought quote "Maybe this is the most important take-home message of this book: the notion of ‘Standard English’ is a socially constructed truth. It does not exist in nature any more than Santa Claus does. Do you still believe in ‘Good English’ as opposed to ‘Bad English’? If so, do you also believe in Santa Claus?"

[Stephie Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main take away from this book is that many people use non-standard (bad) English for various reason, and they are discriminate against because of it. The author starts of with an introduction to "bad English." The book has 2 parts. Part 1, which includes where does good English come from, something about Santa Claus, it's use in inner circles, Standard language's benefits, US vs UK standardization, how it creates discrimination, and understanding why it exists. Part 2 is devote to different groups that use "bad English." It starts off with the acquiring of a "Mother Tongue," and moves on to its use in black communities, and how it used against them, it's use among other countries as a second language, as lingua franca. Each chapter comes with a set of discussion questions.

Of special interest to me is the author's portrayal of how women use language. Women's vs. men's differences and how it work's to the benefit of mean. Why there is not much differences between them, but for some reason women are accused more often having these differences from standardized English. Also of special note is benefits standard English and not using it is to their detriment.

Here are my note driven comments and opinions. Kindle pages are in brackets [] for where text has been quoted or where a particular thought arose. The use of the "@" symbol as a marker for those comments not linked to a specific piece of text, and the number part indicates where I thought of it.

[2] ". . . “Why would anyone choose to use ‘Bad English’?' Some of the explanations offered include identity, segregation, lack of access to standard language culture, and covert prestige." I would add using it to make a point, like use of sentence fragments.

[@57] What about woman as their communication style is often demeaned?

[152] "As discussed in Chapter 1 of this book, ideologies of any kind, including language ideologies, offer extremely complicated territory, and reading a book on “Bad English” is not likely to change anyone’s mind." It changed my mind alright.

This book was interesting, and very interesting were the parts on women's usage, and how it can be used against them.

There is only one thing missing, and that is transgender women's usage of language. For one they often speak in a lower pitch unless they do voice training. Unless their language follows that of women's significant aspects of speech, they have to learn them. These aspects include use of diminutives and how they use emphasis differently. Personally, I had "nooooo" problem adjusting to uses, especially in speech as a speaker. As a writer I, often in a philosophic manner, I may or may not use non-standard usages of women. Although, I am known for my use of sentence fragments and the over use of parentheses( or something like that). Also, while I try not to, I can go off on tangents, although I believe most writers do.

I think this would be a valuable book for everyone. This is to understand English's non-standard dialects, and how it affects those who use them. I also feel feminist would find the women parts as a good lesson of what they are up against because of the way they talk.

[Steve Dewey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good intro to some of the controversies around the use of the English language around the world, presented through the prism of 'bad language'; that is, non-standard usages, the language as it is spoken, rather than how it should be spoken. Dialects and World Englishes are discussed, along with the possible social and cultural reasons for deviation from some standard or norm. (There are also exercises at the end of chapters, for use in pedagogical settings, which I can see would be useful.)