Week Two: American Tongues and Sociolinguistics Social Sciences Essay

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Week Two: “American Tongues” and Sociolinguistics
This week’s readings and the exposure to the “American Tongues” video have had a significant impact on my understanding of sociolinguistics. For the first time, I have acknowledged how language can shape people’s behavior and perceptions of others. I have also had a chance to have a self-reflection on circumstances in my life where language differences have shaped my attitude and behavior towards others. Some of the experiences I have encountered or seen in others have made me conclude that dialects can have both positive and negative impacts on people’s behaviors.
After watching “American Tongues,” I noticed three points emerging from social dialects. The nature of social dialects is the first point I noticed, and it has a direct relationship with what I have encountered outside the classroom environment. In the video, one of the interviewees says that in that area they speak “plain American…no dialects…” (American Tongues, min. 31). Different factors are responsible for differences in dialects. Most of these factors are historical, especially considering that the United States is a multicultural society. Some of the factors emerge from historical interactions that emerged from migration and exposure to new cultures. When the man says that they speak “plain American,” he means that their language is superior. He, however, does not know that he is shaping dialects by denouncing the superiority of other languages. I have encountered circumstances where native speakers of English view in as a universal and superior language. One of my friends told me while we were watching the video ...