Will Denny

Professor Kashtan

UWRT 1102

January 19th, 2017

Language

The english language is used throughout the world by many different cultures. This has

created many different forms of how people use the english language. This is even present

within the United States itself. The southern states may use words that the northern states

would not and the north may use some that the south would not as well. In Mother Tongue

Amys mother uses a form of the language that Dennis Baron refers to as engrish. She uses

very direct phrasing and may leave out words that more native speakers would use. I can

understand the use of language in this form because I have attempted to learn a couple

languages in my life. It can be challenging, especially if youre learning english, and it's easier to

not worry about the tiny details such as correct verbiage or prepositions. Amys mother was also

first exposed to the Mandarin language which could alter the way in which she uses and

positions words. This was brought up in the article Yes, we want. Madrids new public spanish-

english school system created the slogan Yes, we want. for their advertising campaign. This

seems like bad english for the slogan of a school that specializes in the language. It stands for

Yes, we want, want to learn. and Baron makes the point it could possibly be more new english

than bad english. If language was created by humans so why can it not be altered by us? In my

life I use adjectives such as dope and a wide variety of other slang words to communicate to

my friends. These words are not written in any dictionary however the words holds definition

and conveys meaning. Words such as bet, straight, numbers like 6 and 12 and even the

word word mean completely different things in different groups. If I said the word bet in a more

formal scenario it would most likely mean to gamble. However in a group of friends it would

simply mean alright. The English language is adapted by hollywood as well. Popular invented
words or slang can be created in movies and television but used a long time after. In the 1970s

there was a television show called Adam-12. It followed two LAPD officers around Los

Angeles. People started referring to the LAPD as 12 and after the LA riots in 1992 so did the

rest of the country. Rap groups such as NWA and others also made this term popular through

their music. The English language is constantly adapting to different cultures.