"English, like other languages, changes over time. Gradually it changes into 'other' Englishes" (Pope, p 23).
The author of our textbook begins his dissection of the English language with this very general, yet very accurate, statement. In the video I watched, the main focus was the topic of ebonics. Ebonics is the phrase that has been coined to describe the African American dialect which has grown and evolved over the course of American history. As Pope goes in our text, he discusses historical and geographical influences on a society's linguistics. This point is exemplified in the video I discussed, as the speaker dives into how the area that black people grow up in and go to school have major impacts on the way they speak. Unfortunately, the creation of ebonics is a bit of a dark spot on American history, because it is essentially a slanguage formed through the educational roadblocks our government placed on African American students. This touches on an aspect of languages ability to change that Pope did not discuss in incredible detail: governing authorities power to change the language for their citizens. The United States government abolished slavery over a century ago, yet we still consistently witness African Americans and other minorities at a linguistic disadvantage due to the government favoring certain areas and demographics of Americans. Thus, language can absolutely change over time naturally, but more often is changed by its speakers to mold into whats most useful for them.
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