1. Inoue writes that “there is no language, only parole, only language that is in a constant state of flux and change” (Inoue, 143). How can we explain to our students that language is constantly evolving yet expect them to learn the “standard” English? Is there such a thing as standard English?
2. Shipka describes various multimodal projects that she has assigned to her students. Do you have any multimodal projects in mind that you want to assign to your future students?
I think that anyone who has ever tried to read Shakespeare understands that language evolves and changes. the fact that we refer to certain English as "old English" is evidence of that. I think maybe teaching versions of English as stylistic and tonal choices might be ways to incorporate various "Englishes" into the classroom. Instead of phrasing something as "standard" English, representing it as an academic tone within a paper might be more appropriate. But then there's the challenge to the academy to be inclusive with dialect rather than forcing a white imposed version of English. I guess this answer can bring itself into cirlces and I'm not really sure what the correct answer is. Even if we agree that standard English and the idea that there is a correct English be challenged, how do we go about challenging it and altering this practice?
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