Language Investigation #2

Reading and writing have always been subject areas that have come naturally for me; however, neither are activities I particularly enjoy. I learned to read and write between Kindergarten and 1st grade. One of my earliest writing memories is of trying to grasp the concept of using periods and capital letters at the beginning of a new sentence. I can also remember learning to sound out words, and that really helped me in learning to read and is still a strategy I use today when I come across an unfamiliar word. While I cannot remember the very first book I ever successfully read, I do remember being enthralled by the American Girl series and I read them all the time. Back then, reading was something I did in my free time for fun...since then, it has taken on a whole new, almost evil meaning. The manner in which reading and writing were presented and taught to me evolved over the years.

Originally, reading in school was for fun. We read exciting books like Earthquake Lake and did fun projects on the books. Therefore, I thoroughly enjoyed reading and did not see it as a burden. The turning point came in 5th grade. We had to read Where the Red Fern Grows. We had to read close to 20 pages per night of tiny print and what I found to be a boring story line. Instead of reading to do fun projects, I was reading to pass a quiz the next day. Suddenly, reading became stressful, boring, and burdensome. I still carry that experience and that attitude with me, which is a shame. But, only twice since then have I ever read a book cover to cover and truly been interested-- Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

With regard to writing, in elementary school, writing was more personal. In order to teach us how to write, our teachers provided motivation through asking us to write about ourselves. I wrote narratives on my family, my dog, and other various interests. I felt as if there was no right answer to my writing as long as the spelling and punctuation were correct. Once I reached high school however, writing took on a new meaning. Instead of writing about myself and my personal interests and experiences, I was asked to write about a piece of literature—there was a right answer to this kind of writing. So, my stress levels around writing began to rise. My 9th grade teacher was extremely picky and only accepted one “right” view on the literature, which instilled a fear in me that I still carry with me today. In high school, I was always writing to the prompt, which left little room for creativity or free writing.

In primary school, I was asked to do “fun” reading, but as I moved into secondary school, teachers began to not only ask, but also require “boring” reading. In primary school, I got to wrote about topics that interested me, in secondary school, I wrote on what would interested my teachers. My reading a writing career has undergone a massive evolution and so have my attitudes toward both subjects.

Language Investigation

In my life, I can think of a few different communities I am a part of that have a unique language to them. One that stands out to me in particular as being a unique community that has a very unique language is my sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. To many students here at CSU, the community is foreign and often shunned, therefore only about 5% of women on campus are in sororities. This makes us a unique group with a unique language that not many people outside the community can relate to.

The basics of my sorority even have a unique language. I have a “little”…a.k.a. my “little sister”, meaning I serve as mentor for her in the house. We also have “chapter”, which are our weekly meetings in which we discuss business, vote, etc. We have a “house mom” and “hashers” (boys to help out in the kitchen) to help her with meals. We also practice “ritual” (secret traditions) at initiation and have a fun-filled “inspiration week” leading up to initiation. We wear our “billboards” (letter shirts) on campus every Wednesday and make paddles for our “bigs”(big sister-mentor).

Clearly, if one is not an insider in the Greek community, everything I just mentioned seems absolutely foreign. Although all of these terms can be explained in laymen’s terms, we have adopted our own insider language to refer to certain aspects of sorority life. These words are used almost daily in not only our house, but also in sorority houses across the nation. Knowing the meaning and importance of these words provides for a bond between sorority women and provides a certain credibility and right of passage.

It is an easy way to refer to aspects of our community in words, and words that everyone understands. We all know “ritual” holds a sacred meaning and calls for a serious, somber atmosphere. We all know what it means when we are asked to show our house support and wear our “billboards”. This language provides for a fast and efficient way of communicating, and also provides for a sense of uniqueness and togetherness since we all share a common knowledge of these concepts that are unfamiliar to the outside world.

Language Adaptation

Over break, I accompanied my mom and her class of seniors to the National Western Stock Show. My mom is a high school English teacher and has pioneered the use “The Cowboy Ethics Program” in high schools—hence, why we are at the stock show. I found myself in an unfamiliar and new situation with my mom’s diverse group of at-risk students. I was not, however, uncomfortable. I am confident in my abilities to use language to not only manage the impression I make based on my audience, but also how to relate to people from different walks of life. My mom has one student who just moved here three months ago from Iraq, one student who is my age and will finally graduate this year, and one who comes from a family who wonders daily if they will eat, just to name a few. Needless to say, these are not the typical kind of student I encounter here at CSU, and I knew I needed to adjust my verbal language and body language so that we could all connect. Instead of being distant, like many of us are here with each other, I knew I had to be open, inviting, and kind to these kids. They ate it up. Me simply giving them the time of day went a long way with them. Instead of talking to Mustafa about iPods, I inquired about life in Iraq and his unique cultural traditions. Instead of bragging to Tiana about my relatively easy high school experience and my success in college, I offered support an encouragement in her pursuit of a diploma. I had to step outside my familiar realm of conversation to conquer the challenge of connecting with these students, and I have to say, it was the highlight of my break.