“‘Cause I speak three tongues One for each: Home, school and friends.” – Jamila Lyiscott “3 Ways to Speak English”

“Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all – all the Englishes I grew up with.” – Amy Tan “Mother Tongue”

Growing up in New York, it has always been apparent that various “Englishes” existed. English lingo, slang, and AAVE paired with the infamous NY accent that is spoken with friends, the English used when speaking with family and the so-called proper articulated English that may also “sound foolish to the British.” When speaking to a certain person or group, your English diction varies. Different aspects of our life affect the way we may choose to articulate our words. I find that Amy Tan’s and Jamila Lyiscott’s work about the English language very relatable. While growing up, there has been many times where I have noticed my mother’s broken English, which I understood since English is not her first language. Sometimes I would be given a task to speak to someone on the phone to properly convey my mom’s words, just like Amy Tan needed to. Realizing that there are limitations to my mother’s English does not make her a bad speaker, while she can speak well and get her point across, it is not as fluent as mines. And considering the fact that most POC are bilingual or multilingual, like my mother, that is already something I find noteworthy.

“Sometimes I fight back two tongues,

While I use the other one in the classroom

And when I mistakenly mix them up

I feel crazy like… I’m cooking in the bathroom…”

“These words are spoken by someone who is simply fed up with the Eurocentric ideals of this season.”

“I’m so tired of the negative images that are driving my people mad.”

Lyiscott brings up the negative perceptions that people have regarding various “Englishes.” It is a problem that exist and needs to be addressed. Though speaking the English language with perfect grammar, enunciation and diction may be most ideal to some, I hope the negative view of various “Englishes” cease, especially as Lyiscott states, “I’m so sick of this nonsensical racial disparity.” After all, seeing injustice and choosing to ignore blatant issues makes one complicit. “The English language is a multifaceted oration, subject to indefinite transformation.” The words used are still written with letters of the English alphabet, which makes them similar, yet so different from each other. Each different language spoken has their own charm and appeal which should not be used to judge the speakers.