Smitherman

Summary

The main topic of Smitherman's article is Black English. She talks about whether Blacks should have to learn how to use proper white english or if they should know both dialects. Also, she talks about how today we consider Black english to be grammatically incorrect, but in fact there was a time when it was correct. When white english came along, they changed the language and said that their language was correct and Black english was incorrect. This can be looked at as pretty racist, but what Smitherman is trying to show is how often language gets changed by events and society.

You can connect this article to many readings we have done because they all discuss changing the language. The language needs to change and evolve as the people that speak it change and evolve as well. There can be many different versions of the same language. I know from personal experience that reading a Shakespeare play is almost like reading a different language, even though it is considered English and I speak English.

Sloppy incorrect grammer, according to the author, is when the writer has bad sentence structure and no details or support. Sloppy correct grammar is when the writer uses correct sentence structure and has details to support it, but it may not seem right in the eyes of the teacher or grader. 

I found this article interesting to read. The first thing I like about it is how Smitherman added paragraphs, almost like anecdotes, in smaller font that broke up the article and made easier to read in addition to holding on to my attention. Also, I think she brings up some interesting topics about how language is changing everyday, almost like technology, and there may be more than one correct way to speak or write a certain language.