emotion in completely different ways. The variation of languages and dialects around the
world has allowed for the diversification of cultures and expanded the ability for individuals
to express an intended feeling or meaning.
Throughout my own life, I have developed multiple speech patterns or “Englishes” to match
those around me and express what I want to say as accurately as possible. The first English I
ever used was a Chinese-English mix. Growing up, I was exposed to two drastically different
languages: English and Chinese. As a child I would commonly replace simple words with the
Chinese translation saying “ I 要 (want) 水 (water)” or “This room 太(too) messy” mostly
because it was more work to speak in entirely one language or I knew people around me would
understand me better. I still replace some words with Chinese when I speak to my family but
for an entirely different reason. Growing up, I began to speak less and less Chinese and my
parents began to understand English much better. Now I replace certain expressions or phrases
with Chinese in a comical and almost exaggerated way. I could spill something and yell “糟糕”
or “啊呀” so my family would know I was mad in a less serious way.
The most common English I use would be how I speak to my friends. I tend to speak colloquially
but rarely ever with slang since I don’t find myself having a use for it. I don’t usually think
before I speak in these “everyday” or “casual” scenarios so I say what immediately comes
to mind. This form of English happens to be my favorite as it is unfiltered and the most accurate
accumulation of the speaking characteristics and overall personality traits I have gained over
the years. I often find myself yelling or complaining in this form of English which is unsurprising
since that's 60ish% of what I do.
My "formal" or "refined" English is how I write most of my essays and how I speak to
most teachers and adults. When writing an essay, I try to keep every phrase as direct and
sophisticated as possible. I'll throw in a few words that I had to look up first as an attempt
to seem annoyingly precocious or somewhat knowledgeable (I guess it just sounds better to
me that way). Teachers and adults tend to speak in a formal way so I try my best to reflect the
same tone of voice and diction. I'm not too familiar with most teachers and adults in my life
so I try to stay more distanced and respectful to avoid any miscommunication or possible
indications of disrespect. This "standard" form of English is what many expect from all
residents of the U.S. This English is clearly not the only one yet many perceive other Englishes
(possibly my Chinese-English mix) to indicate incompetence or lack of intelligence. As Amy
Tan's mother had experienced, people who speak "broken" or grammatically incorrect English
are unfairly mistreated and ignored. The truth is that different "Englishes" or dialects allow
for distinct differences in families, friend groups, or whole cultures that diversify people
around the world.
