The "Universal" Language

 Each language and dialect has the astounding ability to convey an almost limitless array of 

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.