"Should Students Have The Right to Their Own Language?"

Rafaella Morais
English 1100_3E
23 September, 2016
Prof. Young

The question, "Should students have the right to their own language?" is one that is highly debatable and can be argued through both sides. However, I believe that everyone should have the right to speak and voice their opinion the way they want. After all, we do live in the home of the free and have freedom of speech, right ? We were taught to think that what we learn in english/writing/reading, is the proper way to speak/write. But the reality of it is, not everyone has the ability to speak in such high standards, including myself. The Executive Committee states, "We affirm the students' right to their own patterns and varieties of language -- the dialects of their nurture or whatever dialects in which they find their own identity and style." Furthermore, our way of speaking is what makes us different from the rest, what creates our uniqueness, our identity.

The same idea goes for musicians who create their own music. Would rap be rap without slang? Would Prince Royce songs be his if there wasn't spanglish? No it wouldn't. Each individual has their own way of expressing themselves, that's why artists are so successful. If each of them sounded the same and didn't have their own "language" music wouldn't be so popular. There are times where artists out do themselves and write a song such as "F*** the Police." Even though the lyrics of the this song and even the title are so explicit this group, N.W.A, was just expressing their feelings towards what was going on in their town at the time. I don't think they should have gotten death threats and what not just because of the song. They were just trying to bring about awareness to the situation and using their own language to do so. I guess freedom of speech didn't apply when they wrote this song.