Quote: "Those who remained at home became became a ravenous market for the spate of pronouncing dictionaries, hard-word dictionaries, error-hunting grammars, and tracts on elocution produced during this linguistic century. But some leaders went further and attempted educational reforms that would make 'proper' English part of the curriculum."
Question: Do you agree that the concept of "proper" English promoted by the Elocutionary Movement is related to the current disparaging of dialects such as African American Vernacular English (AAVE)? In what ways could the idea of a "proper" English be used to further marginalize groups like the African American community and immigrants?
This reminds me of the study done on which applicants an employer would hire based on the same resumes, but the applicants had typical "black" and "white" names. No matter how great the credentials were, the "white" name was hired over the "black" name. Having a "proper" English continues to do what was done during the eighteenth century. However, as public education became required, some of these issues are starting to subside as the language is more widely taught correctly.
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