What Does Grammar Mean To You Essay

The New York Times dialect map pinned me, based on my use of language, as a New York City, Paterson, or Yonkers native. I find that extremely interesting because it is true – I spent the last eighteen years of my life in a New Jersey suburb an hour outside of the Big Apple. How did the Times know? Is it because I am familiar with the term “mischief night?” Is it because I call my Nikes “sneakers?” Whatever the reason, dialects, while understood by those who are familiar, can be lost in translation and halt a speaker’s communication with his or her audience. While I may refer to my friends as “you guys,” it is important for me to recognize that in a professional setting Standard American English should be used in order to neutralize a message to an audience. Throughout grade school, I assumed grammar to simply be about proper tense and punctuation. After reading the essay “About This Course,” I realize that grammar’s role in communications is to allow for messages to be read and received clearly. Grammar is not just knowing what a part of speech is, but it is also how …show more content…
My school district introduces Spanish to students beginning in first grade with colors, numbers, and animals, and students have the option to continue learning Spanish through Senior Year, where literacy in concepts such as literature, formal writing, and oral interpretation are mastered. I consider myself to be proficient in Spanish, and I am currently enrolled in a 200-level class here at Syracuse University. Understanding the grammar of another language provides insight into my own language, and it has made me realize how complex Standard American English can be to a foreigner. It is interesting to reflect on my training in English compared to my training in Spanish – I cannot recall ever sitting through an English class and being taught the basics of the conditional tense, but I have sat through such a lesson in Spanish classes multiple times over many