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Since words occupy so much of your education, and will continue to a part of your future interactions in career and social or recreational settings, it is important for you to know about how words function as symbols for our world. Our language is a means of providing control over our environment. It develops in all of us, regardless of place of birth, and the one you learned is simply an accident of where and to whom you were born. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis--people think according to how they speak--is discussed to show that language probably helps shape the thought process, and skillful users of language can expand their options for describing their world as for interacting with others. English in many forms is discussed, all of them useful at times to their speakers. Accents, regionalisms, and cultural variations of English are given their legitimate place in this multicultural society because they can help identify one's background, provide a sense of connectedness to a group, or create simple variety in the communication setting. Black English and Spanglish are defined as products of special needs and situations experienced by their speakers. We know, too, that some reactions to language can be psychologically oppressing, and can in turn create physiological reactions in us. The issue of "hate speech" is defined and if you feel comfortable in having a discussion on this subject, it can be a way to lessen the power of pejorative terms. You should be confident in both your own ability and maturity to approach this sensitive issue in a way that exposes the mis-use of language to injure or demean. With attention and effort, you are shown how you can improve your use of language and continually acquire a broader verbal reservoir to expand your potential interactions. The chapter contends that you can be better listeners as well as better speakers, writers, and thinkers if they improve your language skills.
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