Should Writers Use They Own English?
What argument does Young make about “proper English”?
That it’s based on prejudice and power, not correctness.
Who is the main character Benton sings about?
A boll weevil
Leonard describes balancing more than one _____ in different spaces.
Language / identity
N’em” comes from what phrase?
“And them”
HOMOPHONE: Definition?
Words that sound the same but differ in spelling/meaning
Young believes language should reflect people’s _____ and where they come from.
Identity / Culture
What does the boll weevil do throughout the song?
Moves from place to place looking for cotton / “a home”
What emotion does Leonard connect to code-switching demands?
Exhaustion / anxiety
The poem celebrates whose way of speaking?
Family / Black Southerners
Give a pair of homophones.
“there / their / they’re”
What practice does Young criticize that forces people to constantly monitor their speech?
Code-switching
What does the boll weevil symbolize in the context of history?
Struggle of Southern Black life / disruption of agriculture / survival
Leonard shows how people rewrite themselves in order to ______.
Be accepted / survive socially
The speaker wants to protect language from what?
Outsiders judging it / erasing it
CODE-SWITCHING: What is it?
Changing language style to fit different audiences
Young says ______ is the real issue, not the language itself.
Linguistic prejudice
The boll weevil speaks like a person. What literary device is this?
Personification
Speaking one way at home and another at school is an example of?
language identity
What themes does “N’em” share with Young and Leonard?
Pride in one’s own language and identity
DIALECT: Definition?
A regional or cultural variety of a language
According to Young, how does allowing diverse English empower writers?
It allows authentic expression and challenges oppression
The song hints at power struggles. How does the boll weevil challenge power structures (like owners/plantations)?
It forces landowners to face consequences → undercutting the powerful
How does Leonard humanize “broken English” and other non-standard forms?
By showing they hold history, pride, and survival
What does the poem suggest about “incorrect” English?
It is full of community, love, belonging → not incorrect at all
LINGUISTIC DISCRIMINATION: What does it mean?
Judging someone’s intelligence or worth based on how they speak