The Way We Speak Doesn’t Say Enough To Show What We Can Do
Do you say tomato, or do you say tomatoe? Either way, the way in which we say it we are being stereotyped. The way you say things can be perceived as an ideal image of ourselves. It is believing to affect our skills and abilities. The way in which we speak in ordinary conversation and in formal introductions contributes to people’s perception about an individual’s skills, education and abilities. Although it is almost inevitable, growing up with a brother who had speech difficulties showed me not to stereotype people based of the way they communicate.
Generally speaking, I don’t believe it is ever okay to pass judgment on others. Growing up with my brother really solidified that for me. My brother had speech difficulties in his early childhood and shuttered tremendously. From the beginning of kindergarten to second grade you could notice the stuttering worsen. In the beginning of second grade he was in placed in special needs class because of his speech difficulties. He was stereotyped as the “stupid kid”, when he was far from that. He was also bullied a lot and many people did not have high expectations of him. He was a very smart kid that just had a hard time expressing himself when trying to communicate through speaking. Many people could not see this due to his speech difficulty. He tried very hard and you would see just how ambitious he was. After working with a speech therapist for three years, he overcame his difficulty and was placed in regular classes. So, his speech did not affect his education because although he was placed in a special education class, he still was learning the same stuff as other students in a regular class, just at a different pace.
Today, he doesn't stutter, nor would you have realized that he at any point did. He made a complete three sixty. I mean it was truly remarkable to witness the turnaround. Throughout that time of him working with the speech therapist, I was able to see that his speech difficulty had nothing to do with his skills and abilities. He was able to do everything else every other kid did without restrictions. He excelled in sports as well as building car models. His speech difficulty did not define him, or limit what he was capable of.
Aside from experiencing my brother being stereotyped, I have seen people being stereotyped quite frequently. It happens way too often. More than I would like to imagine. I always see people being stereotyped by a language barrier. I have worked with several people where English was their second language. One of which was a student at UMASS Dartmouth. She was a very smart and driven young lady. We were both able to complete the tasks of the job without any issues as a team. She worked very hard and was admirable.
Another employee had a remarkable worth ethic. He would travel almost two hours daily back and forth to work without complaint. I didn’t witness their speech affect their skills or their abilities. Many people may stereotype foreigners based on the way they speak. It is so easy to stereotype a person, but it is so crucial no to. Scientifically, around a youthful age it turns out to be harder to take in a second dialect. In this way, the measure of control and simply the capacity to take in another dialect is striking, as I would see it. That is another motivation behind why I trust that the way we speak has next to no to no effect on our aptitudes and capacities.
Personally, when I’m nervous, I might stutter. When I’m tired I might slur my words. Or when I am tired I may ramble on about nonsense. I speak differently, depending on my audience. I am sure many people can relate to that. For instance, when I speak to my daughter I use small words that she can understand or speak baby talk because she is very young. I speak differently around friends then I do my family. When I am mad I have a completely different tone to my voice and my use of words change. I am a very shy person and when I first meet people I am very quiet and reserved and don’t talk very much and my tone of voice is soft. When I am excited about something I have a high pithed voice. And when I am excited I talk extremely fast and am hard to understand sometimes. Sometimes I just can’t find the words, and everything comes out wrong. But, none of this affects my abilities or takes away from my skills. It also doesn’t make uneducated. Do you ever feel like the way you speak may change is these circumstances?
People grow and prosper all the time. I don’t believe that people should be stereotyped for their skills and abilities based off the way the way we speak. The way you speak has nothing to say about your determination and persistence and it surely doesn’t characterize us as people. The way we speak doesn’t say enough to show what we can do. In spite of the fact that it is relatively unavoidable, my experiences throughout life and with my brother has demonstrated me not to generalization individuals based of the way they convey. I do not believe that the way we speak affects a person’s abilities and skills. We should not stereotype people based on this nor make assumptions about people. I have stated that certain circumstances can alter the way we speak making it hard to determine what a person’s abilities or skills are. Likewise, I don't trust our selection of words indicate what we are able to do. In conclusion, I might want to state that the manner in which we talk doesn't represent itself with no issue.
