Language is Organic ~ Language is Culture

Language is Organic transcript

Language changes in ways that mathematics does not. Language grows new words, idioms, pronunciations, and ~ over the centuries ~ even grammar changes. Pronunciation often depends upon where you were born or where you live now.

For example, when I pronounce the following words, I hear and say two syllables: fire, tire, spire, ire, gyre, wire, and lyre. To my mind, ‘hire’ sounds like ‘higher. Empire, umpire, conspire, inspire, and vampire, have three syllables ~ when I say them.

Yet, I’m told by Merriam-Webster that ‘inspire’ has two syllables. I’m told that wire, fire, hire, and lyre have one syllable.

When issues like this come up in your classroom, you might want to have a conversation about how language is always changing and change can be very slow. Try to find ways to validate your students’ linguistic experiences. Yet, at the end of the day teach your students what they are expected to know as laid out in your school’s curriculum.

When you work for a school district, you have been hired to teach the established curriculum. You want your students to be able to pass standardized tests on standard English. In standard English ‘dire’ has one syllable, ‘satire’ has two and so does ‘backfire.’ All the best.

This text is from: Twelve Blue Moose: Reasons for Final Silent E ~ one of the asynchronous, online professional development courses for K-12 teachers offered by UnCommon-Core.com.