Blog 2

Mary Lowe
English 1101
Dr. Hughes
8-28-09



There are many hypocrites in the world but I do not believe Pinker is one of them. He is a product of his society and his speech clearly reflects this point.
One essential skill in strong writing is knowing ones audience. As a seemingly educated and insightful man, Pinker does just this and directs his discoveries toward his primary readers, the scholarly linguistic community. In order to capture a listening ear he does indeed write in elevated, standard English; however, he never said in his paper that he did not communicate in such a way. He only states that it is equally acceptable to speak in a southern, black or alien dialect, for they are just as effective in conveying human thought and emotion.
While I do not believe Pinker is a deliberate hypocrite, I do disagree on one fundamental aspect of his theory. He says that, “Language is a complex, specialized skill which develops in a child spontaneously, without conscious effort or formal education”. However, Pinker attended school. Pinker gained a formal education and Pinker most assuredly did not awaken one morning to be greeted by a new extensive vocabulary on his doorstep. He mindfully studied, read and learned in order to gain the linguistic tools which he so obviously possesses.
His argument appears to be scientifically sound and thoughtfully offered, which leads me to believe even if Pinker was a bit hypocritical, it would not effect the legitimacy of his work. However, I do not think the idea that all dialects and vocabularies are of equal validity will ever be accepted until more works in the non-standard dialect, such as “Their Eyes Were Watching God” are published. Even then, it is unlikely that common approval and respect will ever be fully given. While Pinker might believe in theory that all dialects are equal and that unrefined is acceptable, he must know that in reality, that certainly is not the case.