Final Reflection Essay

My Journey Through ENG 110

            Throughout this course, my understanding of language, identity, and audience has deepened in countless ways. Each major assignment, like the LLN, Synthesis Essay, and Translation 1 Presentation, pushed me to reflect not only on my writing skills but also on my lived experiences as someone who normally switches between linguistic worlds. Writing about discrimination in Trinidad made me aware of how accents shape perception. Researching linguistic assimilation revealed the systemic pressures that influence the way Caribbean people speak. The skills I developed, from analyzing expert sources to applying rhetorical strategies and revising my writing, helped me better understand the complexity of language and where I stand as a multidialectal individual.

            While writing my LLN, I reflected a lot on my experience with discrimination in Trinidad. The LLN assignment made me realize that the way others perceive your accent determines the way they treat you. In my LLN I wrote about how my family and I were overcharged by every taxi driver in Trinidad simply because the drivers heard our American accents and assumed we had no local knowledge. (3). We ended up spending about 4 times the normal price for transportation just because of the way we naturally speak. Since I was born and raised in a diasporic community, like Queens, I was always around people who spoke in different languages or accents. However, leaving NYC and going to another country really opened my eyes in terms of how locals of other nations can view foreigners and discriminate against them just because they are not native to the region.

            My Synthesis Essay focused on linguistic assimilation and how Western language norms influence the phonology and lexicon of descendant Caribbean languages. Through many expert sources, I learned that Caribbean Creole speakers themselves believe that the way they naturally speak is “broken” and that they need to change their authentic voices to fit societal expectations. In my Synthesis Essay I wrote that, “Frank used a very specific example in St. Lucia, he noted that St. Lucians privately celebrate Patois but publicly condemn it to others. Frank’s findings on St. Lucia demonstrates how societal norms influence Patois speakers’ perceptions of their own language, encouraging them to adopt elements of SE.” (3). Writing this synthesis paper taught me that linguistic conformity is often encouraged by descendant language speakers’ inferiority complex and low self-esteem. 

            After watching Jamila Lyiscott’s Spoken Word, I learned how to take my target audience into consideration and I incorporated this idea into my Translation 1 Presentation. In Lyiscott’s Spoken Word, she code-switched to emphasize her message to her target audience: people who view non-standard English variations as inferior. (2014). I was inspired by Lyiscott’s ability to connect with viewers, so I switched between an American and Trini accent during my Translation 1 Presentation to create relatability with my target audience: individuals with bilingual backgrounds. In my presentation I said, “After one of my uncles reluctantly paid 700 TT dollars for the thirty-minute trip, I heard the driver make a snide remark: ‘Me nah believe it til’ my buddy tell me to pick allyuh up. Americans rel generous boy!’” (2). I also refrained from using any words on my Translation 1 Slides. Instead, I used images and memes to make my story easier to follow and to keep the audience engaged. 

            When my instructor gave me feedback on my punctuation in my Synthesis Essay after our one-on-one meeting, I learned how to properly use punctuation within quotation marks. I have always placed commas or periods outside of the quotation marks because I believed they weren’t technically part of the quoted material and therefore should remain outside. In the rough draft of my Synthesis Essay I wrote that, “There are three notable points on this spectrum, known as ‘basilect’, ‘mesolect’, and ‘acrolect’.” (3). After receiving my instructor’s feedback, I revised the final draft of my Synthesis Essay, “…the continuum is a tool used to measure the range of linguistic varieties in a Creole-speaking community that exist between the ‘basilect,’ ‘mesolect,’ and ‘acrolect.’” (3-4). I learned that you are supposed to place all punctuations within the quotation marks and I applied this lesson to many assignments in my other courses as well.

            Looking back on my work, I can see how each assignment helped strengthen my awareness of language as both a personal and political tool. As I reflected on each of these assignments, I realized how much my own experiences shape the way I interpret academic concepts. My LLN helped me articulate how accent-based discrimination affects people, while my Synthesis Essay expanded that understanding through research on language conformity and internalized beliefs surrounding Caribbean Creoles. Lyiscott’s Spoken Word taught me to be intentional with audience engagement, shaping the choices I made in my Translation 1 Presentation, such as code-switching and visual storytelling. Even small technical lessons, like the correct placement of punctuation within quotation marks, reflects how my writing has become more accurate and proper. Together, these lessons have pushed me to grow as both a writer and a communicator who understands the power that language holds. 

 

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