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Why Do Teachers Hate Ain't? Eighteenth-Century Ideologies and Attitudes in Twenty-First-Century Classrooms

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Illinois State University ISU ReD: Research and eData Theses and Dissertations 11-11-2013 Why do teachers hate ain't? Eighteenth-century ideologies and attitudes in twenty-first-century classrooms Robin Elise Halsey Illinois State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd Part of the Education Commons, and the Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons Recommended Citation Halsey, Robin Elise, "Why do teachers hate ain't? Eighteenth-century ideologies and attitudes in twenty- first-century classrooms" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. 70. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/70 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ISU ReD: Research and eData. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ISU ReD: Research and eData. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WHY DO TEACHERS HATE AIN’T ? EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY IDEOLOGIES AND ATTITUDES IN TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY CLASSROOMS Robin E. Cross Halsey 123 Pages December 2013 This thesis investigates the impact of various historical events on the development of the English language and its grammar. Specifically, this project highlights how the ideologies about language held by eighteenth-century grammar-writers have influenced the pedagogical approach of teachers of English, persisting into the twenty-first century. Further, the rationale behind these language ideologies is explored in order to gain important insights into the seemingly prescriptive nature of the majority of grammar texts produced in the eighteenth century and beyond. The origins of four particular points of grammar and usage that are commonly attacked by teachers, grammarians, and others are examined. The chapter on ain’t explores the mystery behind the word’s former respectability and its descent into the realm of unacceptability, which led to labels such as barbarism and vulgarism . The chapter on attitudes toward variant pronunciations of ask reveals the surprising etymology of the word while tracing the history of its popular usage over time. The chapters on multiple negation and preposition stranding relate the histories of two of many examples of prescriptive rules appearing in eighteenth-century normative grammars. Throughout the last three centuries, many theories about linguistics and grammar teaching have been advanced. Despite our current knowledge about the nature and function of language and the realities of language change and variation, however, debates over the teaching of grammar continue. Unsure about the best ways to present material that may appear on standardized tests, teachers may simply continue the cycle begun centuries earlier, and encourage students to memorize particular rules of English grammar. This thesis suggests that an appropriate alternative for today’s society may be a more historically and linguistically informed, comprehensive approach to teaching grammar and usage—a pedagogy that emphasizes clear communication instead of the rigid adherence to a set of rules. WHY DO TEACHERS HATE AIN’T ? EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY IDEOLOGIES AND ATTITUDES IN TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY CLASSROOMS ROBIN E. CROSS HALSEY A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of English ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY 2013 © 2013 Robin E. Cross Halsey WHY DO TEACHERS HATE AIN’T ? EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY IDEOLOGIES AND ATTITUDES IN TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY CLASSROOMS ROBIN E. CROSS HALSEY COMMITTEE MEMBERS: K. Aaron Smith, Chair Susan M. Kim ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer wishes to thank her family and friends for the love and patience they have demonstrated during the many stages of this project. The writer also wishes to express her appreciation and gratitude to her thesis committee, Dr. K. Aaron Smith and Dr. Susan Kim, for their encouragement as well as their valuable comments and criticisms on the numerous drafts leading up to the finished work. Further, without the inspiration, leadership, and excellence in teaching provided by the faculty and staff of the Department of English and the English Language Institute at Illinois State University, this effort might never have been undertaken. A warm thank you goes to Dr. Jim Kalmbach, Dr. Hyun Sook Kang, Dr. Susan Burt, Dr. Lisya Seloni, Dr. Kasia Stadnik, Dr. Chris DeSantis, Diane Smith, Courtney Grose, the students at the English Language Institute, and the many fellow ISU students who have directly or indirectly contributed to the writer’s interest in this project. Finally, this thesis is dedicated to Mrs. Mourine Ehmcke, Mrs. Evelyn Kaufman, and Miss Edwina Patton, three women who made a difference in the world by teaching English. R.E.C.H. i CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS i CONTENTS ii TABLES iii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1 Statement of the Problem 1 Hypothesis 3 Definition of Terms 4 Limitations of the Analysis 7 Methodological Design 8 II. GENERAL LITERATURE REVIEW 10 A Brief History of English Grammar 10 A Look at the Diachronic History of Grammar: Where Did the Idea of a Standard Come From? 10 III. IDEOLOGIES BEHIND ENGLISH GRAMMAR “RULES” 32 IV. THE PROBLEM WITH MULTIPLE NEGATION 53 V. THE MYSTERY OF AIN’T 66 VI. THE AKS ATTITUDE 77 VII. NEVER END A SENTENCE WITH A PREPOSITION? 91 VIII. SUMMARY AND PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS 106 REFERENCES 112 ii TABLES Table Page 1. Forms of Ask, 1366-1697 84 iii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Statement of the Problem In a half-century old book called Teaching English Grammar , I read that “English grammar has a useful part to play in the training of young people to use their language effectively” but that teachers “need help in determining exactly what is meant by the term [grammar], what content it does and does not include, for what purposes it is properly to be used, and what outcomes may be expected from its use” (Pooley 1957:vii). Teachers were confused fifty-odd years ago, and they appear to be even more confused today. Even the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English (IRA/NCTE 1996:6) recognize that “teachers often receive conflicting messages about what they should be doing” to meet the demands of educational reforms and mandates. Despite pressure to try new teaching strategies in hopes of raising student scores on achievement tests, teachers are “discouraged from making their instructional practices look too different from those of the past” (12). This conflict leads many teachers to stick with old-fashioned, “tried and true” teaching methods, often developing a hyper-vigilant focus on the rules of English grammar that they were taught, assuming that if the rules were good enough for them to learn, they must be good enough for the students of the 21 st century. 1 The problem is that as our society has changed, so have some of our ideologies about grammar. Like it or not, our language is constantly evolving (as living languages do), and some teachers have trouble recognizing (and dealing with pedagogically) the changes. Some teachers of English cling to their old grammar handbooks and try to ignore the fact that what is written in their standard textbook may not be applicable for today’s linguistic realities. Others wonder if they can accept nonstandard usages in speech while requiring the conventions of standard grammar in written work. My son Sam came home from middle school one day and announced that his English teacher kept yelling at everyone for saying “ain’t.” He quoted her as saying that they should not say “ain’t” because “ ain’t is not a word.” This may not be what Pooley had in mind back in 1957, but in the school systems of today this type of issue arises constantly. In my experience, both as a teacher in an urban high school, and as a parent of two former high school students and two students still in the middle and high school years, I have observed that some teachers of English seem to have in mind particular ideas about what constitutes acceptable English grammar, and what does not. These ideas are presented as hard and fast “rules” that must be understood, memorized, and put into practice in all forms of language use, whether in casual speech or formal writing. Students who disregard the “rules” are subject to oral correction by the teacher (sometimes with a less-than-favorable tone), or written commentary (in my day, these were scribbled in red ink, an unfortunate choice of color due to the obvious connotation). This thesis is designed to contribute to our knowledge of the complexities that make up the grammar of English in the United States today. Specifically, this project endeavors to investigate how some of the grammar ideologies that emerged during the 2 seventeenth and eighteenth centuries have influenced the attitudes (and teaching practices) of teachers of English (among other persons in society) in the twenty-first century. In addition, the following pages will offer insight into the origins of four particular points of grammar and usage that are commonly attacked by teachers, grammarians, and the like. Some implications of prescriptivist attitudes among teachers of English in U.S. classrooms will be discussed, and suggestions for a more historically and linguistically informed approach will be offered. Hypothesis The prescriptive attitude toward English grammar emerged during the decades immediately preceding the push for the reform of the English language, which began in the 17 th century but became a central concern during the 18th century. The desire to establish a codified written language was dominated by scholars and writers who, in their anxiety about the many social, political, and cultural changes they had observed over the previous few centuries, saw a standard language as an important step toward national unity and stability. The process of creating a “standard” of grammar was often based on or influenced by the rules of Latin, not on patterns of acceptable or “correct” usage of English, even when those patterns had demonstrated their acceptability or perceived correctness over time.
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