My readers may have a variety of opinions about this issue, but…I agree with this teacher’s closing statement about people losing opportunities in life because of the way they speak.
I am pro-immigration, but I also believe that if you come to our country you should learn to speak English. If I went to live in Mexico or China or somewhere else overseas, I would expect to learn the local language.
I also cringe everytime I hear someone say “ax” instead of “ask”, and find it jarring when people (including a number of my attorney friends, who should know better) use phrases like “him and I” or confuse the use of “well” and “good” (a lot of people miss that, including myself very occasionally).
I wrote earlier about the “subtle racism” of referring to African-Americans as “well-spoken” and “articulate”. On the other hand, my friends, using “ax” instead of “ask”…well, watch the video:
