Horizons magazine is published by Presbyterian Women (PW) the national women’s organization of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Issue link: http://horizons.epubxp.com/i/521232
May/June 2015 15 We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Cre- ator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. —Preamble to the Declaration of Independence W hile the United States was founded on the principle of equality for all, at the time of the Declaration of Independence, "all men" meant white men. Women couldn't hold prop- erty, vote or keep their wages. Slavery deprived African Americans of liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and, in many cases, their very lives. Today, the United States legislates equality for all of its citizens. Yet, systems still grant privileges to some and not to others. Privilege, in this case, refers to a per- son having particular advantages in life that did not come from personal effort, but simply by virtue of who they are—for example, born into a certain family or social class. The most widely recognized privileges in modern America are based on race, social class, gender and sexual orientation. Another privilege exists that is not frequently mentioned: language, in the form of the stan- dard English language. You might ask what the English language has to do with privilege. The answer is "a lot." Language as Tool and Measure Before looking at language as privilege, we must speak a little about language. We know we use it, but how much and why? We use it to read the instructions on an employment form, write poetry or a grocery list, understand the lyrics to a love song or listen to the promises made by a politician we may elect to represent us. We also use it to present our thoughts on God and God's grace to a Sunday school class. So privilege based on the English language is about judgments made—consciously or subconsciously— about how well the speaker or writer adheres to stan- dard English. In other words, judgments are made and respect is bestowed based on whether the person is a native or non-native speaker. The existence of that privi- lege has a very significant impact on lives—and the pur- suit of personal goals and dreams—in the United States. English Language of Privilege, Language of Power BY ELBA L. RICO-MORALES Ugurhan Betin/istock.com