Improper English

Improper English is considered by many linguists to not be language. For example, ain’t and youins are certainly not proper and should not be part of academic papers, but there is no denying that they aren’t words. People all over the country use improper words all the time, yet people still understand them and realize that they are words. Simply because a word causes you to cringe or you yourself may not understand what that word means, someone in another area of the country probably knows exactly what it is. Also many great writers that we study today wrote in improper forms. Shakespeare for example is famous for writing in improper English, yet he is known as the greatest playwright of all time. Also conjunctions play a huge role in improper usage of the language. The examples listed previously are just two of the many screw ups we see and hear everyday. Ain’t is short for am not. Example, I ain’t going to the store. We hear that and immediately know that the person means, I am not going to the store, either they are too lazy or uneducated to know better or it is just part of their speech. I also believe that much of improper usage is due to regional slang. In certain areas of our country people butcher the English language constantly. The South is especially known for our horrible accents and slang words found within the region. In the movie “Do you Speak American?” the reporter travelled the nation examining that statement and concluding that it is essentially true. People have used slang words and improper conjunctions for years, there is nothing wrong with it simply because the majority of people who follow slang know the acceptable form of the words they are using improperly. The language is not dying, it is only shifting, and just like everything else in our world it was bound to.