“I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why” by Kyle Wiens was a very straight forward article. It was very self-explanatory; Wiens is a business who refuses to hire anyone who can’t pass the grammar test which he mandates as a part of the interview process. He mentions that he is a “stickler” for grammar, and he does a great job of displaying this. Wiens is the owner of two companies one is called “ifixit” which is an online repair manual, and the other is “Dozuki” helps companies write their own technical documentation. These jobs incorporate language and writing as a selling point. Imagine reading a how-to manual and you notice incorrect spelling and grammatical errors. You wouldn’t continue following the instructions, the manual would lose its credibility as a good source of information, which would cost the company’s sales to drop. Weins has some strong and valid points about the use of grammar. He mentions that grammar is important for all companies, which is true.
Good grammar can build credibility especially in digital spaces. For example, emails, social media post, and resumes. All of these require good grammar. With these examples, the persons reading what was sent in an email, social media, or a resume will be judging the person writing based off what they put on paper. And as much as we think people should not “judge a book by its cover” that exactly what they do when they receive communication with improper grammar. I makes the writer appear uneducated. It also makes the writer appear careless and not detail-oriented, which is a great attitude to have when applying for any job. Although the author may have offended some readers I took no offense to this article, I agree with the points he made regarding grammar, as well as respecting his choice in whom to hire base off his preferences.
African American Language is Good English by Zachary Martin was a great piece. I mean what’s not to love, while reading this article I found myself doing the silent head nod because I feel so connected to the article. African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is good English it kept me engage and helped build the credibility of the author. I didn’t think that this was just another white person trying to sound black, I could tell from the language use that the author was indeed black. It’s good to read an article using AAVE, I don’t get to see it much in the academic setting. The author addresses the rebuttal, which mentions people who question AAVE should be used in academic settings. The author states, “the first argument that might come to mind is that “It’s too hard to read or understand,” it might seem that way but after reading and finding the flow of the language it will become easier to read and understand.
Martin mentions that people may say “it can’t be taught in schools” his answer to this is that it should be taught in schools since most children are already exposed to this language by “friends, family, and most people they talk to”. I agree with the author and not because I am black. I agree because this would change the way AAVE is seen in the academic world and encourage more African Americans to take pride in their language. Even opening doors for more African American authors.
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