Abstract: In the following research critical analysis essay, I analyzed a CEO’s perspective toward people who have poor grammar skills. I interpreted the myth of having poor grammar skills will limits your possibilities and the social consequences of this myth. In my analysis I stresses that one’s grammar skills do not correlate with its working ability. I used a variety of sources to support my points and claims and engage in a collaborative conversation with the sources authors.

“Grammar and Employment”

People tend to believe that if one has poor grammar, it means he or she is unprofessional and lacks knowledge. People that have poor grammar are often discriminated or criticized by others. Kyle Wiens, starter of iFixit, claims that he will not hire people that have poor grammar. He stresses that one’s grammar skills signifies his or sher working ability. This is because of society’s misconception of grammar. Lesley Milroy in her articles explained the misconception of grammar by defining and clarifying descriptive and prescriptive grammar. Similarly, Andreea S. Calude analyzed this misconception in her video and explained that poor grammar is linked with social status differences. Furthermore, MacNeil argues that bad grammar is acceptable by identifying grammatical errors in Shakespeare’s work. Overall, one does not need to be grammatical to communicate effectively; and one’s grammar skills do not correlate with its working ability.

If you are too concern about one’s grammar skills, you will miss other specialties of that person. Kyles Wiens is the CEO of iFixit and founder of Dozuki, in his online article, “I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why”, Wiens empathizes that he has zero tolerance toward grammatical errors. He requires his applicants to take a grammar evaluation exam to see if their grammar skills meet his requirement. This test was required even when applying for a position where verbal and written communication is rare. Wiens stresses that employees that make less mistakes on the grammar test also makes fewer mistakes along their work task. He argues that grammar is correlated with job performance, and creativity and intelligence. This belief exemplifies the myth that poor grammar will affect your job performance and defines your opportunities in life. His belief was built upon from his definition of grammar and social status differences. Wiens evaluates his applicants base on prescriptive grammar. In Lesley Milroy’s article, “Bad Grammar is Slovenly”, Milroy defines a prescriptive and descriptive grammar to argue that bad grammar is not slovenly. Lesley Milroy is a sociolinguist and she is a professor at the University of Michigan. Base on Milroy’s definition, prescriptive grammar is a set of rules that tells you how you should speak and write in a proper way. On the other hand, descriptive grammar focuses on the language as it is used, not how it should be used (Milroy, 96-99).  This is why so many people commented on Wiens article and challenge Wiens’s belief about grammar. Wiens’s belief of grammar was contradicted with his claim. Wiens suggests that people who have better grammar also have strong creativity. However, Wiens’s requirement of grammar restricts his employers’ creativity. My point can be supported by Smitherman’s interpretation of writing. Smitherman in her narrative, “African-American English: From the Hood to the Amen Corner”, claims that “if you want to use language as a tool, as a source of power you’ve got to go way beyond …. simple nation of correctness (Smitherman, 11). Smitherman implies that language can be used as a power source when people are free to use language in a way they wanted and not concerning about correctness of their writing. To be more specific, there are no right or wrong ways of expressing language. Base of Wiens’s view on grammar, I can say that Wiens is prescriptivist, where he is too concerned about the proper and correct way of using language. This actually limits Wiens’s worker’s possibility because Wiens is too focused on the correctness of his workers’ writing and not the content and the message of his workers’ writing. Thus, poor grammar skills do not correlate with working abilities.

Equally important, Wiens’s belief of bad grammar is built upon social status differences. My interpretation could be supported by Calude’s perception of grammar. Andreea S. Calude is a creditable linguist that is now teaching at the University of Waikato. In her Ted talk video, Calude claims that “speech patterns that deviated from the written rules were considered as corruptions, or signs of low social status” (Calude). Basically, Calude is asserting that evaluation of grammar can sometimes serve as a way of judging the person’s social identity. This is what Wiens had done when he evaluates his applicant’s grammar skills. Wiens implies that people seem stupid and lack of knowledge when they make grammar mistakes constantly. What Wiens does not understand is that sentences that seem to be ungrammatical, follow a set of rules and patterns that native speakers may not be aware of.  My point here is that a sentence is grammatical if a native speaker of the language would produce that sentence in speaking. My point could be supported by the Milroy’s definition of descriptive grammar (Milroy, 96). After all, descriptive grammar is all about how a language used.

The most important idea is that grammar rules are often confused and ignored by English speakers, where non-standard grammar forms becomes widely used. Robert MacNeil holds the same position as I amBasically, MacNeil is insisting that there are rules to standard English, but some people choose not to follow it. More importantly, people are used to theses grammar errors. What Wiens needs to realize is that “most of today’s common grammar errors are also common during Shakespeare’s time. grammar errors like double negatives, double comparative and the wrong verbs could be found in Shakespeare’ work” (MacNeil, 193-194). MacNeil implies that these mistakes were vigorous and acceptable during Shakespeare’s time. Although these mistakes are not expectable as standard English grammar, they are grammatically correct based on descriptive grammar. This is because these mistakes appear in our daily conversation and descriptive grammar is all about how the language is used. To be brief, MacNeil’s claim challenge Wiens’s belief of grammar.

After all, Kyle Wiens’s points is that bad grammar is not acceptable, and it will limit your possibilities in life. Kyle Wiens is unwarily supporting language discrimination because he refuses to hire or promote people because of their poor grammar skills, even when the position does not require verbal and written communication skills. If we continue to overlook this issue, then more cases of discrimination could appear. The most important idea here is that we should not judge other on their grammar skills. Language is constantly changing, and grammar rules should also change as time pass by. Thus, everyone has their own ways of expressing language.

Works Cited

MacNeil, Robert. “English Belongs to Everybody.” Wordstruck, Viking, 1989, pp. 192–197.

Milroy, Lesle, and Peter Trudgill. “Bad Grammar Is Slovenly.” Language Myth, edited by Laurie

Bauer, Penguin Book, 1998, pp. 94–102.

Smitherman, Geneva. African-American English: from the Hood to the Amen Corner. University of Minnesota, 1996.

TED-Ed. “Does Grammar Matter? – Andreea S. Calude.” YouTube, YouTube, 12 Apr. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn_eBrIDUuc&t=3s.

Wiens, Kyle. “I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why.” Harvard Business

Review, 10 Apr. 2017, hbr.org/2012/07/i-wont-hire-people-who-use-poo.

Reflection

My intended audiences for my researched critical analysis essay was Kyle Wiens, my instructors, classmates and fellow college students. My purpose is to inform my audiences about society’s misconception of poor grammar. Moreover, I argue that we do not need to be grammatical to communicate effectively and be successful in life. I accomplished my purpose by supporting my argument with evidences quoted from article wrote by creditable linguists. By using logos, it makes my points more believable. In addition, it evokes a cognitive and rational responses from the readers. By knowing who my audiences are, it helps me construct and develop my message clearly. Since, my audiences have not read the example, I would need to add more details of description and analysis of the example.

Through planning and writing my researched critical analysis essay, I believe I have achieved two course goals. I can “analyze and discuss the role that race, ethnicity, class, gender, language, sexual orientation, belief, ability, or other forms of social differentiation play in the world cultures or societies” (Language and Literacy syllabus). This course goal is the purpose of this analysis, where I have achieved by analyzing the myth of grammar and its social consequences that ties with this myth. This myth is that poor grammar is not acceptable, and it will limit your possibilities in life. The social consequences of this myth are discrimination and lowering of people ‘s self-esteem.

Another course goal I have achieved is the ability to “develop strategies for reading, drafting, revising, and editing” (Language and Literacy syllabus).  I am not a person that loves to read. I divided the reading up evenly for this essay. For every twenty minutes of reading, I would give myself five minutes to relax. I would use the five minutes to eat something and think about what I have read. When it comes to drafting, the introduction always stresses me out. Therefore, I wrote the body paragraphs first then went back to write the introduction this time.