My Three Types of English

     In today's world, English is considered one of the most frequently spoken languages around. Little do they know it, the majority of the people that can speak English actually have different forms of English that they speak in depending on the given situation. As you read this, I will be discussing the 3 different versions of English that I speak depending on the situation that I am in. Now, let's begin.

     The first type of English that I speak is one where a formal tone is used. This type of English is pretty much exclusive to everyone but my elders. The elders that  I am referring to are people such as my Grandparents, Great Grandparents, older cousins - basically anyone that is much older than I am. When speaking in this formal type of English, I do my best to act polite and be straightforward with my words. When speaking, I make a conscientious effort to maintain a respectful tone; taking extra care not to raise my voice too much. All of these things combined create a tone that appears to be respectful while still allowing me to be able to communicate efficiently. The main reason that I speak to my elders in this type of English is because they deserve respect. By the time a person reaches an older age, it is certain that they have been through all kinds of different lifetime events, both good and bad. Adding on to this, by the time a person reaches old age, they have already been through the stages of serving others. In my culture and family, we feel that the older individuals now should be served, instead of serving. A prime example of a person that I talk to in this type of English on a regular basis is my Great Grandmother. She is almost 90 years old! A person of this age definitely deserves some respect when spoken to.

     Now I shall explain the second type of English that I speak. The second type of English that I speak is one with a semi-formal tone. This type of English is mainly spoken to people like my teachers or young-to-middle aged adults. When speaking in this semi-formal tone of English, I still show a sense of respect. However, I also tend to mix in a bit of in-formalness. This is not done with the intent of being disrespectful but rather because the person being spoken to is more on my level. Consider this example. I am 16, almost 17 years old. If I am talking to a 30 year old versus talking to an 80 year old, who do you think I feel most comfortable being a little bit informal with? Hopefully you said the 30 year old because that is the correct choice. When speaking to people that are closer in age to me, I do not feel as obligated to sound like I am talking to a God when speaking to them. Nevertheless, there still is a certain degree of respect that must be shown when talking to someone that is older than me.


     And now, I will explain the third and final type of English that I speak in. The third type of English that I speak in is one with a flat out informal tone. This is by far the most fun type because it allows a person to feel loose and excited. I speak in this type of English when I am with people that are close in age with me such as friends, people younger than me, and people that are just a little bit older than me. Take the following as an example. Let's say that I walk into school one morning and see a teacher. Realizing that they are a teacher and deserve some respect, I will most likely greet them with a "Hello" or "Good morning". Now it is time to change the scenario. Let's say that I walk into school one morning and I happen to run into one of my best friends. Noticing that they are a friend, I will most likely greet them with a "What's up bro" or a "What's up big dawg". Now while both of these greetings seem humorous, (Because they are) they are the truth. This is really the way in which I speak to my friends as well as how many other young people speak to their's.

     In Amy Tan's Mother Tongue, Tan discusses the different types of English that she speaks as well as the one that her mother spoke. She describe how she spoke differently when she was talking to her mother versus when she wrote and talked to her friends. I believe that everyone, including myself, can relate to Tan in the sense that we all speak in different types of English's depending on the situation that we are placed in. It really all comes down to the level of comfort that you have with the person you are interacting with.