What Is Improper English and Who Decides What is Improper?

Among teachers, students, and the entire English-speaking community, there have been discussions on improper and proper language for years, decades, and certainly centuries. I recall my good old times when I used to teach groups ranging from 8 to 12 students offline, and the conversation inside the teachers’ room was always around whether and when we should introduce improper/ informal language, vocabulary, or even sentence structure (if you’ve lived a bit longer as I have, you probably recall when some textbooks introduced the study of “ain’t”). Some have advocated improper language may disrupt students’ learning and, therefore, should be regarded as a bonus to be dealt with when they reach a more advanced stage throughout the learning process. Some pointed out that it should be introduced earlier. Otherwise, students would encounter this type of language out of the classroom and would not even understand what it means. Where do I stand? That’s what you are about to find out. Stay with me, and let’s continue building up this reasoning.

What is improper language?

First things first: What is indeed the meaning of improper—being very meticulous here? According to Cambridge’s many definitions, there’s one, in particular, I would like to stick with: “unsuitable or not correct for a particular use or occasion.” Secondly, what is improper for me turns out to be improper for everyone? Thirdly, who makes the rules? Who says what is proper or improper? Last but not least: How in heaven does a word get listed in the dictionary or a sentence structure referred to in a grammar book?

Who decides when English is improper

People, human living beings. Yes, you did read it correctly. We, people who use the language, make the rules. Bear with me; do we still talk and write as our ancestors did? Being more specific: Did JK Rowling write her novels using the same sentence structure, expressions, verbs—the list goes on and on—as  Shakespeare? Wouldn’t Shakespeare be highly shocked by JK’s work due to a lack of “proper” English? Have gender-neutral pronouns always existed? Food for thought.

Are you still there? Hang tight, we are not running in circles. Here’s where I stand: Instead of going around labeling the language as proper or improper, I myself would rather play fair and square and let my students decide what is proper or improper for them to use. Surely, I will point out what is more vastly used and relate it to the occasions and rules. However, I am not entitled to say what is proper or improper for someone else to use as their language. I have always thought of knowledge as shared values built among those of a community. Why would I treat my students differently? I teach and learn at the same time. What is improper in terms of language for my beloved elderly students certainly is not for my adorable Gen. Z. Who am I to say what is wrong or right? Better saying: Can anyone say such a thing?

The world is changing, and so is English

I’ve once heard that language has one sole purpose: to serve its people. Certainly, there is more than one community within the English-speaking community. Why wouldn’t there be more than one variation of English? It seems to me that those who want to dictate rules for people’s language are the ones afraid of losing the power they may have had once upon a time in very different circumstances. The world is changing, and so is English.