Colloquial Speech in Classrooms: Is It a Good Thing?

Mary Collard ’28

Contributing Writer

There is no doubt that some professors are more lax than others when it comes to in-class dialogue. Some encourage conversations in a more relaxed and casual tone, while others want it to remain strictly formal. What I am interested in is the boundaries of a casual conversation in class, and what is expected from students. In seminars, many students speak at least once a class. This can take the form of responses to discussion questions and sharing ideas. But sometimes students can take it too far: they might use colloquial speech such as “gonna,” “wanna,” “ain’t” etc., language that isn’t bad on its face, but sets up a space for the argument to become overly informal. I have also been in some classes where students use curse words to get their points across. Something that I have noticed is that in classrooms where the students’ casual language and dialogue goes unchecked, it can then open the door for harmful language. It creates a space where a pregnant woman can be referred to as a “baby-mama” or where a woman who has had sexual relations is referred to as having “lots of bodies.” In many of my seminar classes, casual talk and the sharing of opinions is encouraged; but I think that a boundary gets crossed when students use these harmful phrases in their arguments. So where do we draw the line? 

I think that there is a certain relationship to be expected and maintained between professors and students. Joking around and playful conversations are always fun in class, and it helps strengthen student-teacher relationships, but there comes a point when the conversation is no longer playful, and it can become disrespectful. Whether it’s the teachers job, the schools, job or anyone’s job at all to police these conversations is unclear. It is obviously restricting to be in a class setting where everything you say is being scrutinized or judged; however, in order to foster a productive environment, professors have a job to call out students’ language when harmful. 

This isn’t to say that intelligent conversations can’t happen when students are speaking informally—quite the opposite actually. Sometimes, the best conversations can happen when students are relaxed and not worrying about pleasing others, just genuinely sharing their feelings. However, this piece is not about those types of conversations. There is a difference between a causal, yet productive and informative discussion, and one that gets derailed by informal, unacademic language. What constitutes going “too far” is entirely subjective and changes from person to person; but in general, I think that a conversation loses its productivity when it is bordering on offensive commentary and could have the potential to make others in the classroom feel attacked. 

Another interesting note to make is that in general, colloquial dialogue and informal conversations tend to happen the most in my political science classes. In many of my English classes, each student talks multiple times per class, yet the conversation is always supportive and on-task. Political science classes often discuss controversial issues and political problems, subjects that are filled with places for contention and can tend to deviate from the actual topic at hand.

So, the question about whether or not colloquial and informal dialogue has a place in classrooms is a tough question to answer. I think that there is room for informal and casual conversations to take place. It only becomes an issue when people venture into insulting and derogatory areas with their language. So yes, being casual has a place — but our classes deserve the same respect and mindfulness as formal conversations.