Barbara Mellix: A Case Study

Barbara Mellix grew up speaking two different languages like her children. Black english which to her meant country coloreds; and standard english which was proper english. She grew up in a black neighborhood. Barbara’s mother would get upset when she wouldn’t speak proper english. Her siblings and her were forced to speak proper english. Barbara’s mother was a woman with a thick muffled voice, and was always smiling. Her father was an articulated aggressive man, who spoke loud and clear. It was hard for Barbara to speak proper english because she was used to speaking, “country coloreds” with her friends, siblings, and people from her neighborhood. When they would go visit her grandmother who lives in Greeleyville, South Carolina, they were