This paper is intended as an outline synthesis of what is presently known about the processes of pidginization and creolization. Section 1 deals with the linguistic processes of pidginization under the following headings: (1) the learned expectancies of how to behave in a contact situation, (2) necessity and heightened attention, (3) redundancy,…

In Guyana Creolese, the word "doz" appears frequently in the speech of people on a wide range of social levels. The term signals that the action occurs habitually. The use of "doz" is not widely noted among creolists, however, possibly because it often occurs in phonologically reduced forms such as "Iz" or…

In Hawaii today, many persons find it a disadvantage to speak only the social dialect of their home speech communities. For those young adults who enter a University, the problem may be especially acute. The Speech Communication Center of the University of Hawaii is developing a measure of speech-communication proficiency that predicts the…

Characteristics of language variety are identified, and language systems are viewed as having their own sympathetic patterns which are not deviant from but which are different from each other. The relationship of language variation to literacy is discussed, and matching beginning reading materials to the child's oral language is seen to facilitate…

Modern linguistic research shows that the language of America is that spoken by all residents of the Americas, with many varieties influenced by other national languages (e.g., Spanish, African, American Indian). In addition, linguistic research has resulted in two competing theories about teaching standard English: that teaching standard English…

To determine both whether the speech of fourth graders designated as Title I students differs significantly in any way from that of non-Title I fourth graders and whether there are regional features in the speech of these students which would handicap their performance on a nationally standardized test, 68 children from the intermediate unit and…

To determine attitudes of 720 middle class sixth grade students toward literary characters who speak regional dialects of American English, two randomly divided groups (experimental and control) read excerpts from "The Yearling,""Hie to the Hunters," and "The Blind Colt." The experimental group read the passages as they were originally written,…

Four nonstandard linguistic features used by five black children, ages 6-11 years, in 14 conversations were recorded and transcribed. The interviewers included male and female adults, Negro and white. The four nonstandard linguistic features were multiple negation, and absence of the Z suffixes marking noun plural, possession, and the third person…

A course to make students aware of the patterns of the different dialects of American English is offered by the Dade County Public Schools. Designed to foster tolerance for other ways of speaking, the quinmester program helps students to determine their own dialect and to compare it with alternative forms of speech. The course content includes a…

Methods that can be used by the teacher to encourage children to use standard language are discussed. Three specific instructions to the teacher are given: (1) Recognize that this is part of the natural language growth process and accept it for that; (2) Realize that it cannot be changed overnight. The child will have to be exposed to the accepted…

REPORT NUMBER 2 OF THE CLEARINGHOUSE FOR SOCIAL DIALECT STUDIES (CENTER FOR APPLIED LINGUISTICS AND NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH) GIVES BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF 26 CURRENT, PROJECTED, OR RECENTLY COMPLETED SOCIAL DIALECT STUDIES AT UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING IN THE UNITED STATES. THE EMPHASIS IS ON THE SPEECH OF…

It seems highly likely that many of the features of Black American English can be traced back to the Afro-Portuguese Creole dialects that sprang up in the fifteenth century in Portuguese slave camps along the West African coast, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea area, the area of greatest concentration of activity during the slave trade. This…

Teachers must refuse to accept nonstandard English in the classroom. They must instill in students the idea that they are in a country where English is the official language spoken and, without adequate command of it, they are not going to succeed. (Author/EB)

Examines the role of the Scottish language in education and the status of Scottish literature in the secondary curriculum. (Author/RK)

A discussion of certain methodological issues in linguistics as they bear on the debate over cultural deprivation. Whether or not the non-standard English (NNE) of a minority group can be considered a distinct language with its own grammar is arbitrary and therefore not a useful question. However, one can compare standard and NNE forms for…