Any reputable approach to the teaching of reading makes use of certain psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic concepts which can provide the teacher with insights for the development and strengthening of reading skills. An understanding of the respect for the learner's cultural and behavioral patterns can establish group empathy, instrumental as a…

RESEARCH ON ENGLISH PHONOLOGY IN NEW YORK CITY IS DESCRIBED. CURRENT LINGUISTIC THEORY IS CONSIDERED UNABLE TO ACCOUNT FOR MASSIVE "FREE VARIATION" IN THE PHONOLOGY OF THE SPEECH OF THAT AREA. ISOLATED WERE PHONOLOGICAL VARIABLES WHICH ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SOCIAL, STYLISTIC, ETHNIC, AND INDIVIDUAL FACTORS IN NEW YORK CITY. QUANTITATIVE…

Studies of the speech of 11 Yakima Indian children on a reservation in central Washington indicated a number of characteristics which were not found systematically in the speech of non-Indian children. These included differences in phonology; intonation contours; use of direct quotations; story-telling register; language play; availability of…

In order to better understand the characteristics of the Chicano dialect of English, 93 freshman composition papers written by 48 Chicano students at Pan American University in Edinburg, Texas, were examined. The primary concern of this examination was to categorize, ultimately to explain, the morphological and syntactical variations from a norm.…

Results of a study are discussed which involved first grade black children who produced multiple instances of linguistic variables. The suggestion is made that the standard English "is" and "has" in certain constructions have been reanalyzed as nominal inflections. (RM)

The effect of nonstandard language usage (specifically Black speech styles and rural accents) on employment opportunities was explored through recorded interviews with White employers. Statistical regressions indicated that speech style and ethnicity had significant impacts on various employment ratings. (MF)

Describes research in which 28 black parents and community people were polled as to their attitudes toward vernacular and standard Black English. Attitudes were assessed in four domains--school, home, community and playground--and in four channels--reading, speaking, writing and listening. Standard Black English was preferred in all domains and…

Liberian English differs from standard educated English. English teachers in Liberia are attempting to teach standard spoken English rather than the Liberian dialect, using TEFL strategies. This article discusses the phonological, syntactic, morphological, lexical and semantic characteristics of Liberian English and the consequences for English…

Results show that nonstandard and Hawaiian English speakers' comprehension was easier and more accurate with the nonstandard than the standard English stories and the standard English speakers' comprehension was easier and more accurate with the standard than the nonstandard English stories. (Author/DEP)

Forty-eight Black children, ages 4 to 9 years, who utilized features of Black English in their oral language, participated in a study which investigated selected linguistic features believed to be a function of age among children. (Author/MH)

Provides a basis for designing an instructional program through an analysis of oral reading errors of second grade remedial readers in Hawaii. (MB)

The theoretical and pedagogical issues emanating from the practice of teaching Spanish to Hispanic bilingual college students are discussed. Distinctions are made between standard Spanish and the two most important United States varieties of Chicano and Puerto Rican Spanish, and structural differences are examined. Teaching suggestions are…

Examines ways authority comes to inhabit language. Schools are directly involved in production and distribution of authoritative discourse. In the French-speaking West Indies students are taught in the official language of authority (the French of France) rather than that of their everyday life (Creole). (Author/LHW)