Studied teachers' responses to syntactically and semantically acceptable miscues, to dialect different miscues, and to graphic and sound similar miscues. Teachers objected most strongly to miscues related to dialect. (MKM)

The language which is spoken and abilities in its social use are critical individual attributes in association with access to life chances. Sociolinguistic variables have been neglected by sociologists and language related social problems are neither recognized nor understood. (Author/RLV)

Discusses the problems involved in making room for language variation realities in the teaching of French. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

Commentary based on Frank Riessman's book "The Inner-City Child." Concludes that whatever is done to build on the strengths that inner-city children bring to school will be done by individual school people who find the personal and professional strength to do it. (Author/IRT)

Some data dispute the common assumption of linguists that speakers of nonstandard varieties of English lack functional command of Standard English. Hawaiian high school students were found equally competent in Standard and Hawaiian English. Implications of this finding for educational practices in Hawaii are discussed. (CHK)

Reviews opinions of senior Papua New Guinea (PNG) educators on the place of English in the country, and contrasts some characteristics of PNG English with standard English. It is concluded that PNG English is recognizable as a variety of English in its own right. A reference list of 28 citations is included. (Author/LMO)

The prepositional phrases used in free play discourse by 45 African American preschoolers from low-income homes were analyzed. A statistically significant positive relationship was found between amounts of African American English (AAE) form use and relational semantic complexity. No significant relationships were found between simpler…

Describes an approach to teaching standard English to basic students that puts them at ease. Discusses "linguistic drift," the changes that take place in language over time. Describes a daily one-minute-drill listening exercise in standard English that is effective and leaves most of classtime to explore rich verbal experiences. (PRA)

Discusses the place of nonstandard language in the English curriculum. Summarizes one speech instructor's attempt to locate a connection between black English and middle class white suburban language patterns. Shows how speech teachers can help students become aware of their own speech patterns. (HB)

Describes a survey project that uses real language data and takes the teacher candidates out of the classroom. Investigates the attitudes of the public toward nonstandard usage and about where "prescriptivism and descriptivism converge." Concludes that teacher candidates need to have direct exposure to the attitudes that others hold regarding…

Studied the perceptions of 55 African American undergraduates about Black English. Students identified as not having a committed Black identity evaluated Black English as lower in status than those students with a committed Black identity. Black English was not perceived as reflecting higher social solidarity. (SLD)

Argues, from the author's experience as a Southerner teaching high school English in the South, that since Standard English is more widely accepted and carries more prestige, it is more important to teach it to students who speak other dialects. Argues that to be effective, English teachers must change their own attitudes regarding Standard…

Describes some of the inequities and obstacles faced by speakers of creoles termed "nonstandard" or minority dialects in formal education. Outlines proposals for dealing with these problems and describes initiatives that have already been taken--such as developing resources for teachers, running public awareness campaigns and using the students'…

The research described here is part of a larger study dealing with the acquisition of language awareness in young children. (RM)

An investigation is reported which was designed to determine to what extent second generation male West Indians have accommodated to local white speech norms in the city of Cardiff. (RM)