In a case concerning a Michigan public school and several students who spoke Black English, the court concluded that the school board had not taken appropriate action to overcome the language barrier which impeded the Black students' equal participation in the instructional program. (JN)

Much of the debate surrounding strategies of what is now regarded as "compensatory" language education is focused on whether is advisable, or possible, to attempt to alter the student's idiolect--the language he brings to school. Examines the effect of policies designed to superimpose the patterns of the standard dialect on non-standard speaking…

This study investigated responses made by prospective teachers when conducting an Informal Oral Reading Inventory with a student whose oral reading exhibited some features of black dialect. (HOD)

Imposition of English in Torres Strait and Cape York Peninsula (Australia) schools led to the development of Torres Strait Creole (TSC), now widely spoken. Common formal errors that TSC-speaking students make in written English are described and related to linguistic transfer. Cultural vocabulary, core cultural values reflected in TSC, and the…

The Language Services Department in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights (Ohio) City School District is presented as a model for the extension of language support services in public schools. Described are the district's Bilingual Education, English as a Second Language, and English as a Standard Dialect programs. Appendices include…

Traces the history of Africans in Mexico and the Costa Chica and compares elements of the regional speech as described in a 1958 study with data collected on-site in 1991-1992. Findings indicate that the successful introduction of public education coupled with the ubiquity of the mass media have reduced or eliminated the more distinctively…

Language usage patterns of popular singers from different ethnic backgrounds were studied to identify possible linguistic conditioning regarding use of the Mizrahi dialect. The data suggest that there is an unconscious and hyperaccommodative, rather than hypercorrective, pull toward the dominant norm. Contains 74 references. (LB)

Nonnative institutionalized varieties of English (NIVEs) are placed within a wide framework that includes the study of language contact and language acquisition in general. NIVEs and other contact varieties are explored from a sociolinguistic as well as second-language acquisition perspective. (105 references) (Author/LB)

This article offers special educators suggestions for using the natural occurrence of multiple dialects in the school and community as a means to teach children about the nature of language in society, increase their language awareness, learn about dialects, and learn standard English as a second dialect if necessary. (DB)

Reviews Corson's book on changes in educational strategies intended for immigrant girls, aboriginal peoples, urban poor, and language minority groups, and the way educators value student groups differently. Considers classroom suggestions for dealing with bias against nonstandard language use and the book's examination on differences in the…

Examines a wide range of writing tasks of 11- and 15-year-old students from four regions of England to establish the relative importance of nonstandard dialect as a factor in deviation from standard English norms in writing. (Author/JL)

Examined relationships between adjustment and academic achievement and effects of sociocultural background on parental expectations for primary school students in Italy. Found a significant relationship between adjustment and achievement. Parents were more willing than teachers to excuse poor adjustment or behavior in a high-achieving child.…

Discusses national linguistic tensions related to the increasing number of Spanish speakers in the United States. Focuses on a group of language scholars who are engaging in efforts to change or suppress the use of U.S. Spanish, particularly in the domain of Spanish. Asserts that the arguments put forth by this group are based on attitudes of the…

This paper reports a study of the use of non-standard English in the formal speech of 15-year-olds of both genders and of varying attainment levels. The pupils were drawn from two schools on Tyneside which take pupils from catchment areas of markedly different socioeconomic status. Differences were found in the incidence of non-standard lexis and…

This resource guide is designed for use by all educators who work with English-as-a-Second-Language/Dialect (ESL/D) students, including administrators, regular classroom teachers in both elementary and secondary schools, trained ESL/D teachers, and other support staff such as language assistance teachers and special education staff. The book…