As part of the development of a self-teaching program for instructing teachers of English and elementary language arts about dialects, a comprehensive search of the literature on dialects and dialect learning, from 1960 to the present, was made. This paper sets forth some of the major ideas, points of view, and recommendations revealed by the…

This paper reviews some recent research on the relationship of group processes and cultural milieux to choice of linguistic form and Its implications for problem solving in small (minority) groups. Basic to the discussion is the concept that language usage conveys important social information and is therefore not a matter of choice but must be…

The collection of papers bearing on language and poverty comprising this book includes: "Some Preliminaries and Prospects" (F. Williams); "Teaching Reading in an Urban Negro School System" (J. Baratz); "A Sociolinguistic Approach to Socialization" (B. Bernstein); "Some Philosophical Influences Underlying Preschool Intervention for Disadvantaged…

This series of position papers in reading and language arts was sponsored by the Reading Center of University of Maryland in order to stimulate the kinds of thinking and reactions which might lead to improvement of teacher training programs and of reading programs on all levels. The topics treated reflect both traditional concerns of educators,…

This project was designed to provide current, educationally and linguistically sound information for the audiences involved in teaching a standard English to speakers of other dialects, specifically teachers, administrators, and textbook publishers. Three basic steps were followed in developing the targeted communications products: (1) the needs…

The purpose of this paper is to formulate objectives pertaining to knowledge, thinking, attitudes, and skills for a methods course for prospective teachers of English in desegregated high schools, to discuss the selection and organization of course content, to illustrate the principle that prospective teachers learn to teach by performing and…

This paper examines the factors within the environments of the classroom that contribute to intellectual retardation among the disadvantaged. To pinpoint the factors involved, educators must consider (1) the language barrier, (2) how it is formed, (3) at what level is it retarding the pupil, (4) What educational approaches are needed to meet the…

Sociolinguistic studies of spoken Arabic show at least three varieties at different levels of prestige: (1) Modern Standard Arabic (MSA); (2) regional standard with local prestige; and (3) vernacular varieties. The social function of the local prestigious nonstandard features can override the influence of the prestige of MSA. (Author/LMO)

The language competency of members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe encompasses, to varying degrees, the Yaqui language as well as community dialects of Spanish and English. This unique trilingual pattern has been functional for survival needs but has also been a barrier to educational achievement where competency in standard forms of Spanish and English…

This article discusses the various dialects of English spoken in Liberia and analyzes the problems of Liberian students in writing compositions in English. Errors arise mainly from differences in culture and cognition, not from superficial linguistic problems. (CFM)

Classroom interactions by two Black female second-grade teachers were observed to determine whether these teachers differed in their responses to students who showed Strong (high) versus Weak (low) Black and Nonstandard English usage. The teachers' level of knowledge of Black English was reflected in the success of their interactions. (TJH)

A well-staged career research paper project can help students develop their voices and better integrate personal experiences with researched sources.

The results of a study assessing the grammatical instruction needs of developmental English students and students of advanced English as a second language (ESL) at the University of Louisiana are reported. Faculty hypothesized that developmental English and freshman ESL students made many similar grammatical errors, and to test this hypothesis, a…

In view of the inadequate beginning reading achievement of many minority students, specific pedagogical factors that may enhance the classroom teacher's ability to help such children learn to read have been identified. Educational research suggests that the teacher is a major variable in the degree of success of the reading program. Teacher…

This volume gathers a sampling of educators' ideas on the issue of the role of the non-standard dialect in the teaching of Spanish to Spanish speakers. Part one, "Rationale for the Teaching of Spanish to the Spanish Speaking," deals with philosophy and theory and contains papers by Guadalupe Valdes Fallis and Nasario Garcia. Part two,…