RECENT RESEARCH ON THE NATURE OF NONSTANDARD ENGLISH DIALECTS HAS INDICATED THAT CERTAIN ARCHAIC SPEECH FORMS ASSOCIATED WITH CREOLE LANGUAGES ARE PRESERVED IN THE SPEECH OF URBAN NEGRO CHILDREN. THE AUTHOR OF THIS ARTICLE BELIEVES THAT LANGUAGE PROGRAMS FOR THESE CHILDREN SHOULD BE BASED ON A MORE COMPLETE LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF THEIR LANGUAGE ACQUISITION PATTERNS. HE POINTS OUT THAT, ALTHOUGH NEGRO CHILDREN EVENTUALLY STOP USING THESE SPECIAL PATTERNS IN ACQUIRING PATTERNS CLOSER TO STANDARD ENGLISH, THE CHILD'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS ARE MOST CRITICAL AT JUST THAT TIME WHEN HIS DIALECT IS MOST DIFFERENT FROM STANDARD ENGLISH. THE NEGRO CHILD MUST LEARN TO READ IN STANDARD ENGLISH, A DIALECT HE CANNOT SPEAK, AND IS TAUGHT BY A TEACHER WHO USUALLY DOES NOT RECOGNIZE HOW DIFFERENT THE STUDENT'S LANGUAGE REALLY IS FROM THE ENGLISH OF HIS TEXTBOOK. FURTHER STUDY INTO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN AMERICA AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE NEGRO NONSTANDARD DIALECT WILL NOT ONLY REVEAL HISTORICAL DATA BUT WILL PROBABLY CHANGE THE WAY STANDARD ENGLISH IS TAUGHT TO SPEAKERS OF NONSTANDARD DIALECTS. THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN "THE FLORIDA FL REPORTER," FALL 1967 ISSUE. REPRINTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR $0.25 FROM--THE FLORIDA FL REPORTER, 801 N.E. 177 STREET, NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA 33102. (JD)