Research indicates that most blacks shift between a variety of social registers to produce inherent variability in the features of their speech, which in turn causes problems for college composition instruction. Writing teachers must avoid holding a stereotypic view of black speech, be sensitive to the varying social registers of black speech, and make black students understand that the use of standard English variants does not necessitate a rejection of the students' own culture in favor of white middle class culture. Black students are accustomed to performing in high context situations, where there is a high degree of familiarity with the situation and the people in it and, consequently, an awareness of what social register of language to use. This contrasts with the writing classroom's low context environment and low degree of shared knowledge. By demonstrating the differences between formal, low context style and informal, high context style, and noting when each should be used, writing teachers can be more effective in helping black students make the transition to college writing. (RL)