Understanding Linguistic DiversityOften as teachers, we strive for our students to become proficient in "Standard" English. Standard English, for many people is the "accent-free" speaking of newscasters and television hosts. However, it is important to understand that, in reality, there is no one standard form of English. Professor Walt Wolfram argues that in fact no one speaks in perfect prescriptive or perfect standard”English. What is considered normal is always relative. It depends on various factors including: the particular region, socioeconomic status, and the dominant culture, race, or ethnicity. In fact, speech often deviates quite a lot from the written language.
Descriptive rather than prescriptive ways of teaching grammar is often the best practice for diverse students. Drilling students with endless corrections can not only be boring, but it also can be damaging. Anne Lobeck argues that the emphasis on correction and memorization increases “grammar anxiety in both students and teachers, namely, the lack of confidence in ones’ understanding and command of language and and standard usage” (p. 101). It also can stigmatize and discriminate against other vernaculars. Teachers should always strive to empower students, rather than make them overly self-conscious or even ashamed of their dialect, which is often reflective of the language of their family and friends. It has been found to be very helpful to contrast African American Vernacular English (AAVE) alongside the commonly taught grammatical format in first language English student settings. However, this it may not work well for students in an English language learner classroom. Unless ELL students are at a proficient level, it can be confusing to compare two different vernaculars in the classroom on a regular basis. Mini-lesson comparisons are probably best. For example, many of my students do not add an -s when conjugating third-person present verbs. This may be deemed incorrect in most grammar books, but it is the correct form in the AAVE context. In this situation, I may explain this to my students and contrast it with the third person -s form. It is important to encourage students to continue to use their vernacular, dialect, and home language, in addition to English. Preserving one's home language is important for cultural identify, family and community ties. Not only that, bilingualism and the ability to code-switch are very beneficial skills that can open up many opportunities. As teachers we need to be respectful of languages that have previously been discouraged. We should strive to provide students help with translation in the public school or services setting with language telephone lines or translators whenever possible. |