This book contends that in the United States, manner of speech and educational background reflect cultural status, and it attempts to prove through interviews with six American women that what is described as illiteracy is in fact shutting down in response to those in positions of power. After an introduction, "Language, Literacy, and…

Discusses a sociolinguistic approach to the teaching of French as a native language in the elementary schools. (AM)

A method of evaluating bilingual-bicultural education programs that has a sociolinguistic basis uses samples of the language spoken by a number of bilingual program students as they go through their school day. A random sample of the child's speech would be continuously recorded for an hour, with a bilingual observer taking running notes on where…

Describes how many of the phrasings attacked by cliche-hunters as trite, worn-out, or unoriginal can be legitimately defended on other grounds, by the criteria of speed and clarity, familiarity, social bonding, and personal delight. (CRH)

Proposes a pedagogy of French grammar which takes into account the varieties found in spoken French as distinct from those found in written French. (AM)

Suggests that using sociolinguistics as the subject of a semester-long course leads to real and exciting research rather than technically correct but lifeless "dummy runs" for real research in freshman composition courses. (MG)

Identifies the body of information essential to any course on Black English and gives appropriate variations for departments of ethnic studies, linguistics, or education. Organized in the format of an annotated syllabus, with suggestions for course title, rationale, purpose, objectives, texts, lecture topics, and assignments. (SA)

Presents a set of "neutral" language guidelines as a way of pointing out the problems of using language guidelines in the first place. (JL)

Shows, by discussing presupposition and speech acts, that the interplay between background information and linguistic surface is highly subtle and complex. These ideas are not always obvious to teachers, let alone English as a Foreign Language students. An examination of background information and speaker's intentions will facilitate an…

The collection of essays and ideas for exploring culture in the English-as-a-second-language (ESL) classroom presents contributions by teachers around the world. An introductory section contains five articles that offer a theoretical and conceptual framework for including culture and intercultural dimensions in ESL instruction. The subsequent four…

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…

Outlines sociolinguistic data collection techniques and relates them to the language teaching situation. (AM)

An approach to English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) teaching that helps students prepare for intercultural communication is described, drawing on the literature of second language learning and intercultural communication. First, potential barriers to intercultural understanding are examined, including the culture-bound nature of communication,…

Examines the revision process, begun in 1973, that created the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, published in 1990. Stresses the importance of accurate reflection of ancient texts in contemporary yet enduring language. Notes the ecumenical nature of the committee responsible for this revision. Provides an annotated list of Bible…

Emphasizing a sociocultural view, this book encourages language teachers to broaden their views of the English language arts curriculum, and thereby increase students' opportunities to examine a broader array of language elements (semantics, regional and social variations, discourse conventions). The first section of the book describes what…