The occurrence of Black English Venacular (BEV) dialect features in the writing of 42 inner-city college students was studied using such sociolinguistic methods as variable rule analysis, computer programs, and implicational scales. A comparison of the patterns found in the subjects' writing with those found in spoken BEV revealed that sometimes,…

This document contains the text of a United States District Court decision on a Michigan school district's proposed plan designed to help the teachers at a local elementary school (1) to identify those children who speak Black English and to determine the language spoken as a home or community language, and (2) to employ that knowledge in teaching…

Social dialect is demonstrated as an important factor in the low performance of Black children on language based academic achievement tests. The dialect measure accounted for a substantial percentage of the variance in reading and spelling while the IQ measure and social attitude accounted for a negligible amount of variance in these areas. The…

There are three approaches to the nonstandard dialects of Negro inner-city children: eradication; biloquialism, sometimes called functional bidialectism; and appreciation of dialect differences with no attempt to change speech patterns. The essays in the present volume are all written from the biloquialist point of view, which advocates that…

Analyzes fourteen conversations generated by five black children, ages six to eleven, from a lower socioeconomic group in Washington, D. C., which were recorded and transcribed in various settings involving adults of different races as interviewers. (JM)

Compares the oral reading performance of nonstandard-English speaking Black third grade students, bidialectal students, and standard-English speaking students. Results showed that the oral reading patterns of the nonstandard-English speakers did not affect their comprehension of the material read. (FL)

In a case concerning a Michigan public school and several students who spoke Black English, the court concluded that the school board had not taken appropriate action to overcome the language barrier which impeded the Black students' equal participation in the instructional program. (JN)

Argues that the influence of dialect on the language of West Indian children may be much stronger than has been assumed. (Editor/RK)

Focuses on the limitations of traditional standardized psychoeducational assessments for Ebonics speakers and describes alternative measures that may yield more accurate results for these students. Also highlights the implications of traditional and nontraditional assessment approaches for test developers, evaluators, educators, and students.…

Examined a staff-development program in a large urban California school district that exposed participants to African-American culture and features of African-American English. Preliminary findings for 32 teachers show that they easily incorporate display, ritual, and situated enactment into their teaching but have not made many other…

Examines how a group of continental Francophone African youth at a French high school in Ottawa, Canada "become Black" as they enter a world that already constructs them as Black. These students learn Black English, which they access in hip-hop culture and linguistic styles. Discusses the impact of becoming Black on…

Presents literary reviews that reveal deeper issues to consider when exploring beyond the surface and reflecting on the racial schisms pervading the United States. The literature examines: a conference on the relationship of education and African American self-concept; the role of black mothers in raising their sons; slave novels; a critical…

For many black students, the school language differs significantly from the home language, but preservice education rarely examines this issue. This article examines implications for teaching children who use two different forms of language to navigate the demands of their contrasting sociolinguistic speech communities, discussing: how teacher…