Argues that definition of African American vernacular English is essential for linguists and for nonlinguists who define the language based on their personal relationships to the sociocultural matrix in which it is embedded. There is a need to resolve conflicts about the use of black English in the face of the complexity of responses toward it.…

Argues that literature teachers should select poetry that represents all ethnic groups, not only groups represented within the class anthology. Discusses the voice, theme, rhyme, rhythm, tone, and imagination of several gifted Black poets. Concludes that teachers must be aware of these voices and use the poetry of gifted Black poets to model the…

Describes the origins and characteristics of six southern dialects: (1) South Midland; (2) Florida Cracker; (3) Gullah; (4) Southern Black Dialect; (5) Acadian French; and (6) Cajun English. Suggests books representative of each that can be used to introduce these dialects to elementary children. (NH)

Describes the writing problems of a poor, black, urban student who wants to succeed in college but doesn't know how. Asserts that language use, particularly the use of Black English, plays a major role in their lack of academic success. Offers drills and strategies to help with this problem. (PRA)

This paper is a critical review of Eleanor Orr's theory that African American students have difficulty with mathematical and scientific concepts because they speak Black English. Orr's data are criticized on many levels. For instance, her facts are derived from a limited subject pool and she has failed to take into account other possible reasons…

Standard English has not disappeared, but merely changed as it "must" change when the dominant class setting the standard undergoes change. If teachers are to succeed in persuading pupils to change their language, they must know and teach the standard as it is, not as it used to be, while still implanting in the minds of some students…

Dialects have features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation that distinguish them from other varieties of a language; they exist in all languages and occur when members of one group communicate more among themselves than they do with speakers of another group. Black English vernacular (BEV) is a fully formed linguistic system with its own…

Recounts how a teacher used herself as a model to motivate black students to speak standard English. (JL)

Provides an overview of current research on grammatical, phonological, semantic, and pragmatic development in African American English child language, as opposed to adult or adolescent language, and discusses the implications of these findings for professionals involved in second-dialect instruction, speech-language assessment, or intervention…

Describes ways in which several successful teachers of Black children in Canada and the United States use Caribbean and/or Black English, rhythmic speech, and music already familiar to Black children to reinforce the child's identity while providing a bridge from home to the dominant culture. (DM)

Draws attention to the validity of the Oakland School Board's resolution on Ebonics and to the value of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL)-based approaches to teaching standard American English to speakers of other dialects. Demonstrates validity of comparisons made between monodialectal speakers of African-American language/Ebonics and ESL…

If we want monority students to be able to speak out effectively for their rights, we must teach them, without destroying their own voices, to use language that cannot be labeled substandard. (JH)

The papers in this collection provide a brief state-of-the-art statement on the role of non-standard dialects of English in education and on some implications of the Ann Arbor decision. The following papers are included: (1) "Vernacular Black English: Setting the Issues in Time," by Roger W. Shuy; (2) "Beyond Black English:…

This paper relates linguistic theory and bidialectalism, synthesizes theory and research concerning bidialectalism, and presents suggestions for a curriculum designed to maximize students' self-conscious control over their speech. Instructional activities, which have standard English as their goal, include pattern drills, short memorized dramas,…