This study considers the occurrence of noun plural marker deletion in black English. It questions the cause of the phenomenon and investigates four factors which could be involved: presence or absence of a quantifier expression, phonological constraints, age of the speaker, and interaction between quantifier expressions and phonological…

Contents include the following papers delivered at a conference focusing on communication and the child: Some Biologic and Social Aspects of Communicative Problems; Communication and Academic Achievement in Inner City Children; The Pediatric Generalist Looks at Defective Communication Skills; Reflections from a Special Educator; Approach of the…

The initial program of the consortium, which comprised Fisk University, Houston-Tillotson College, LeMoyne College, Dillard University, Tougaloo College, Talladega College, and Clark College, and which extended from July 1967 to July 1970 with a total budget of $85,000, was to be basic institutional research that would help the seven predominately…

This study used a variation of the two-child communication situation in order to determine in what way, and how successfully, a small set of schoolrelated relational concepts would be communicated by inner-city elementary school black children. Included for comparative purposes was a test of comprehension of the standard version of the concepts.…

Since speaking a nonstandard dialect is hypothesized to perhaps put a child at a disadvantage in learning to read Standard English or in understanding material expressed in Standard English, the effect of Black English on performance of school tasks was tested in 27 second graders in a Harlem school. They were interviewed and tested to measure…

Investigates the role of dialect variation in the acquisition of American English by adult second language learners. The study revealed that dialect differences present problems for learners and cause variable intelligibility and negative learner attitude toward some varieties of English and its speakers. This attitude could negatively affect a…

Presents research on the situational dimension of linguistic power in social context and the relevance of this research within culturally pluralistic educational contexts. Offers suggestions for class activities that can engage standard and nonstandard speakers of English as well as those who do not speak English. (SRT)

Examines class and ethnic differences in narrative style. Reviews recent research and outlines the basic differences between White middle-class narrative and the styles of various cultural groups. Explicates some of the uses of narrative in educational research and deals specifically with the educational implications of narrative differences. (CMG)

Offers a rationale that can be used to defend the assignment of Alice Walker's controversial novel for class reading. Indicates four issues that might evoke calls for censorship: (1) subject matter, (2) vocabulary, (3) grammar, and (4) the epistolary form of the work. (RBW)

Looks at English departments, English curricula, and the activities of professional organizations in the field, and concludes that bureaucracies, with their vested interest in the status quo, prevent effective action against a range of major problems faced by English teachers. (RBW)

This document evaluates the effectiveness of the Los Angeles Unified School District's Academic English Mastery Program, a program designed to serve students whose lack of proficiency in standard American English is an impediment to academic performance. This study used random sampling, experimental and control groups, and three principle data…

Jamaican dialect among Blacks in Britain seems to help unify working-class Black youth, thus making it a political, as well as a cultural resource, in the development of Black identity. However, this language form also contributes to differences between some first- and second-generation Afro-Caribbean Blacks in Britain. (IS)

This article analyzes the nature of the reading process and its relationship to the language processes of Ebonics-speaking children. (Author/MC)

Argues that educators should provide black youth with the history of Black and Standard English and encourage them to examine these two forms critically, along with the social and political situations that created them. Young black people who know the value of language and culture will not have to surrender one of these languages. (SLD)

Describes why the Oakland School Board proposed to apply African Language Systems principles to move students closer to English proficiencies. The board's objective--to raise the language skills of African-American students--was interpreted as a proposal to teach substandard English and was used to validate racist dialog. The public furor ignored…