An understanding of dialect differences goes beyond the recognition that people talk differently; it concerns the way dialects differentiate themselves, the main differences in the patterns, and the method of discovering the patterns of various dialects. This booklet is intended for those who need to know more specific information concerning the patterns of English dialects, and who wish to begin exploring dialect differences on a first hand basis. Accordingly, the following issues are dealt with: (1) observing language patterns, finding out about dialects spoken in the community in which one lives, and how teachers can look more closely at the dialect differences that might be influencing what is happening in their classrooms; (2) a method of looking at particular dialect patterns; (3) pronunciation differences in terms of regional and social dialects; (4) grammar differences, especially suffixes, verb usage, and negation; (5) vocabulary differences; and (6) the investigation of culturally defined language use patterns, a topic that in some ways goes beyond the basic questions of dialect diversity. Scattered throughout the text are indications for further reading, and a list of references is provided at the end. (Author/AMH)