Dialects Language -- the Social

Dialects

Language -- the Social Mirror in a California Classroom

The more diverse the classrooms of the state of California become in the future, the greater the diversity of dialects, languages, and vocabulary will come from the mouths of students. In her study of sociolinguistics, Elaine O. Chaika notes how different regional and city dialects, the presence of two languages in a child's life as well as cultural differences can impact that child's expression in different settings and amongst different groups of people, including in the context of the classroom. For example a student may speak Spanish at home, English in the classroom and a combination 'Spanglish' on the playground with peers.

Thus, bilingualism and diversity is a reality in the United States, and this is true, perhaps even more so, in California. Bilingualism alone produces not simply many languages but many dialects. Spanish is one of the most common languages other than English spoken in the United States. (Chaika, 1994, p.35) Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Dominican-American children may make up a teacher's classroom, and depending if these bilingual students are first, second or third generation, may speak with a different level of English and Spanish fluency. Between even their own forms of Spanish, however, there will many regional differences in dialect and vocabulary. Thus, teacher cannot even assume a natural cohesion between all Spanish speakers in the classroom, but approach every child from his or her own unique cultural and familial context.

Similarly, there may be Asian students with similar difficulties, if from first-generation homes, grappling with the often-considerable differences between Indo-European languages such as English and their own native tongues, spoken at homes. Again, the teacher must be mindful that simply because students come from the same region does not mean that they have a natural cultural cohesion, as their languages and dialects will be different. Also, often students from particular Asian backgrounds may have parents who operate their own businesses, where the students work after school, limiting their exposure to social, spoken English outside of the classroom. As with bilingual Spanish speakers, in a mixed classroom of native English speakers and individuals who speak English as a second language, students may be more reticent, not because of lack of intelligence or natural shyness (although culture may have an influence in inhibiting Latina girls or Asian students) but because of a lack of confidence speaking formal English.

Where a student lives in the city, regardless of his or her native language or may also limit his or her exposure to English, or to Standard English. Certain ethnic neighborhoods may not be primarily English speaking. In the case of English-speakers, such as African-Americans, students may feel more comfortable speaking their city-specific dialect. A teacher must remember only the so-called "correct English myth holds that there is one real English, Standard English, and that deviations from it are impoverished and unworthy." (Adger, 1997) The myth of the single correct dialect or way of speaking is one of the issues Chaika takes on in her text. (Chaika, 1994, p.262) "Everyone speaks a dialect," of some sort, only some dialects are assumed to be more correct than others. (Chaika, 1994, p.282)

This does not excuse the responsibility placed upon teachers to teach a standard curriculum, but it is a reminder that a failure to speak a certain kind of English or dialect is no reflection upon the innate intelligence or ability of the student. Also, student's vocabulary and formality of speech can and will differ in different social contexts, from school to home to the playground, as indeed does all human speech, as even teachers adopt a greater degree of formality speaking to the principal, to students, and also in their own homes.

Why teach standard speech at all? What to do when certain patterns of speech, such as Black English, have different grammatical variations than standard written English? One approach is to stress contextual aspects of speech in education. (Chaika, 1994, p.299) It cannot be denied that job applicants and people are validated and valued differently, depending on how their speech coheres to Standard Written English. Even dialect speakers are evaluated on a valuation gradient, as speakers with certain desirable accents, like a British accent for example, might be esteemed more than speakers with a traditionally Black or Spanish accent, unfairly. (Chaika, 1994, p.382) But this does not mean that teachers need to validate such prejudices within the classroom, indeed teachers can teach Standard English grammar yet still make use of literature that contains dialect, one suggestion offered for coping with the 'Ebonics' debate that began in an Oakland, California classroom. (Adger, 1997)

Sociolinguistics as a study helps teachers escape some of these ethical dilemmas, by stressing that tracing the sociology and the social attitudes to dialects and bilingualism is not done with an aim to pass judgment on the phenomenon of individuals speaking with different accents or speaking more than one language. "Students of sociolinguistics should gain respect for all peoples," says Elaine O. Chaika at the beginning of The Social Mirror. (Chaika, 1994, p.5)