Dialects in Schools and Communities

This book describes dialect differences in American English and their impact on education and everyday life. This resource is intended for use by teacher interns and practicing teachers in elementary and secondary education, specialists in reading and writing, speech/language pathologists, and special education teachers. In most of these fields, information about dialects is considered to be an important part of professional preparation, but until now, there has been no text specifically designed to address this need. Practitioners and students of education will find this volume indispensable to understanding the central principles of dialect diversity and to addressing dialect differences in instruction.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Preface. Language Variation in the United States. Exploring Dialects. Communicative Interaction. Language Difference Does Not Mean Language Deficit. Oral Language Instruction. Dialects and Written Language. Language Variation and Reading. Dialect Awareness for Students. Appendix: A Selective Inventory of Vernacular.

Review :
"A Because teaching and learning occur through language, teachers need a broad understanding of language variation and how it affects curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Adger, Wolfram, and Christian have made knowledge about language variation accessible and provide tools for teachers to use in gaining a deeper understanding of the languages and cultures of their own students. Teachers who care about educational equity and diversity will find the book important to their work." David Bloome, The Ohio State University "A There are still widespread myths and negative attitudes about dialect variations in student language. This second edition of an already classic text can help all students become confidently bi-dialectal but only if all teachers, coaches, and professional developers B across the curriculum B take its conceptual messages to heart, and take its beautifully-designed exercises into all classrooms and workshops." Courtney Cazden, Harvard University " This is a terrific book for both pre-service and in-service teacher education. The authors clearly illustrate dialect differences at all linguistic levels, from pronunciation to grammar to vocabulary, and they also analyze the linguistic and cultural implications of these differences for teaching and assessing speaking, reading, and writing in academic English. They deserve kudos for making dialect differences so interesting and accessible!" Marcia Farr, The Ohio State University