Twenty-eight subjects were presented with computer generated grammatically deviant strings and asked to carry out two tasks on each of two experimental days. Task 1 was a forced-choice experiment in which 50 pairs of strings were presented aurally to each subject and he had to select that member of the pair which he felt was the best approximation to a good English sentence. In Task 2, subjects were required to read and rank each string on a scale running from 1 (completely unacceptable) to 5...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Grammar, Linguistic Performance, Semantics, Standard Spoken Usage, Syntax, Tikofsky,...
The 14 lessons (311 pages) in this text are designed to teach the basic elements of the Tzeltal language of Mexico to speakers of Spanish. The format follows an audio-lingual approach, including basic sentences and dialogs (with Spanish equivalents), pattern drills and exercises, extensive grammatical notes and examples, and related vocabulary lists. A section on phonology constitutes the first lesson; and Tzeltal-Spanish, Spanish-Tzeltal Lexicons are appended. Cultural notes explain Tzeltal...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Audiolingual Skills, Language Instruction, Sociocultural Patterns, Spanish, Standard...
THE TWELVE LESSONS IN STANDARD SPOKEN BIKOL WHICH COMPRISE THIS TEXT WERE WRITTEN FOR PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS WORKING IN THE PHILIPPINES. THE STUDENT IS TO CONCENTRATE ON ACQUIRING AURAL-ORAL SKILLS RATHER THAN ON READING AND WRITING. LESSONS CONSIST OF SHORT DIALOGS AND NUMEROUS DRILLS TO TEACH THE PRONUNCIATION PATTERNS AND GRAMMAR POINTS. INSTRUCTIONS ARE GIVEN TO THE TEACHER FOR CONDUCTING THE DRILLS AND FOR INCLUDING SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL SUCH AS SONGS. A SHORT GRAMMATICAL OUTLINE OF BIKOL...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Audiolingual Skills, Bikol, Instructional Materials, Language Instruction, Standard...
In order to view the field of communication as a practical discipline, this paper examines the debate between linguistic prescriptivism (the belief that standards of correct language exist and can be warranted), and scientific linguistics (which rejects the idea of standards in the name of scientific objectivity). Following an introduction to the idea of a practical discipline and an overview of the controversy concerning linguistic prescriptivism, the paper argues that although prescriptivist...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Language Standardization, Language Usage, Linguistics, Pragmatics, Speech...
This paper examines the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) in different lights and from different angles. Particular attention is focused on the following: (1) language acquisition is an intellectual process; (2) the goal for the second-language learner is mastery; (3) the standard of English in Hong Kong; and (4) "standard" English. (VWL)
Topics: ERIC Archive, English (Second Language), Foreign Countries, Language Variation, Second Language...
The type of network treated in this paper is a network of relationships. The author shows how linguistic data and cognitional data can be accounted for by means of such networks. He begins by looking at some linguistic data, with particular concern for identifying the relationships which they exhibit. That is, the emphasis is on their interrelationships rather than directly upon the items of data themselves. As he proceeds, he observes how the individual relationships are organized into larger...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Cognitive Processes, Language Patterns, Linguistic Theory, Networks, Standard Spoken...
In his article "Contraction, Deletion, and Inherent Variability of the English Copula" ("Language," 1969, William Labov asserts that the affinities of Black English (BE) with Standard English (SE) are evidenced by the fact that BE copula deletion occurs in those positions where SE copula contraction may occur. This paper examines the conclusions reached by other scholars that BE's affinities are more with Creole languages than with SE, and considers the copula in several...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Black Dialects, Contrastive Linguistics, Creoles, English, Hebrew, Phonology,...
The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to a number of syntactic phenomena in modern English, specifically but not exclusively in British English, that can be characterized as urban/suburban near-standard usage. These phenomena are representative of a type of feature that has to date received relatively little attention from linguists. One such group of phenomena consists of features current among lower-middle-class, and, more especially, working-class speakers in towns. These include...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, Language Usage, Language Variation, Standard Spoken Usage, Syntax,...
THE DIALECT OF BIKOL SPOKEN IN NAGA CITY, THE PHILIPPINES, IS DESCRIBED IN THIS SHORT ANALYSIS OF THE MOST BASIC BIKOL STRUCTURAL PATTERNS. IT IS ASSUMED THAT THE READER HAS LINGUISTIC TRAINING OR IS A STUDENT OF BIKOL (SEE ALSO AL 000 502, "BIKOL LESSONS"). PHONOLOGY AND DIALECT DIFFERENCES ARE VERY BRIEFLY DISCUSSED. EXAMPLES ARE GIVEN FOR EACH GRAMMAR POINT. (JD)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Bikol, Language Instruction, Reference Materials, Standard Spoken Usage, Structural...
There is evidence that attitudes toward speakers of nonstandard English are determined more by the speaker's race than by linguistic considerations. Many people who do not speak standard English have done well in American society because stigma was not attached to their particular language variety. More emphasis should be placed on appreciating individual differences and functional aspects of communication and less on diagnosing the "linguistic problems" of children of limited...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary Secondary Education, Ethnic Stereotypes, Language Fluency, Language...
Prator (1968) argued strongly for promoting a single standard of English, maintaining that schools have an obligation to teach a native standard of English. The assumption that the educational structure is a productive forum for directing language use is questioned. The report begins with a discussion of the controversy surrounding United States educators' response to Black English Vernacular in the 1960s and 1970s. The second part of the report discusses the implications of the United States'...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Black Dialects, English, Language Standardization, Role of Education, Second Language...
The author discusses three recently established organizations now taking an interest in bilingual education: ACTFL (American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages); ATESL (Association of Teachers of English as a Second Language, part of the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs); and TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages). A paramount purpose of an educational system is to make it possible for its graduates to take a place in society, which presupposes...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Biculturalism, Bilingual Education, English (Second Language), Language Role,...
The relationship between bidialectalism and literacy in the United States is discussed. The primary issue addressed is whether the spoken language of dialectally divergent groups creates a linguistic mismatch that creates problems in the acquisition of literacy skills. First, the controversy over use of dialect readers, which incorporate nonstandard grammatical forms typical of the vernacular community, to help speakers of non-standard English gain literacy skills is reviewed and examined from...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Bidialectalism, Dialects, Interference (Language), Language Research, Literacy,...
The statement by the Executive Committee of the Conference on College Composition and Communication affirming the student's right to his own language--his dialect--poses a challenge deserving further research, especially as it concerns the classroom situation. Black English, a dialect with linguistic principles whose roots can be traced to West Africa, has not been accepted by most educators although it has been shown to bee a logical mode of expression. The effect of focusing standard English...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Black Culture, Black Dialects, Dialect Studies, Linguistics, Nonstandard Dialects,...
GRADES OR AGES: Elementary. SUBJECT MATTER: English Language, Oral Usage. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide contains seven sections; 1) introduction; 2) position statement; 3) objectives; 4) implementation; 5) use of scope and sequence; 6) suggested activities for oral usage drill; and 7) bibliography. The guide is lithographed and spiral bound with a soft cover. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES: Overall objectives are set out in section 3. The greater part of the guide is devoted to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Curriculum Guides, Elementary School Curriculum, English, Language Usage, Standard...
These facilitator's skill packets comprise eight separate packets on beginning social skills: (1) listening; (2) starting a conversation; (3) having a conversation; (4) asking a question; (5) saying "thank you"; (6) introducing oneself; (7) introducing other people; and (8) giving a compliment. Each packet contains the following sections: definition of beginning social skills; objective; resources needed; using this skill packet; presentation steps--activities, role playing, helpful...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Daily Living Skills, Interpersonal Competence, Listening Skills, Self Concept,...
The study of dialects offers a fascinating approach to learning about language. By learning about how language varies geographically and socially, students will come to understand that language changes over time, and that language use is linked to social identity. Language variation, or dialect diversity, reflects the fact that languages change over time and that people who live in the same geographical area or maintain the same social identity share language norms. Although dialects differ...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Dialects, English, Language Patterns, Language Variation, Learning Activities,...
A study was conducted to explore the relationship of the pronunciation of /r/ to social class and age in the speech of whites in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Tape-recorded interviews were conducted with a sample of informants representing a cross-section of ages and social classes in the city. Conversation was elicited on a number of topics of common interest to assure the informality of the speech samples collected. Education, occupation and income were considered in determining social rank. Three age...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Dialect Studies, Pronunciation, Regional Dialects, Social Class, Social Dialects,...
This study identified structural units of language as they appeared in the speech of two- to five-year-old preschool white children in Brisbane. Electronic equipment was used to record the speech samples, which were transformed into three separate language concordances by computer analysis. These structural units of language were then compared with those evident in the speech of four-year-old aboriginal children. The evidence suggested that the development of structural units of standard...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Australian Aboriginal Languages, Language Research, Preschool Children, Standard...
A survey of 99 female and 78 male college students regarding their attitudes toward titles of address for men (Mr.) and women (Miss, Mrs., and Ms.) had the students rate 10 concepts on 15 bipolar semantic differential scales. Nine of the concepts were neutral to the study's objectives, and the tenth was the concept of differential address for men and women. The scales used represented three universal components of affective meaning: evaluation, potency, and activity. It was found that on the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, College Students, Interpersonal Communication, Language Attitudes, Language Usage,...
The situation in the U.S. is different from that in England, France and other European countries: in each of those countries there is something that is known as the standard language, and a number of dialects apart from the standard language. There is also a rather close consensus on what the standard dialect is (especially on phonological lines). The situation in the U.S. is more complicated regarding standard speech. Several regional varieties exist, and within these are social varieties....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Black Dialects, Dialect Studies, Language Role, Social Dialects, Standard Spoken...
A study examined the shift from standard spoken Japanese to dialect and compared it to the shift from formal to informal forms, within the context of several theories of code-switching and style-shifting. A five-minute segment was taken from a 30-minute conversation between three female native Japanese-speakers, all familiar with the Osaka dialect. The conversation was analyzed for use of the Osaka dialect (Osaka-ben), although the conversation was generally in the more standard...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Code Switching (Language), Dialects, Japanese, Language Patterns, Language Research,...
Four realizations of the copula occur in English, two in both Anglo and Black English and two in Black English and in some varieties of Anglo English but not in standard English. This paper describes the use of the copula in English and identifies the phonological, syntactic, and semantic factors which are believed to condition its realization in Anglo and Black English. (Author/JM)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Black Dialects, Dialects, Language Patterns, Nonstandard Dialects, North American...
These facilitator's skill packets contain 12 units on skills needed for dealing with stress: (1) making a complaint; (2) answering a complaint; (3) sportsmanship after the game; (4) dealing with embarrassment; (5) dealing with being left out; (6) standing up for a friend; (7) responding to persuasion; (8) responding to failure; (9) dealing with contradictory messages; (10) dealing with accusation; (11) getting ready for a difficult conversation; and (12) dealing with group pressure. Each packet...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Failure, Friendship, Interpersonal Competence, Peer Influence, Persuasive Discourse,...
These papers were presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Speech Communication Association in San Francisco, December 27-30, 1971. "Perspectives on Research in Speech and Cognitive Processes" was presented to a panel session on "Speech Communication Research of the '70s: Six Priority Areas," sponsored by the Research Board of SCA. It reviews the past and current research on the cognitive function of speech. "Speech as Communication and Verbal Behavior" was read...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Child Language, Children, Cognitive Processes, Language, Speech, Standard Spoken...
A case study examines a nontraditional African-American student enrolled in English 90 at the University of Southwestern Louisiana. The first person in her family to attend college, she is attractive, personal, outspoken and speaks not only the dialect of her family, which shows the influence of French, but also standard English. When asked how her English 90 was helping her, she replied, "It helps my speech." During various conversations, she constantly returned to the importance of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Basic Writing, Black Dialects, Case Studies, Higher Education, Language Role, Oral...
The purpose of this text is to introduce the Oromo language, spoken in parts of Ethiopia and Kenya, to Peace Corps volunteers. The Oromo language (also referred to as Galla) used in the text is based on the standard language spoken in the western and southwestern provinces of Wollega, Illubabor, and Kaffa. However, with dialectal differences taken into account, these materials can be used to teach the Oromo language in any area. The materials have been presented in such a way that the teacher...
Topics: ERIC Archive, African Languages, Dialogs (Language), Grammar, Listening Comprehension,...
In Hawaii today, many persons find it a disadvantage to speak only the social dialect of their home speech communities. For those young adults who enter a University, the problem may be especially acute. The Speech Communication Center of the University of Hawaii is developing a measure of speech-communication proficiency that predicts the reaction of trained judges. Most importantly, it is engaged in a training program designed to enable those young adults who wish to modify social dialects to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Evaluation Methods, Nonstandard Dialects, Speech Communication, Speech Evaluation,...
The object of the present linguistic study is the linguistic phenomenon of gender as a grammatical category of the English noun. We witness an upsurge of interest to the problem nowadays in the context of the prescription of gender-fair English. Gender-fair (neutral) English language has gained support from major text-book publishers and academic groups. Our assumption is gender in Modern English is a relatively straightforward category to discuss as has already been indicated, modern scholars...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Modern Languages, Gender Issues, Sex, Sex Fairness, Sociolinguistics, English,...
The Dialect Differentiation Measure (DDM) provides an objective, quantifiable means of identifying speakers of Black English. Three production tasks, designed to constrain the range of linguistic constructions with which a child may respond, elicit seven phonological and syntactic features characteristic of Black English. The DDM was tried out in an effort to test its ability to differentiate between the speech of thirty Anglo and black kindergarten children. The instrument ranked black...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Anglo Americans, Black Dialects, Black Youth, Kindergarten, Nonstandard Dialects,...
Little is known about grammatical sophistication in the written language of school-age children. This study provides normative data on the occurrence of different complexity levels of major grammatical parameters in written compositions of nine-year-old children. These parameters include productivity of language, correctness of language usage, the frequency of occurrence of the T-unit (minimal terminable syntactic unit), extent of vocabulary diversity, and extent of expressed abstractness....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational Research, Grammar, Intermediate Grades, Language Patterns, Speech Habits,...
This study investigates the extent to which nonstandard forms of written English create for readers stereotypes of the writer's personality. To determine the extent to which nonstandard writing is apparent to speakers of standard and nonstandard English, and to what extent such writing represents a socioeconomic liability for the writer, two questionnaires were devised. Respondents were first asked to rate a series of short passages on a common theme against a checklist of traits designed to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Attitudes, English, Language Attitudes, Language Research, Language Usage,...
THIS FINAL REPORT PROVIDES A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIALECTAL PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN THE PREPARATION OF "INTRODUCTION TO THE DACCA DIALECT OF BENGAL." (SEE ED 012 047.) THE AUTHOR PRESENTS HIS JUSTIFICATION FOR BASING THESE TEACHING MATERIALS ON A MODIFIED FORM OF BENGALI AS SPOKEN IN EAST PAKISTAN, WHICH IS DISTINGUISHED FROM STANDARD COLLOQUIAL BENGALI. (AMM)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Bengali, Dialect Studies, Dialects, Instructional Materials, Language Instruction,...
The successful decoding of a linguistic message requires knowledge of a particular grammar, but it is becoming increasingly clear that contextual and cultural cues also play an important role in conversation. In Japanese, conversation proceeds smoothly and acquires some of its meaningfulness from the use of gestural signals, particularly head nodding. Ways that head nodding operates in Japanese are discussed, and its use is interpreted as it relates to the Cooperative Principle of Grice and as...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Body Language, Cultural Context, Foreign Countries, Grammar, Japanese, Social Status,...
Thirty Black and Anglo kindergarten children from lower and middle income neighborhoods were asked to respond to three different tasks in an effort to investigate seven phonological and syntactical features of Black English and to determine the utility of each elicitation procedure. The interviews consisted of three production tasks which required the child to give some information about a set of pictures; a sentence repetition task which contained the same linguistic constructions; and a...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Black Dialects, Dialect Studies, Kindergarten Children, Socioeconomic Status,...
This is one of a series of self-teaching textbooks in more than 30 languages initially prepared and published for the armed forces and later offered to the general public. The method used in this manual requires either that a native speaker of German be on hand during the course or that the recorded voice of a native speaker be used. Records and cassettes to accompany the course can be purchased. The book is divided into five major parts, each containing five learning units and one unit devoted...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Audiolingual Skills, Conversational Language Courses, German, Language Instruction,...
Three studies of the relationship of Black English (BE) pronunciation to spelling performance are reported in this document. The first study explored a large number of BE pronunciation features. The second included control features that do not have differing pronunciations in BE and standard English (SE). The third examined final consonant clusters only. The studies indicate that differences exist in the degree to which various features of BE pronunciation are associated with BE-related...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Black Dialects, Nonstandard Dialects, North American English, Pronunciation, Regional...
The current status of world literacy can be revealed through recent UNESCO data: (1) the nations of the world spend an average of $7800 annually to train and equip one soldier, while spending only an average of $100 annually to educate one child; (2) a quarter of the world's population will not attend any school in this century; (3) more than 40 percent of the world's adult population is estimated to be unable to read and write; (4) 65 percent of the world's population is estimated to fall...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Developing Nations, Functional Literacy, Language Role, Language Standardization,...
This digest discusses the different dialects children bring to the school environment and how U.S. schools deal with these differences. Reference is made to the Ann Arbor (Michigan) case in which a group of African-American parents sued the local school system on behalf of their children, claiming the school was denying their children equal educational opportunity because of their language background, and to the recent Oakland (California) school board decision on instruction of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Black Dialects, Black Students, Dialects, Educational Policy, English, Guidelines,...
Because of the diversity of Arabic dialects (Lebanese, Iraqi, Syrian, Algerian, Moroccan, Libyan, Sudanese, Saudi Arabian, Palestinian, and Egyptian), and the fact that Arabic writing allows for a wide range of different pronunciations, the question faced by students is where to begin. It is instructive to consider how this problem is dealt with in modern foreign language teaching, English being a case in point. It is "inconceivable" to teach English without specific reference to the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Arabic, Dialects, Language Instruction, Regional Dialects, Standard Spoken Usage,...
Modern linguistic research shows that the language of America is that spoken by all residents of the Americas, with many varieties influenced by other national languages (e.g., Spanish, African, American Indian). In addition, linguistic research has resulted in two competing theories about teaching standard English: that teaching standard English to a dialect speaking child enables him to succeed in activities dominated by the white middle class (bidialectalism), and that such insistence on the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Ethnocentrism, Language, Linguistic Theory, Nonstandard Dialects, North American...
The paper being reviewed puts the vernacular in the perspective of the linguistic repertoire of a speech community. It is suggested that the repertoire as a single system should be seen on a societal or individual level rather than on a linguistic level such that various codes are selected by members of the community according to socially determined rules of appropriateness. Labov's work suggests that for purposes of comparing different communities, whether bilingual or monolingual, the term...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Bilingualism, Code Switching (Language), Dialect Studies, Language Research,...
This research aims at discovering the gap between Standard Arabic and the current spoken varieties of Arabic due to social, educational, political, colonial, and media factors. The researcher will try to also analyse the causes of the current gap and suggest remedies. Standard Arabic (SA) or FuSha (the Arabic term for "standard Arabic") is the language used for recording intellectual output in general, while spoken varieties or colloquialisms are used for everyday needs. SA has...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Language Usage, Language Variation, Semitic Languages, Dialects, Diachronic...
This four volume study and report was undertaken to aid students of English as a second language by encouraging them to make use of fixed expression (cliche) as a nonliteral filler when speaking. Over 135,000 words of natural language were examined and a range fixed expressions were isolated and placed into the categories of interjection, circumlocution, quantification, emphasis, and officialese. The research shows that first-language speakers use a fixed expression once in every five words,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Cliches, English (Second Language), Language Patterns, Language Research, Language...
This paper examines the controversy surrounding the use of Ebonics among African American students in schools in the United States, with a twofold purpose: (1) to focus on the primary function of language as a tool of communication that varies in its use according to the social context; and (2) to provide suggestions to teachers of ways to support students' acquisition of standard English without devaluing the nonstandard variants they may have learned in their homes and communities. The...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Black Dialects, Black Students, Classroom Techniques, Elementary Secondary Education,...
This paper argues that it may be much more damaging, psychologically, to try to correct the written usage of persons whose nonstandard written forms correlate with their spoken dialect than to try to correct the nonstandard written forms of persons who do not use nonstandard forms in their speech. It is possible that nonstandard speakers will view a teacher's attempt to correct their nonstandard written forms as a way of denying the validity of their culture. It is concluded that it is quite...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Black Education, English, Higher Education, Language Patterns, Nonstandard Dialects,...
This brochure discusses, in lay terms, how languages change and how English in particular has gone through much alteration over the ages. It explains that languages change because: the needs of its speakers change; individual experience differs, and, therefore, the uses of language differ; new words are brought in from other languages or created within a language; word order shifts; and the sounds of a language shift over time. Specific examples of each are offered. The reader is encouraged to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Diachronic Linguistics, Dialects, English, Grammatical Acceptability, Language...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the development of the ability to recognize standard and nonstandard speech in monolingual English-speaking as well as in bilingual Mexican-American children. The tests used consisted of sentences which were either completely standard English or which contained phonological, morphological, or syntactical elements illustrating nonstandard speech influenced by Spanish. Only test items which were validated by at least 80% agreement in a group of 44...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Bilingual Students, English (Second Language), Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics,...
RHYTHM IS ONE OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE PROSODIC LEVEL OF SPEECH. THE BASIC UNITS OF RHYTHM, UPON WHICH ARE CARRIED MANY OTHER PROSODIC UNITS, ARE POINTS OR INTERVALS OF TIME. THE TIME INTERVALS BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE MAJOR STRESSES ARE HYPOTHESIZED TO REMAIN ROUGHLY EQUAL IN ENGLISH SPEECH, I.E., ENGLISH IS SAID TO BE A STRESS-TIMED LANGUAGE. IN ORDER TO MEASURE THESE TIME INTERVALS, HOWEVER, THEIR END POINTS, THE RHYTHMIC BEATS, MUST FIRST BE FOUND. NATIVE SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH FEEL THE RHYTHM OF...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Behavioral Science Research, English, Experiments, Language Research, Sound...
This article looks at issues affecting Robert Garioch's translation into Scots of a sonnet from Giuseppe Gioachino Belli's Romaneschi collection. It begins with the discussion of a problem involved in writing in dialects with no settled written standard. This 'standardizing' poetry is then looked at in terms of translation and theories of the "impossibility" of translation. It is argued that the problems facing the translator/poet are much the same as those the dialect writer...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Applied Linguistics, Nonstandard Dialects, Poetry, Scots Gaelic, Standard Spoken...
