Chapter 13

Chapter 13 speaks extensively about dialects and how they affect the English learner.  One particular part of the chapter that caught my attention was the issue of social stratification.  Our text noted, "Dialects reflect social stratification due to differences in the social groups with which people affiliate.  People evaluate others by means of their language in order to establish and maintain social distinction" (Diaz-Rico, pg. 336).  This concept relates a great deal with the concept of language being used as social capital.  People make judgments about those who have either acquired language or those who have not.  This chapter places a bit of a twist on that concept in that in some circles, speaking with slang or poor pronunciations of words might help a person gain social status in a particular group.  Even when others criticize the way a person speaks, or when doors or opportunities might close on a person using a dialect that is not accepted by the mainstream, the person will still use improper dialects.  Our chapter analyses why this occurs.  One reason is that the person may want to exude ethnic solidarity.  Other times some people may try to live in both worlds by maintaining improper dialects in front of one group while speaking in a proper dialect with another.  So how does a teacher overcome the obstacle of dialect?  According to a web article, "Teaching the standard language from a cultural perspective differs from the traditional language education approach in that it does not blame the victim. Standard English instruction from a cultural perspective does not presuppose the devaluation or elimination of a learner's indigenous language as a pre-requisite for learning. It recognizes that students need to retain their home dialect where its use is appropriate" (http://www.maec.org/cross/6.html).  In other words it is not our job as educators to destroy dialects, but to even possibly use them as springboards to identify with the students culture.  I really feel that this communication is appropriate in certain circles, but students also need to learn to communicate properly because they will be expected to in most job settings.  It is our job to overcome dialects not by devaluing or belittling them but to teach proper communication in certain contexts.

Lindsay Hughes spoke extensively about not letting dialect color the way she interacts with some students who might be harder to understand.  She did not want to make her students feel inferior if they have a dialect that is hard to understand.  The danger does not come as much from teachers as much as it might come from peers in the classroom.  I think a great way to honor this student in the classroom, and especially avoid the teasing of other students who might make fun of his or her dialect is to make a big deal that this student is speaking 2 languages.  A teacher can also ask the student to help with words in another language.  This can be a great way to diffuse a possible hard situation of a student with a different dialect.  Melissa Hale made a great point that dialect does matter in a professional setting.  A speech therapist as she noted from Mississippi was almost speaking a foreign language to students in California in an effort to help them with their speech.  I could certainly see her point especially when working with children with special needs.  However it is difficult to lose a dialect or accent that has been gained at a young age, but Melissa did bring up the important point that the way we speak in a professional setting is so important in our ability to teach others, especially students.  I will say, I am not sure a person from Mississippi can control her accent which is to say that this person if properly trained had as much right to be a speech therapist in California as someone from California.  However if the speech therapist from Mississippi was constantly using slang in her speech then that would be inappropriate in teaching proper speech to students.