Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id g09Kxk025957; Wed, 9 Jan 2002 15:59:46 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 15:59:46 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <51AD2128A961D411A8AC00508BAC633E0298C47E@MAIL> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Laurie Cox <coxl@midlandstech.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:6847] RE: Tom Sticht's Democracy X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/plain; X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Status: O Content-Length: 2557 Lines: 64 How funny--I was just thinking of the same bromide about languages v. dialects. Here in South Carolina, when I'm not teaching ESL at my community college, I'm teaching freshman composition to native speakers of various southern regional dialects, including some students from the islands along the coast who are bidialectal in Gullah and other varieties of English. We take the "dialect v. substandard English" issue, and the concept of being linguistically competent in more than one dialect, as fodder for a paper. We begin by watching Walt Wolfram's old video "American Tongues," and then read a couple of chapters from his book "American English: Dialects and Variations" (with lots of support from the instructor). Students also read Gloria Anzaldua's essay "How to Tame a Wild Tongue," plus Richard Rodriguez and other writers on issues of language variety and social stigma. I demonstrate dialect-switching here and there in class (into my family's south Georgia dialect), and we affirm our shared need to retain a variety we can use when we talk to our grandparents. This unit does things at once: it provides students with the context for why we're always harping about the importance of editing their writing towards Standard English, but it also helps students who have always been ashamed of the way they talk, when they can see others taking pride in being able to switch back and forth from standard to regional varieties of English. And now that Joy directed us towards Fasold's article on Ebonic, I might bring that into class too. Thanks, Joy -- Laurie ________________________________________ Laurie B. Cox English Department, Beltline Campus Midlands Technical College P.O. Box 2408 Columbia, SC 29202 803-738-7844 Note new e-mail address: coxl@midlandstech.com -----Original Message----- From: AndresMuro@aol.com [mailto:AndresMuro@aol.com] Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2002 9:01 PM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [NIFL-ESL:6844] RE: Tom Sticht's Democracy I believe that Chomsky said that the difference between a language and a dialect is that a language has an army and a navy. Andres In a message dated 1/8/2002 11:59:12 AM Mountain Standard Time, KathleenBombach@aol.com writes: Perhaps we could have a black linguist join us as a guest host--Andres Muro introduced me to the idea of black English as a separate language (I still consider it a dialect) while others call it 'substandard' English andresmuro@aol.com Visit my art webpage at: http://www.geocities.com/andresmuro/artwork.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Jan 17 2003 - 14:43:53 EST