There are at least 38 English dialects spoken in students' homes across the United States. As English instructors, are we doing our students a disservice by correcting their native tongue just because it varies from the standard dialect?
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| "Speak Now," an art piece I created for my multi-cultural education class, represents my hope that regardless of my students' race, ethnicity, or dialect, their voices will be heard and valued. |
While I admire my great-grandmother and the English instructors like her, the emphasis on eradicating English dialects concerns me. As I have prepared to become an English teacher, I have come to believe that English instruction should focus on the development of the students' communication and critical thinking skills, not the destruction of their language. Teachers in today's multi-cultural setting should be more accepting of non-standard dialects. Although this shift will be difficult for many of today's educators, the inclusion of all English dialects will increase student engagement, aid comprehension, raise standardized test scores, and foster empathy between differing dialect speakers.
I Speak English, Too
With 38 distinct dialects, English in the United States is an evolving language. Students may speak a cultural or ethnic dialect, such as African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) and Chicano English, or a regional dialect like New York English and Southern English.
For years, teachers have spent countless classroom hours striving to eradicate these vernaculars. When I ask my students or my friends what they disliked about their past English classes, they invariably mention grammar worksheets; novels written in dry, academic language; and repetitive language assignments. While some of these are necessary to ensure basic literacy, many deterring English assignments are the result of a pedagogy centered on enforcing the standard English dialect and eradicating any other vernacular. Consequently, students are not invested in the English classroom, which harms their comprehension, test scores, and communication skills.
As English teachers, we should help our students love—or at least appreciate—our field. But they can't, because we're spending too much time hammering a specific vernacular into their heads instead of letting them explore the beauty of language. We tell them the words that they've known their whole life are wrong, but then turn around and tell them, "write what you know." It's time for English teachers to accept other English dialects, so our students can write, read, speak, and share what they know in the dialect they know.
Historical Roots
This movement to accept dialects that differ from the academic standard is not new. Embroiled within the Christian Reformation of the 1500's, William Tyndale famously remarked that he would "cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the scripture" than the clergy. Tyndale dreamed of a world where men and women who spoke the coarser, common languages like English and German would have access to the knowledge currently monopolized by the educated elite who spoke Latin, Greek, or Hebrew. Tyndale would be pleased to know that today, the Bible is available in hundreds of languages.
Back to the Present
While Tyndale dealt with languages that required direct translation to spread knowledge, teachers today are faced with dialects that are often easily understood without translation assistance. However, Tyndale's dream lives on through the efforts to validate the vernaculars of all students and use their native dialects as a help to education, rather than a hindrance.
Teacher-researchers such as Brandie Bohney call for more vernacular texts to be incorporated into instruction, citing increased levels of empathy and cultural awareness in students exposed to such works. Other research suggests that when vernaculars are respected in the classroom and not corrected or counted as errors by instructors, students tend to learn more and grasp concepts more quickly—students in California are even seeing increased standardized test scores in reading and writing.
I recently was able to speak with an English teacher at a nearby middle school, Mr. J, who incorporates a variety of vernaculars in his classroom every day. About half of his students speak the Chicano dialect. A few only speak Spanish. However, Mr. J and his students don’t let this stop them. Mr. J remarked that by “teaching towards comprehension rather than correctness,” his students learn more about reading and writing. When Mr. J assigns books to the class, he offers copies in Spanish and uses texts laced with vernacular Englishes. I watched as his students marched into his classroom and picked up English and Spanish copies of Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give, a young adult novel filled with AAVE. These students, regardless of the dialect they spoke, had a safe space to learn in the literary world because of Mr. J's efforts.
Objection, Your Honor
The idea of validating all English vernaculars may feel overwhelming or impossible to many instructors. While I don't have all the answers, and more research is definitely needed to confirm the healthiest method of implementation, I can address a few concerns.
English instructors have preserved the English standard for decades, so many are concerned with how students of differing dialects could possibly function in a world where their grammar and sentence structure vary from the standard English dialect. In response, researcher Sara Jonsberg points out most English vernaculars have the same level of grammatical rules and structures at their disposal as traditional English, but since the culture of power favors “white” English as standard, we tend to ignore the complexities of these other Englishes.
Others are concerned for students' futures. How can a student speaking a different dialect ever expect to get a job in our standard-English-centered economy? Fortunately, many students who speak dialects other than standard English are already used to "code-switching," or changing their word choice depending on who they are speaking to or the setting. Rhetorically speaking, this gives students the chance to practice decorum, or the awareness of their audience and situation. This may mean a small amount of standard-English instruction should be included to aid students in their code-switching efforts—but it certainly shouldn't be the main goal of English instruction.
Words from the Heart
I want to close with the wise words of education activist Malala Yousafzai, who summed up her experience with standard English by writing, "We thought speaking in English meant you were more intelligent. We were wrong of course. It does not matter what language you choose, the important thing is the words you use to express yourself." As Malala realized, no language or dialect has a monopoly on intelligence, creativity, or expression. The many dialects of American English are excluded at the detriment of our students' language engagement and education. We educators must recognize the bilingual, or "code-switching," abilities of our students and honor the dialects they command. By so doing, we can empower our young students, encourage their language development, and prepare them for their futures in a multi-cultural world.
Sources:
Image Credits:
While Tyndale dealt with languages that required direct translation to spread knowledge, teachers today are faced with dialects that are often easily understood without translation assistance. However, Tyndale's dream lives on through the efforts to validate the vernaculars of all students and use their native dialects as a help to education, rather than a hindrance.
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| Students today command a variety of dialects that must be honored in the classroom |
I recently was able to speak with an English teacher at a nearby middle school, Mr. J, who incorporates a variety of vernaculars in his classroom every day. About half of his students speak the Chicano dialect. A few only speak Spanish. However, Mr. J and his students don’t let this stop them. Mr. J remarked that by “teaching towards comprehension rather than correctness,” his students learn more about reading and writing. When Mr. J assigns books to the class, he offers copies in Spanish and uses texts laced with vernacular Englishes. I watched as his students marched into his classroom and picked up English and Spanish copies of Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give, a young adult novel filled with AAVE. These students, regardless of the dialect they spoke, had a safe space to learn in the literary world because of Mr. J's efforts.
Objection, Your Honor
The idea of validating all English vernaculars may feel overwhelming or impossible to many instructors. While I don't have all the answers, and more research is definitely needed to confirm the healthiest method of implementation, I can address a few concerns.
English instructors have preserved the English standard for decades, so many are concerned with how students of differing dialects could possibly function in a world where their grammar and sentence structure vary from the standard English dialect. In response, researcher Sara Jonsberg points out most English vernaculars have the same level of grammatical rules and structures at their disposal as traditional English, but since the culture of power favors “white” English as standard, we tend to ignore the complexities of these other Englishes.
Others are concerned for students' futures. How can a student speaking a different dialect ever expect to get a job in our standard-English-centered economy? Fortunately, many students who speak dialects other than standard English are already used to "code-switching," or changing their word choice depending on who they are speaking to or the setting. Rhetorically speaking, this gives students the chance to practice decorum, or the awareness of their audience and situation. This may mean a small amount of standard-English instruction should be included to aid students in their code-switching efforts—but it certainly shouldn't be the main goal of English instruction.
Words from the Heart
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Sources:
- Fox's Book of Martyrs: The Life and Story of the True Servant and Martyr of God, William Tyndale - John Fox
- Moving Students toward Acceptance of "Other" Englishes - Brandie Bohney
- Using the Vernacular to Teach the Standard - John Rickford
- Personal Interview with Middle School teacher, 2019 (name changed for anonymity)
- I am Malala - Malala Yousafzai
Image Credits:
- "Speak Now" by Jessica Jenson is used with permission
- "teensReach (5)" by San Jose Public Library is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0
- "Malala Yousafzai at the Global Education First Initiative anniversary event" by United Nations Information Centres is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0
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