GRDG626: Language, Literacy, and Diversity in American Education Using Linguistic Analysis Dr. Gloria E. Jacobs

Agenda Sharing Minilecture and Linguistic Workshop Break Small Group Discussion Introduction to Student Analysis Next Week

Sharing Elliot of RCSD addressing NCTE

Minilecture: Linguistic Variation Accents, dialects, languages – all linguistic variation Levels of variation Regional Association (“regional dialects) Pronunciation (accent) Vocabulary Social Groups (“social dialects”) Grammar

Minilecture: Linguistic Variation The greater the social distance, the greater the variation in language. Most apparent in how verbs are used Those with less social power expected to know/understand language of those of higher social power, but not vice versa.

Minilecture: Linguistic Variation Use These Terms Language variation or linguistic variation Vernacular dialect Standard English(es) Rather Than These Dialect Nonstandard English Proper English

Language, Learning, and Thinking No evidence that linguistic variation interferes with cognitive development or reflects logical thinking (or lack thereof).

Minilecture: Linguistic Variation Standard English(es): A composite of “socially preferred dialects from various parts of the US and other English speaking countries” (Adger, Wolfram, & Christian, 2007, p. 15). Consistent with critical race theory that recognizes the value of the African American experience and how the white experience has been historically privileged. Two views: Deficit versus Difference Consistent with McDermott & Varenne (1997) Culture as Disability perspective.

Minilecture: Linguistic Variation What’s a teacher to do? Develop knowledge and respect for integrity of linguistic varieties (Adger, 2007, p. 26). Make dialect study part of your professional development Teach students to appreciate their linguistic heritage by teaching them how to do dialect study Explicitly teach code switching and audience/purpose for different Englishes

Minilecture: Linguistic Variation Conducting dialect study Involve your students Listen closely and nonjudgmentally to your speech and that of your students Learn the linguistic patterns of the community in which you teach Listen for grammatical patterns Listen for pronunciation patterns Vowel differences tend to mark region Consonant differences tend to mark social class

Minilecture: Linguistic Variation Is someone who speaks in the vernacular “uneducated” Or not socialized into academic or standard Englishes choosing to use a linguistic variant as an identity and group membership marker

Minilecture: Linguistic Variation Implications for Literacy Instruction miscue analysis/reading instruction The shortcomings of Dibels and similar out of context word lists spelling development grammar instruction writing assessment mis-identification of students for Special Education services We should of gone to are grandmother house.

Minilecture - IPA (Phonics Chapter) Sound/letter correspondence Vowels and consonants Terms Phoneme: smallest unit of sound that carries meaning. Dipthongs: Two sounds within one phoneme (bike) Digraphs: Two letters to represent one phoneme (that) Blends: Two letters/two phonemes that are smoothed together (bread/bleed)

IPA sounds/symbols

Linguistic Workshop (Part 1) With a partner, go to a quiet place in the building and analyze your speech Read a portion of a passage from a text. Have your partner listen to how you really pronounce different words. Listen for vowels, dropped consonants, elisions, etc. Pay attention to how you speak in casual conversation. How does your pronunciation change? How do your grammatical patterns change? What vocabulary choices do you make that mark you as a particular type of person (Discourse community)? How does this differ from how you speak in a professional environment?

Break 6:15 – 6:30

Linguistic Workshop (Part 2) With a partner, wander around campus and listen to the different speech patterns. Take notes on what you hear and your reactions to the language variations you hear.

Small Group Discussion Random groups. Discuss what you learned during your linguistic self-reflection and sleuthing.

Student Analysis See syllabus Data to be collected Analysis Implications

Next Week Watch performances from Brave New Voices Compton-Lilly Chapter 10 Redd, T.M. & Webb, K.S. (2005). A Teacher’s Introduction to African American English. Urbana, IL: NCTE. Chapters 3 & 4 Tatum, A. (2009). Reading for Their Life: (Re)Building the Textual Lineages of African American Males. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. 1-21.

Examples of Spoken Word Hebrew Mamita Taylor Mali - "What Teachers Make"