Table of Contents
Series Foreword vii
Foreword William Labov xiii
Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xix
1 Valuable Voices 1
Language Variation 2
Language, Students, and Multicultural Education 4
Who We Are 6
What Educators Want to Know About Language Variation 9
2 What is Standard English? 11
English Language Standards 11
Teaching Language Standards 12
Learning Language Standards 14
Some Features of School English 21
The Privilege of Standardized English 35
3 Southern English: A Regional and Cultural Variety 37
Defining the South 38
Language Variation in the South 39
Attitudes Toward Southern English 42
The Value of Southern Language and Culture 44
Features of Southern English 49
The Take-Away Message 67
4 African American English: An Ethnic and Cultural Variety 69
The History of African American English 70
Attitudes Toward African American English 72
The Value of African American Language and Culture 73
Features of African American English 79
The Take-Away Message 109
5 Assessment and Application 110
Testing Specific Populations 111
The Culture of Standardized Tests 117
The Language of Standardized Tests 120
Other Types of Assessment 137
Language-Centered Action Plans for Educators 139
Conclusion 140
Afterword Walt Wolfram 143
References 145
About the Authors 161
Index 163