Vernacular in U.S. Schools

Vernacular in U.S. Schools 

                                  By/ Brwa R. Sharif

Do you use both the vernacular and English when teaching? How can both languages be used in a way that supports learning? Let’s take a look at how one teacher uses both languages.

           Mr. Leva teaches high school science. He begins a lesson on motion with a preview of key vocabulary and concepts. Mr. Leva introduces the concept of motion by using the vernacular to ask students what they already know about the concept. Then he introduces some key English words that students will hear throughout the lesson: He states each word in English, and explains the meaning and provides examples in the vernacular. Afterwards, Mr. Leva teaches the lesson in English. Throughout the lesson, he pays attention to students’ facial expressions and body language. If students appear confused or lost, he code-switches to the vernacular to explain what has just been taught, then asks students to use their own words and explain the concepts in both the vernacular and English before proceeding with the lesson. At the mid-point of the lesson, he asks a higher-order thinking question in English as a way to check for understanding. One student answers correctly in the vernacular. Mr. Leva praises the student and asks her to restate the response in English. The student restates her answer in English without difficulty. Toward the end of the class period, Mr. Leva wraps up the lesson with a review of key vocabulary using the vernacular, and some questions to check for understanding.

 

Can Black Vernacular English be used in classroom?

To determine the validity of Black Vernacular English as appropriate for classroom use, there are a few key questions that have to be answered. The first major dilemma is the question of Black Vernacular English being recognized as a dialect or a language. The two terms are quite often used interchangeably, which has caused some confusion in the debate.

Professor of Anthropology at the University of Vermont J.A. Dickinson (as it is cited in Malcolm) says “A dialect is a regionally or socially distinctive variety of a language, identified by a particular set of words (vocabulary) and grammatical structures, as well as certain phonology.” (Dickinson). According to this definition, Black Vernacular English would absolutely be considered a dialect. It has roots in the English language (“variety of a language”), and also has its own particular words and phrases unique to itself. However, in the true spirit of this debate there is another side to this argument. In an article by Leslie Skinner, Joseph Cautilli and Donald Hantula (all Doctors of behavioral psychology) the argument is made the other way, they say, “So what from a functionalist perspective constitutes a language? Spoken language has both a functional and a structural component (Skinner's concept of autoclitics, 1957). By this definition, Black Vernacular English would be considered a language of its own. It has multiple people that use it, there are communities that use it and it is recognized between many people who speak it. Some may argue that there are not communities that use only Black Vernacular English. However, this article discuses an area in Northern Philadelphia and say Members of this community show great linguistic variety but a predominance of Linguistic "structures" fit the patterns commonly known as Ebonics (Labov, 1973c). Labov (1973c) was able to identify Black English Vernacular had regular grammatical patterns. He was also able to trace the roots of many of these patterns to Southern English.” (Skinner, Cautilli, Hantula). This could explain some of the debate in academic communities over the teaching of the Black English Vernacular in schools. If a vernacular cannot be identified as language, then it cannot be taught as such and will not be recognized in the academic world.

A second issue that must be addressed in deciding the validity of the use of Black Vernacular English in the classroom is the relation of this vernacular to Standard American English. Black Vernacular English finds many of its roots in the English language with influences from West African and Caribbean influences. Those who make their argument from this camp say that Black Vernacular English is “merely an imperfectly learned approximation to real English, differing from it because the speakers are careless and lazy and don't follow "the rules."(Fillmore). This is shown, for example, by the neglect of some words when speaking and the frequent use of the verb “be” (i.e. “He don’t know what he be talkin’ bout.”). This argument is based on the fact that the Black Dialect, when compared to Standard American dialect, is often grammatically inaccurate and neglects many of the rules of the English language. In an academic environment, it is easy to see why some teachers may be reluctant to include Black Vernacular English into the classroom. The goal of an education is to enrich the students mind and prepare them to be an informed member of society. When it comes to teaching English, the goal is to teach students proper grammar and linguistics so that they can gain knowledge of the English language. This was even stated as one of the goals of the Oakland County proposition to make Ebonics a recognized language. The Oakland School Board was committed to helping their students master Standard English and thought that if Black Vernacular English was recognized as a native language that they could better help their students in this quest. However, for teachers and students who are not native Black Vernacular English speakers, it is hard to accept a language in the classroom that some may consider “slang”.

The Dialect Issue

              Children from different backgrounds come to school speaking a wide variety of dialects. Should our schools try to teach all students to use a standard dialect? If so, how? If not, how should different dialects be handled in the school setting? What impact does speaking a non-school dialect have on students' academic success and on their interactions with others in and out of school? These complex and controversial questions have been debated through the years, but they have become increasingly prominent in the last three decades. In particular, the controversy aroused by the December 1996 announcement of the Oakland (CA) School board about its policy on the instruction of African American vernacular dialect speakers underscores the fact that these issues have not been resolved.

One central issue in this controversy is whether mastery and use of a standard dialect should be required in schools. Some people consider such a requirement to be discriminatory, because it places an extra burden on certain students. Others argue that it is a responsibility of the education system to teach a standard dialect to broaden students' skills and opportunities. For instance, students who do not develop facility with Standard English may find that their employment or educational potential is restricted. A student's chances for success in school and in later life may be related to mastery of Standard English.

Consequences of Dialect Differences

              Dialect differences can affect the quality of education received by some students both academically and socially (Labov, 1995). A child's dialect may interfere with the acquisition of information and with various educational skills such as reading. In a court case in Ann Arbor (MI) in 1979, a group of African-American parents sued the local school system on behalf of their children, claiming that students were being denied equal educational opportunity because of their language background (Chambers & Bond, 1983; Farr Whiteman, 1980). Specifically, the parents maintained that the schools were failing to teach their children to read because the language differences represented by their children's vernacular dialect were not taken into account. The parents won their lawsuit, and the schools were ordered to provide special staff training related to dialects and the teaching of reading.

The social consequences of belonging to a different dialect group may be more subtle, but are just as important. The attitudes of teachers, school personnel, and other students can have a tremendous impact on the education process. Often, people who hear a vernacular dialect make erroneous assumptions about the speaker's intelligence, motivation, and even morality. Studies have shown that there can be a self-fulfilling prophecy in teachers' beliefs about their students' abilities (Cazden, 1988). If an educator underestimates a student's ability because of dialect differences, the student will do less well in school, perhaps as a direct result of the negative expectations. In some cases, students are "tracked" with lower achievers or even placed in special education classes because of their vernacular speech patterns.

 

Difference vs. Deficit

Negative attitudes about speech start with the belief that vernacular dialects are linguistically inferior to standard versions of the language. In fact, the language systems of various groups of speakers may differ, but no one system is inherently better than any other. Research clearly supports the position that variation in language is a natural reflection of cultural and community differences (Labov, 1972).

Despite linguistic equality among dialects, students' language and cultural backgrounds may influence their chances for success. When children from nonmainstream backgrounds enter school, they are confronted with new ways of viewing the world and new ways of behaving. Uses of language, both oral and written, are centrally involved in this new culture (Farr & Daniels, 1986). Heath's (1983) detailed account of language and culture patterns in two rural working class communities demonstrates clearly the conflict between language and cultural practices in the community and in the school. To move toward school expectations, children may have to adapt to language structures and patterns of usage that are different from those they have been using: for example, saying "They don't have any" instead of "They don't have none" in school settings, or learning rules governing when and how to make requests.

 

Guidelines for Teaching a Standard Dialect

The fact that language differences do not represent linguistic and cognitive deficiencies is an important premise for any education program. Given the advantages that may be associated with the ability to use Standard English in appropriate situations, most schools include it as a goal of instruction for all students. Some general guidelines should be followed in teaching Standard English at any level (Wolfram & Christian, 1989).

• The teaching of Standard English must take into account the importance of the group reference factor. Speakers who want to participate in a particular social group will typically learn the language of that group, whereas those with no group reference or with antagonistic feelings toward the group are less likely to do so.
• Instruction in Standard English should be coupled with information about the nature of dialect diversity. By giving students information about various dialects, including their own, teachers can demonstrate the integrity of all dialects. This approach clarifies the relationship between standard and vernacular dialects, underscoring the social values associated with each and the practical reasons for learning the standard dialect.
• Teachers and materials developers need a clear understanding of the systematic differences between standard and vernacular dialects in order to help students learn Standard English.
• The dialect of spoken Standard English that is taught should reflect the language norms of the community. The goal of instruction should be to learn the standard variety of the local community, not some formal dialect of English that is not actually used in the area. Regional standards are particularly relevant in the case of pronunciation features.
• Language instruction should include norms of language use, along with Standard English structures. Speaking a standard dialect includes the use of particular conversational styles as well as particular language forms. For example, using Standard English in a business telephone conversation does not involve simply using standard grammar and pronunciation. It also involves other conventions, such as asking the caller to "hold" if an interruption is called for, or performing certain closing routines before hanging up.

The teaching of Standard English requires careful thought, ranging from underlying educational philosophy to particular teaching strategies, if it is to be carried out effectively and equitably.

Dialect Diversity: Opportunity, Not Liability

The active study of dialects can benefit students from all linguistic backgrounds by helping them gain a better understanding of how language works (Adger, 1997; Wolfram, Christian, & Adger, in press). At one level, dialect differences may be treated as an interesting topic within language arts study. For example, a unit on vocabulary differences from different parts of the country can be both fun and instructive. (Where do they say "soda" vs. "pop"? Or "bag" vs. "sack" vs. "poke"?) When treated more comprehensively, dialect study can provide the opportunity for students to do empirical research and to develop critical thinking skills: observation, comparison, and argumentation. Every school has nearby communities that are linguistically interesting, both in themselves and in how they compare with other communities. Students can examine their own speech patterns and gather language samples from other residents in the area. Such investigations can have the added advantages of enhancing self-awareness and the understanding of cultural diversity (Erickson, 1997). Further, sending students into the community can contribute to preservation of the cultural and oral traditions of the region. The exploration of varieties of English can also help students gain insight into differences between spoken and written language, as well as variations related to formality, genre, and special registers.

The concept of using dialect diversity and the cultural diversity that accompanies it as a resource in the curriculum presents a viewpoint that is very different from many traditional approaches. Instead of seeing differences as barriers to be overcome, the differences provide fascinating topics for scientific study.

References

Christian, D. (1997). Vernacular Dialects in U.S. Schools. Center for Applied Linguistics, 43-44.

Lam, E. (2011). Using the Vernacular and English in the Classroom. Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, 20-21.

Malcolm, B. (n.d.). Classroom Vernacular. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDgQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbmalcolm.writersresidence.com%2Fsystem%2Fattachments%2Ffiles%2F21286%2Foriginal%2FClassroom_Vernacular.pdf%3F1334262742&ei=exXwUPK_Kumd0QW_iIGADA&u