This volume brings together research carried out in a variety of geographic and linguistic contexts including Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and the United States and explores efforts to incorporate linguistic diversity into education and to "harness" this diversity for learners' benefit. It challenges the largely…

Discusses approaches and problems in teaching English as a second dialect writing. Also discusses the kinds of clues student writings provide on the students' progress in mastery of standard English. (EKN)

Describes holiday celebrations in the Caribbean as important contemporary social events with historical, geographical, and cultural significance. Discusses the origins, development, and customs of the major Caribbean street festivals. Suggests that the holidays can combine all social science disciplines into focus and emphasize the geographic…

Links between language and identity are so strong that attempts to correct nonstandard speech are likely to be interpreted by West Indian children as criticism or rejection. A far more constructive approach would be to acknowledge and accept Creole in the classroom. (Author)

Points out features of Jamaican paralanguage involving gestures that are rude by any standard and would not be accepted or tolerated by the classroom teacher in the home country. The importance of Canadian teachers' understanding culture-based behavior is stressed. (EJS)

This paper describes the significant dialectal differences which exist between most West Indian dialects and Canadian English and outlines activities which can be used in a program for West Indian students in Canadian secondary schools. (CFM)

Argues that a special approach is needed to teach Standard American English to West Indians and that they not be placed in classes with native or limited-English speakers. Identifies the linguistic features of West Indian Creole. Reviews research conducted in Great Britain on West Indian immigrants' special problems and needs. (PAA)

Imposition of English in Torres Strait and Cape York Peninsula (Australia) schools led to the development of Torres Strait Creole (TSC), now widely spoken. Common formal errors that TSC-speaking students make in written English are described and related to linguistic transfer. Cultural vocabulary, core cultural values reflected in TSC, and the…

Jamaican Creole-speaking college students find it difficult to switch to standard English for school-related tasks. At the composition level, many Jamaican students still experience problems with higher order concerns such as a organization, unity, and coherence. With regard to lower order concerns, three types of writing miscues are prevalent:…

The physical, instructional, and attitudinal aspects of the learning environment in the West Indies are described, with emphasis on the problems West Indian students and their teachers must surmount in Canadian schools. (PMJ)

The French Quarter ("Vieux Carre" in French) is the heart and soul of modern New Orleans (Louisiana), serving as a continuous reminder of the city's Creole, colonial past. The French Quarter, lying barely above sea level, hugs the bank of the Mississippi River. Buildings with wrought-iron balconies crowd each other and the narrow…

A study investigated how four anglophone Caribbean students enrolled in an American college perceive their own language and writing in standard English, the morphosyntactic and semantic features that emerge when they write in standard English, and the extent to which discourse features revealed in their writing are attributable to Creole…

The language of English-speaking Caribbean immigrant students in the United States is examined, and it is argued that conventional English-as-a-Second-Language classes and curricula do not address the linguistic needs of these students. Background information on the evolution and sociocultural patterns of English-based vernaculars, or Creoles, of…

The teacher's guide was developed as part of an initiative by the Council on Family Health to encourage speakers of English as a second language (ESL) to read and understand the information on over-the-counter and prescription drugs. It contains classroom activities, handout materials, and suggestions for presenting lessons on label reading. It is…

Discusses the history of the Caribbean region and issues affecting the resion. Addresses language diversity, cultural interchanges, historical and cultural realities, ideological pluralism, and efforts at area cooperation. Suggests that the cultural diversity, innovation, and creativity that are such a part of Caribbean cultures can form the basis…