The 190 titles described here have been selected to provide a convenient reference guide for students of language who are concerned with regional and social variations in Southern speech. The area covered is not only that of the eleven states of the historical South, but Kentucky, Oklahoma, and West Virginia as well. The only specific aim of the…

This study of certain phonological and morphological aspects of the Negro speech of Memphis, Tennessee, is a revision of the author's 1961 Ph.D. thesis submitted to the University of Michigan. Twenty-four informants, all but one of whom were native Memphians, were used for the study; they were classed according to education and age. The interview…

Modern linguistic research shows that the language of America is that spoken by all residents of the Americas, with many varieties influenced by other national languages (e.g., Spanish, African, American Indian). In addition, linguistic research has resulted in two competing theories about teaching standard English: that teaching standard English…

To determine both whether the speech of fourth graders designated as Title I students differs significantly in any way from that of non-Title I fourth graders and whether there are regional features in the speech of these students which would handicap their performance on a nationally standardized test, 68 children from the intermediate unit and…

Exploring the issue of black and white speech differences, the articles reprinted in this anthology span several decades and are to be viewed in a historical perspective. Turner (1948) examines Gullah, the creole language spoken off the coast of South Carolina. McDavid and McDavid (1951) attempt to identify the different influences on the speech…

To determine attitudes of 720 middle class sixth grade students toward literary characters who speak regional dialects of American English, two randomly divided groups (experimental and control) read excerpts from "The Yearling,""Hie to the Hunters," and "The Blind Colt." The experimental group read the passages as they were originally written,…

REPORT NUMBER 2 OF THE CLEARINGHOUSE FOR SOCIAL DIALECT STUDIES (CENTER FOR APPLIED LINGUISTICS AND NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH) GIVES BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF 26 CURRENT, PROJECTED, OR RECENTLY COMPLETED SOCIAL DIALECT STUDIES AT UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING IN THE UNITED STATES. THE EMPHASIS IS ON THE SPEECH OF…

A discussion of certain methodological issues in linguistics as they bear on the debate over cultural deprivation. Whether or not the non-standard English (NNE) of a minority group can be considered a distinct language with its own grammar is arbitrary and therefore not a useful question. However, one can compare standard and NNE forms for…

Discusses the benefits of a solid grounding in English grammar to a writer and outlines the psycholinguistic theory which "narrowly defines dialect as "any form of speech mutually acceptable within a group or area.'" Suggests that the flaw in this definition can affect a child's (and adult's) reading experience. (JM)

Elaborates on the importance of grammar instruction, especially to speakers of nonstandard dialects who, with an understanding of the grammar of standard usage, will be able to read and thus to educate themselves outside the classroom. (JM)

Compares data gathered for 5-year-olds in Montreal and Paris, and shows that the differences between the two communities are marginal in terms of the complexity of the acquisition process. Notable differences are observed in performance. (Text is in French.) (CDSH/CLK)

Discusses the need for teachers to be aware of social class and cultural differences in the use of language. (GO)

Discusses the merits of studying the morphological system of a language as opposed to the phonological or lexical, for the purposes of geographical and diachronic studies. The vowel system of Gascon is compared to that of Basque. (Text is in French.) (CDSH/AM)

This article discusses the history of the Galician language. (Text is in Spanish.) (CLK)

Explores the arguments for and against bidialectalism and discusses various approaches used in teaching standard English to nonstandard speakers. (MM)