Helping African American English Speaking Students Become Bidialectal - Assignment Example

?Insert Insert Grade Insert Insert Helping African America English Speaking Become Bidialectal Introduction African American English is the language dialect spoken by American citizens of African origin. It has also been referred to as Ebonics, African American Vernacular English, or simply Black English. Some have referred to this English as non-Standard and ever dynamic tracing its origin to slang. However, African American English has its origin in the retention of some West African dialects in the English language among the Americans of African Origin. In order to learn and work well in America, this group is required to learn the standard American English that cuts across all cultures. There are guiding principles of teaching African American English speaking people to become bi-dialectal. The core principle to teaching them Standard English is combining culture, language, and literacy. Standard English should be taught as a second language and not taken as correcting or eroding the native language (Perry and Delpit 80). In order for the learners to appreciate the language, their culture must be studied and encompassed into the curriculum. This would produce a culturally responsive, appropriate, and relevant system of Education (Alim and Baugh 24). Educators that have attempted to teach Standard English to Ebonics as correcting the shortcomings of their native language either have failed to improve the Standard English speaking capability of this group or have achieved very little. In some cases, Blacks have dropped out of the system in protest of the lack of recognition or respect for their culture. By studying the culture/language of the American blacks the following can be taken as guiding principles of teaching them Standard English (Hudley, Charity Ann and Mallinson 70-90). Development of Sensitivity of Rhymes For young learners, teachers can aid them practice nursery rhymes and games, such as hand clapping. To be able to appreciate both Standard English and the local dialect, they should rhyme in both dialects. Teachers may examine the rhyming differences that learners hear and use to increase their sensitivity to sound patterns and become acquainted with the linguistics. In the case of learners in higher grades, teachers may impart the rhyme sensitivity by introducing word games and some aspects of verbal play into the classroom. This should be done both in Standard and African American English. Students can also learn rhyming through composing poems and lyrics, analyzing them and writing reviews (Alim and Baugh 19). Students should be allowed to compose songs in their dialect especially in hip hop style they are famously known of. They should recite these in front of the class. Learners should then discuss how words that rhyme in their native dialect are similar or different from those of the Standard English. They should also be encouraged to write reviews of songs or poems and take note of instances where the composer used Standard English or African American English. The exercise of composing, analyzing, and writing reviews of songs and poetry enhance knowledge, rhyme sensitivity, and word formation. In a nut shell the teacher is encouraging learners to express themselves both in their native language and the Standard English in order to develop language flexibility. Teachers can also come up with mechanisms that allow learners to compare and contrast lyrics/poems composed in different dialects including their own. Students should keenly explore the styles in the different poems and also note the advantages and disadvantages of each style. By comparing and contrasting different styles, they appreciate the importance of each dialect and will be encouraged to learn the Standard English because they are aware that their dialect is also recognized alongside the Standard English. Grammar The use of ‘ain’t’ in African American English: - The African American English has phrases that are commonly used that are viewed by the rules of Standard English as incorrect. Take for instance the use of ain’t in place of isn’t, hasn’t or didn’t. This difference can be mastered by learners through reading passages written in African American English that contain this phrase (ain’t) and figuring out how these passages would be written in standard English. The learner may highlight incidences of “ain’t” in the passage and replace them with isn’t, hasn’t or didn’t. To further add weight to this grammatical aspect, the teacher may use excerpts written in Standard English and, together with the learners, check on the rules that guide the use of hasn’t, didn’t and isn’t. The argument about the use of “ain’t” and isn’t in African American English and the Standard English respectively, ameliorate the learners’ language awareness and drive them to factor in these ideas when writing their own work. In essence, replacing these phrases enables a smooth learning of the new dialect while retaining their own dialect. This solves the negative attitude that learners may develop that Standard English is coming to erode their native dialect. Absence of –s Intonation: - There are some incidences where learners of Standard English, who their native dialect is African American English, may write words without –s due to the native dialect influence. For example, Ebonics may say “He walk long distances” instead of “He walks long distances”. In order to address this issue exhaustively there is a need to review the grading system in view of dialect variation between African American English and Standard English. In case of missing –s in a learners work in instances that Standard English conventions should be followed, teachers should advise the learner on the rules governing the absence of –s and counsel them on how –s is employed in Standard English. These patterns may be comprehended by learners only through practice over and over again Teaching Language Diversity through Oration and Rhetoric Teachers may organize forums with speakers to narrate stories or they may read from written literature from African American English; and learners may constitute work modeled after listening. Learners may also check rhetorical styles employed by such accomplished orators such as Rev. Dr. Luther King Junior and U.S.A president Barrack Obama, in consideration to social or personal forces that might have led them to assume their distinct styles. Students should also be urged to read different texts and discuss the language in them. Young learners may be encouraged to read, My brother fine with me (Clifton, 1975), Mckissacks’ Fossie and Fox among others. Older learners may check on the books of authors such as Zora Naele and Ralph Ellison among others. Dialogue and first person narration in fiction can be a mean of illustrating variation in language. The learner appreciates the language variations and keeps in mind the differences. Conclusion Teaching African American English speaking to become bi-dialectal is essential in order to enable him or her comprehending the Standard English used by majority of Americans at work and in education institutions. However, African American English is a dialect of English. Learners who speak this way must be sensitively taught to code switch by teachers guided by the principle of acknowledgement and acceptance of the child's home language. It is incumbent upon teachers to aid students in becoming bi-dialectal speakers. To fix, discourage or eradicate the other language is to ruin the child’s education and can achieve either below average or no results at all. Works Cited Alim, Samy and Baugh, John (eds). Talkin Black Talk: Language, Education and Social Change. New York and London: Teachers College Press, 2006. Print Hudley, Charity Ann and Mallinson, CHristine. Understanding English Language Variation in American Schools. New York: Teachers College Press, 2011. Print Perry, Theresa and Delpit, Lisa. The Real Ebonics Debate. Boston: Beacon Press, 1998. Print Read More