Chapter 13, Sociolinguistics and Education: Online material
For Students
1.
Summary
This chapter looks at how linguistic inequality is embedded in education in three different contexts: in cases
where students speak nonstandard dialects; in communities where minority languages are spoken; and in
countries where English is not a community language but is the medium of education. In all of these contexts,
social inequalities are perpetuated by ideologies which privilege certain ways of speaking, and social structures
which impede access to high-status codes for some portions of the population.
2.
Review
2.1. Compare and contrast the following pairs of terms/concepts:
elaborated code/restricted code
immigrant bilingualism/elite bilingualism
linguistic inequality/elite closure
inner circle/outer circle
outer circle/expanding circle
globalization/glocalization
immersion/two-way immersion
2.2. Review questions
2.2.1. What are the different ways a nonstandard dialect / minority language / local language can be used in
a classroom which is aimed at teaching a standard, socially dominant variety? What are the
ideologies that encourage or discourage the use of these varieties in educational contexts?
2.2.2. What does research show about the effectiveness of the use of students’ home languages in
education?
2.2.3. What is elite closure, and how does it work to perpetuate social inequalities?
3.
Terms to know from this chapter
linguistic inequality
elaborated code
restricted code
implicit meaning
instrumental programs
accommodation programs
awareness programs
legitimate (verb)
immersion
achievement gap
Ann Arbor decision
Ebonics
two-way (dual language) immersion
Ramirez Report
time on task
translanguaging
heritage language
immigrant bilingualism
elite bilingualism
glocalization
inner circle
outer circle
expanding circle
hybridization
elite closure
gatekeeping
Euro English
4.
Links
The Voices of North Carolina Dialect Awareness Curriculum website provides an overview of the project,
pedagogical materials which can be downloaded, and links to other resources for linguists interested in working
on this topic.
http://www.ncsu.edu/linguistics/research_dialecteducation.php
The Center for Applied Linguistics provides information about dual language education in general and two-way
immersion programs in the United States in particular. There is an overview of the issues involved, a guide for
practitioners, and links to references.
http://www.cal.org/twi/
The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) approved a document on Ebonics on January 3, 1997, which outlined
their official position about the status of this variety of English and its pedagogical potential; this link provides
the full document, with references.
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/ebonics.lsa.html