Synthesis: "Standard" English?

“Critical Thoughts on Teaching Standard English”

Speicher and Bielanski.  Curriculum Inquiry. 2000 (147-169)

“Dilemmas of Identity: Oral and Written Literacies in the Making of a Basic Writing Student”

Cook-Gumperz, Anthropology and Education Quarterly 1993

“Dissin’ the Standard: Ebonics as Guerilla Warfare at Capital High”

Fordham, Anthropology and Education Quarterly 1999

These readings, taken all together explain why speakers of non-standard dialects might choose to no speak a standard dialect even though they might be able.

• ·         First, what is “standard?” No one has defined  (can define?) it.  More than that, standard written English is another dialect in itself.
• ·         Students of non-standard dialects have to learn not only the dialect, but a way to re-imagine themselves and how they can fit into a new discourse community.
• ·         Often, many features of a spoken dialect (standard or not) do not have written counterparts, and so are impossible to express in written English (or at least SWE)
• ·         The reasons for students to resist using SE are historical and based on power, oppression, community, and pride.

These articles also question the idea that using SE is necessary for success.  It depends on one’s definition of success, and  in what community one wants to be successful.  To be successful at Capital High, students had to come up with very complicated ways to navigate social and educational expectations