The Educational System: Fixing the Message in Stone

1. The Educational System:Fixing the Message in Stone Lippi-Green, Chapter 6

2. The Educational System…“Appropriacy” Arguments (p. 109) • National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) “Students must adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g. conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes . . . Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.” (1996: 4)

3. The Educational System…“Appropriacy” Arguments (p. 109) • National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) • “All of us who speak English speak different varieties of English depending on whom we are communicating with, the circumstances involved, the purpose of the exchange, and other factors. Indeed, creative and communicative powers are enhanced when students develop and maintain multiple language competencies. • Nonetheless, some varieties of English are more useful than others for higher education, for employment, and for participation in what the Conference on College Composition and Communication (1993) calls ‘the language of wider communication.’ Therefore, while we respect diversity in spoken and written English, we believe that all students should learn this language of wider communication.” (1996: 22-23)

4. The Educational System…“Appropriacy”reasoning and its consequences (p. 113) • FACT: Language A and Language B are equal in linguistic and cultural terms • + • FACT: Language B is rejected by teachers and employers • + • FACT: Rejection has a negative effect on the speakers of Language B • ↓ • CONCLUSION: Language B must be discarded in favor of Language A

5. The Educational System…Summary (p. 131) • NCTE (1974: 14) • “Since English teachers have been in large part responsible for the narrow attitudes of today’s employers, changing attitudes toward dialect variations does not seem an unreasonable goal, for today’s students will be tomorrow’s employers. The attitudes that they develop in the English class will often be the criteria they use for choosing their own employees. English teachers who feel they are bound to accommodate the linguistic prejudices of current employers perpetuate a system that is unfair to both students who have job skills and the employers who need them.”