Snell, J (2013) Dialect, interaction and class positioning at school: from deficit to difference to repertoire. Language and Education, 27 (2). 110 - 128. ISSN 0950-0782
Abstract
Sociolinguists have been fighting dialect prejudice since the 1960s, but deficit views of non-standard English are regaining currency in educational discourse. In this paper I argue that the traditional sociolinguistic response – stressing dialect systematicity and tolerance of ‘difference’ – may no longer be effective by questioning a key assumption that both deficit and difference approaches share, namely that there exist discrete varieties of English. Based on an empirical study of the language of working-class children in north-east England, I demonstrate that non-standard dialects of English do not have a discrete system of grammar that is isolated from other varieties; rather local dialect forms interact with a range of semiotic resources (including standard forms) within speakers’ repertoires. Interactional analyses of the children’s spontaneous speech highlight this hybridity, as well as the social meanings behind the linguistic choices children make. I conclude by addressing educational responses to non-standard dialect in the classroom, suggesting that it is not the presence or absence of non-standard forms in children’s speech that raises educational issues; rather, educational responses which problematise non-standard voices risk marginalising working-class speech, and may contribute to the alienation of working-class children, or significant groups of them, within the school system.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) 2013, Taylor and Francis. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Language and Education (on 13/02/13), available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09500782.2012.760584 |
Keywords: | Dialect; Repertoire; Social Class; Linguistic Variation; Classroom Discourse; Interaction |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of English (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 11 Nov 2015 10:54 |
Last Modified: | 18 Jan 2018 02:29 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2012.760584 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor Francis |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/09500782.2012.760584 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:86137 |