LLSS 556: First and Second Language Development

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April 10, 2008 (class #13)
Topic: Misconceptions about second language learners: dialects, pidgins, and creoles

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Class Outline:

	Announcements: Observation assignment due in one week. Please come and see me if you have questions. Please use the COE Writing Lab if you have questions about APA, formatting, grammatical issues, etc. Please take a copy of the syllabus and/or assignment with you. Please turn in your article summary.
	Interactive presentation on: Dialects, pidgins, and creoles.
	Three minute pause (from http://www.readingquest.org/strat/3mp.html)
	Quick write: "How does the discussion of non-standard language varieties pertain to  teaching English Language Learners in our schools?"
	Small groups: Consider the non-standard varieties of English and Spanish spoken in the United States.  First, provide specific examples of (a) grammatical forms, (b) vocabulary, and (c) pronunciation that differ from the prestige variety (i.e. Standard American English).  Then discuss how these variants are perceived within the dominant culture
	minute paper

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Overheads:
PowerPoint

Handouts:
lingua francas, pidgins & creoles

NOTE:  To view PDF documents you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader

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Readings

Note: All of the readings, required and recommended, can be found on the electronic reserves at Zimmerman library. Please contact the instructor for the course password.
Author: Corson

1)	Discussing non-standard language varieties, Corson states that "none of these varieities is in any sense inherently inferior to the standard varieity in grammar, accent, or phonology" (p. 67). What does that mean? Provide several examples from non-standard varieties of English or Spanish to support your answer.
2)	On pages 69 and 70, Corson discusses prejudice against non-standard language varietes. Provide some examples fron your experience of how speakers of non-standard langusage varieities expierience this prejudice.
3)	How does the discussion of Labov's work (on pages 73-74) and assessment policies (pagew 77-79) relate to issues of testing in our schools today?
4)	As a teacher (or future teacher) of language minority students in New Mexico, what did you learn about non-standard varieities of English that will impact your teaching?
5)	Now that you've read this chapter: ...what are some new terms for you from this chapter? ...what seem to be some important concepts in this reading? ...what new questions do you have?

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Extra Resources

Web Sites:

• This page debunks the popular myth that languages can be distinguished from dialects on the basis of "mutual intelligibility": http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/540/langdial/node2.html
• Another handout from this same source compares the ideal and the reality of the differences between dialexts and languages: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/540/langdial/ideareal.htm