Language DevelopmentLecture Notes: 11/18/14Language vs Dialect● Max Weinreich: “A language is a dialect with an army and a navy.”● Language varieties are often called dialects rather than languages:○ Because they have no standard or codified form○ Because the speakers of the given language do not have a state of their own○ Because they do not have a written form○ Because they lack prestige● Rule-governed speech habits of a particular region or specific social group. Everyone speaks a dialect; no one speaks a “language”Types of Dialect● Regional● Social/CulturalRegional Dialect● A language variety used by people living in a specific geographical areaAfrican American English● AAE is rule-governed, systematic dialect of American English● Many African American children entering school speak AAE but not SAE● AAE is spoken by many, but not all African Americans across the United States● Highly variable in the amount used by a given child or community● Used by some African Americans, but also people of other ethnicitiesDifferences between Dialects● Phonology● Lexicon● Grammar● Pragmatics● Dialect vs Accent?● Accent- speech differences only● Dialect- speech and language differencesPhonological Differences between Dialects● “Bag” pronounced as “beg” in Wisconsin● “Car” pronounced as “cah” in Boston● African American English vs Standard American English○ (wif/with; bave/bathe; wit/with)○ (Dis/this; dem/them)○ Consonant cluster reduction (col-/cold)Lexical-Semantic Differences between Dialects● Differences between US regions○ Bubbler vs water fountain○ Soda vs coke vs pop○ Pail vs bucket○ Pavement vs sidewalk● Differences between American and British English○ To table something● Fitna in African American English- she fitna backward flipMorphosyntactic Differences between Regional Dialects● Appalachian dialect○ Ya’ll○ Gotz to thinkinMorphosyntactic Differences between SAE and AAE● Zero possessive○ I ride in my brother car● Zero past tense○ And then he fix__the food● Zero plural○ A girl puttin’ some glass_on the table● Zero third person singular-s○ Sometimes she wear_a baseball cap● Zero copula/auxiliary○ He__runnin’ fast○ He__hungry● Subject-verb agreement○ They was lookin’ for the big dog● Multiple negation○ He ain’t never got no candy no howPragmatic differences between SAE and AAE● Non-verbal behavior○ Eye contact: children may be taught that eye contact with adults is disrespectful. Adults may find it difficult to establish eye contact with persons of authority● Conversation style○ Silent code: the use of silence or near silence in formal situations with unfamiliar white speakers. As a result, the individual may be thought of as shy (at best)○ Echoic or hyperechoic responses (superimposed on top of the first speaker’s utterance)● Narrative Style○ Performative (embellishments, gesture, sound effect, repetition, tonality, use of props) and Topic-Associative (topics are thematically connected) vs Topic-Centered (topics are temporally connected)Input differences: AAE vs SAE● Early claims: children reared in AAE have impoverished linguistic input; this in turn leads to reduced ability to engage in abstract thought; contributes to the achievement gap● Later work: differences do not reflect differences between dialects; instead, they reflect differences in SES● Independent of ethnicity, Middle SES is associated with more language input, and with increased vocabulary skills in children● Similarly, Middle SES is associated with less directive style of interaction between the parent and the child○ “Roll it to me!” vs “You rolled it! Good job! Should we roll it again?”Middle vs Low SES African American Parents● Similarities:○ Time of interaction○ Mothers lead interaction○ Involvement in the play○ MLU of mothers● Differences:○ LSES mothers initiated and redirected play interactions more○ MSES mothers were more verbal during initiations○ MSES mothers used a larger variety of words during interactions. They also labeled and commented on objects more than LSES mothersLiteracy in children who speak AAE● Mismatch between the oral form of the language (AAE) and the written form of the language (SAE)● Speakers of AAE (and of other nonstandard dialects of English) who are able to code-switch to SAE may perform better academically than those who are not● Dialect switching- involves the ability to make judgments on what dialect is most appropriate in the communicative context; i.e., changing speech and language for your environmentASHA position on dialect-related issues in assessment● No social dialect is a communication disorder● A speaker of dialect may manifest a clinically significant communication disorder that is not related to the dialect● SLPs must be able to distinguish between a communication disorder and a dialectal differenceUsing Standardized Tests to Assess Speakers of Dialects● Content bias○ Assumption that all children have been exposed to the same concepts and vocabulary or have has similar life experiences○ E.g., labeling or pointing to objects is not a typical learning experience for Hispanic children● Linguistic bias○ Disparity between the clinician’s language/dialect and the child’s language/dialect○ Adjust standardized test?○ Omit culturally-suspect items?● Disproportionate representation in normative samples○ Standardized tests rarely include dialect speakers in normative samples○ Have more CLD populations in a sample?○ Develop tests for specific