ERIC Number: ED020176
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1963
Pages: 10
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A PERSPECTIVE ON USAGE--STANDARD VS. SUBSTANDARD.
POOLEY, ROBERT C.
DESPITE EFFORTS TO SUBSTITUTE "DIALECT" FOR "USAGE" IN THE GRAMMARIAN'S VOCABULARY, THERE IS STILL A PLACE FOR THE LATTER TERM, FOR WITHIN ANY DIALECT THERE ARE MANY CHOICES OF FORM, WORD, AND CONSTRUCTION. THE TEACHING OF USAGE CAN BE FOUNDED ON TWO SIMPLE PRINCIPLES--(1) THE EXTENT OF SOCIAL PENALTY FOR USING THE ITEM AND (2) THE FREQUENCY OF ITS USE. THUS, A STANDARD OF MINIMUM ACCEPTABILITY CAN BE ESTABLISHED BY TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS CAN BE ENCOURAGED THROUGH GENTLE CORRECTION TO BECOME SENSITIVE TO DIFFERENCES IN LEVELS OF USAGE. A CURRICULUM IN USAGE, THEN, SHOULD NOT BE BASED ON A PRESCRIPTIVE SET OF RULES, BUT RATHER ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW LANGUAGE WORKS AND OF HOW TO MAKE INTELLIGENT AND APPROPRIATE CHOICES AMONG THE VARIETY OF WAYS AN IDEA CAN BE EXPRESSED. (THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN "LANGUAGE, LINGUISTICS, AND SCHOOL PROGRAMS, PROCEEDINGS OF THE SPRING INSTITUTES, 1963." CHAMPAIGN, ILL., NCTE, 1963.) (DL)
Publication Type: N/A
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: National Council of Teachers of English, Champaign, IL.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A