"Backgrounds in Language," a field-tested inservice course designed for use by groups of 15 or 25 language arts teachers, provides the subject matter background teachers need to make informed decisions about what curriculum materials to use in what way, at what time, and with which students. The course is comprised of eight 2-hour sessions, requiring, in addition, 2 hours of preparation time for each session. Intended as a group experience in which each member accepts the responsibility of searching out answers for the problems posed by the course, it is especially useful in school districts which lack access to consultants in linguistics or to university programs. The course deals with three aspects of language teaching--modern grammars (traditional, structural, and transformational), dialectology, and history of the English language--and is organized as a kit of materials which includes two films; a film strip; seven tape recordings of talks and records; a syllabus/manual; a leader's syllabus; a leader-training package; two tests; and a total of 56 basic texts, specially prepared essays, exemplary curriculum materials, and individual interpretations of significant texts and pamphlets. (MF)