Learning a second dialect entails learning new schemas. Most Australian Aboriginal children live in a bicultural, bidialectal context and are exposed to the discourse of Australian English, so they internalize some of its schemas but may not be able to use its schemas effectively or distinguish them from Aboriginal English schemas. Analysis of the discourse of bidialectal Aboriginal children in Southwest Australia suggests that the discourse exhibits the use of schemas from Aboriginal English and Australian English as well as parodic uses of Australian English schemas and schematic blends, which may be dysfunctional. The paper investigates, from the perspective of schema theory, the acquisition of standard Australian English as a second dialect by Aboriginal children speaking Aboriginal English as their first dialect. It begins by reviewing research on dialect acquisition and schema theory, then describes Aboriginal English and standard Australian English and highlights the repertoire of schemas in child speakers of Aboriginal English. It exemplifies discourse that illustrates each schema type, focusing on implications for understanding second dialect acquisition and implementing bidialectal education. The paper looks at how Aboriginal children cope with the acquisition of schemas underlying the content of Western education. (Contains 47 references.) (SM)