Standard English and Grammar Usage

I always viewed Standard English as the kind we learned in school. English in itself has many different dialects all of which are acceptable depending on where you live, where you are from, and who you are talking to. I agree with the argument that there really is no single standard of English. However, I do believe that there should be one standard form chosen to be taught as a basis in a school setting. I also think it is very important to teach students that there are different times and places to use different dialects and accents of English. Obviously the way that we speak and the way that we write are completely different. But it is important to remember that the way we speak also differs depending on the setting. I think that all students personally vernacular should be acknowledged because it is part of their culture. My parents both grew up in New Jersey and moved to Tennessee when they were pregnant with me. My mother stayed at home with me for most of my early development years and I spoke like her, with a northern accent. When I entered school I was surrounded by the southern accent influence with caused my speech to change. However, at the same time I was learning “Standard English” in school. I picked up very quickly on the fact that my classmates would make fun of me for saying “northern” words. However, when we went back to New Jersey to visit family, all of my cousins would make fun of me for using “southern” words. Unconsciously, I began to change my dialect depending on who I was speaking to. I think this is something that many students learn to do automatically; however, I think it’s important for students to be aware and exposed to different dialects besides their own.

Another interesting thing I noticed about Standard English is that I very rarely hear it spoken. I think that this is why it takes the longest to learn. I think that the best way to learn Standard English outside of English class is through books. Written or book language most often follows the Standard English rules. The realization that Standard English does not involve pronunciation was a new one for me. I had always just assumed that it did. This is an interesting point especially regarding ELL students. They can master “correct” Standard English and still pronounce things differently, just like I can speak “correct” Standard English whether I am pronouncing things “southern” or “northern”.

Now grammar is a whole different discussion all together. I am very interested in descriptive grammar. I think that it is fascinating to observe the structure of the language and how it is actually used by speakers and writers. However, I students should be taught prescriptive grammar initially. Students have to know the way that grammar is expected to be used in the academic society. I have always thought that grammar had to do with errors or correctness and that was it. I had never thought about how grammar can make a sentence sound interesting or make it come alive. I think this is an important lesson that I never really understood in school. Grammar is the way we make our sentences come alive for the reader. The structure of our sentence can determine what kind of picture the reader sees in their head. Show your students how grammar helps their stories come alive. Because I am a big believer in Vygotsky’s scaffolding teaching strategy, I also align with the inductive approach to teaching grammar. I will use lots of higher order thinking questions to guide the students through interactive grammar exercises. I think this is the most developmentally appropriate way to teach any student, especially ELL grammar and Standard English.