Topic I: "Standard" English and language variation. (Subtopics to consider: what "Standard" English is; what dialects are; how and why English varies; who uses particular dialects, and where, when, why, & how; how specific varieties are regarded by users and nonusers; how beliefs about "Standard" English, dialects, and language variation affect behavior.)

Background Readings (not to be included as scholarly sources in Paper 2):

• PBS, “Standard American English”
• PBS, “American Varieties” --be sure to explore the many links from this page
• Finegan, "What is 'Correct' Language?"
• Fought, J. G., “Gatekeeping”

Sources for Paper 2

• Baron, "Setting Standards" (chapter 4 in Alphabet to Email: How Written English Evolved and Where It's Heading; available on reserve in the Dordt library or ENG 101 Courses@Dordt)
• Wolfram, "Varieties of American English" (in Linguistics for Teachers, edited by Cleary and Linn; available on reserve in the Dordt library or ENG 101 Courses@Dordt)
• Stalker, "My Language, My Culture: International Variations in Standards for English" (EBSCO, Dordt online library databases)
• At least two scholarly sources of your choice that were not assigned for class reading

Also of potential interest: the Dictionary of American Regional English, available in Dordt's library.

Topic II: English and legislation. (Subtopics to consider: what English Only legislation is; who promotes it and why; who opposes it and why; how views about English Only legislation affect behavior.)

Background Readings (not to be included as scholarly sources in Paper 2):

• PBS, "Official American"
• Wikipedia.com, “English-only movement”
• U.S. English website
• Fought, J. G., “Gatekeeping”

Sources for Paper 2:

• Schmid, "The Politics of English Only in the United States: Historical, Social, and Legal Aspects" (in Language Ideologies Vol. 1, edited by González & Melis; available on reserve in the Dordt library or ENG 101 Courses@Dordt)
• Geoffrey Nunberg, “Lingo Jingo: English Only and the New Nativism”
• Mei-Yu Lu, “English-Only Movement: Its Consequences for the Education of Language Minority Children”
• At least two scholarly sources of your choice that were not assigned for class reading

Also of potential interest: the CCCC's Position Statement, “The National Language Policy.”

Topic III: English and ethnicity. Focus on African American English (AAE), although there are other Englishes connected with various ethnic and racial cultures. (Subtopics to consider: what AAE is like; how/why it developed; how it is related to other Englishes; who uses AAE, and where, when, why, & how; how AAE is regarded by users and nonusers; how views about AAE affect behavior.)

Background Readings (not to be included as scholarly sources in Paper 2):

• PBS, "African American English"
• Wikipedia.org, “African American Vernacular English”
• Baldwin, “If Black English isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?”
• Cutler, “Crossing Over”

Sources for Paper 2:

• Rickford, "Suite for Ebony and Phonics"
• Lippi-Green, "The Real Trouble with Black English" (in English with an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States; available on reserve in the Dordt library or ENG 101 Courses@Dordt)
• Lee, “Out of the Hood and into the News: Borrowed Black Verbal Expression in a Mainstream Newspaper” (JSTOR, Dordt library online databases)
• At least two scholarly sources of your choice that were not assigned for class reading

Also of potential interest: the CCCC's Position Statement, "Statement on Ebonics."

Topic IV: A relevant topic of your choice that I approve in writing. Possibilities include (but are not limited to) language and gender, language and age, or language and communication technologies.

Readings : Submit a list for my approval. Include 3-4 "light" background readings as well as 5 scholarly sources.

Leah Zuidema Home

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