What is it about?
This article makes the argument that monolingual students stand to learn from bidialectal populations in much the same way that bidialectal populations are expected to master the standard languages deployed by many monolingual learners. The article proposes that both populations, monolingual and bidialectal, can learn from each other in literacy classrooms in the 21st century. Ideas are outlined that help to inform literacy policy for both mono- and multilingual learners in this regard.
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Why is it important?
This paper is timely given that there is increasing linguistic diversity in the United States in the 21st century. It also comes at an opportune time when linguist Keanthes Grohman has identified cognitive benefits for those who speak two dialects. The article points to the opportunity that being bidialectal can offer to the monolingual student. In fact, it creates a paradigm shift in our thinking about why monolinguals might stand to benefit from their bidialectal peers in literacy, after all.
Perspectives
This publication was inspired by the need to cross boundaries in our thinking about linguistic diversity. We have, for a long time, failed to acknowledge the benefits that bidialectalism offers to students in literacy. For me, this article presents an opportunity to begin to think more closely about this in the context of the U.S. and especially, at a time when developing literacy skills in students is as essential as enabling them to build the communicative capacity to interact with millions of American and immigrant youth who speak a myriad of dialects. As Kleanthes Grohmann, University of Cyprus linguist acknowledges, "To be honest, this should have been on our agenda for the last 40 years!"
Dr. Patriann Smith
University of South Florida
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A Distinctly American Opportunity, Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, July 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/2372732216644451.
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