Language and Social Disadvantage critically analyses and reviews the development of language in direct relation to social disadvantage in the early years and beyond. Definitions and descriptions of social disadvantage are addressed and wider aspects discussed. Theory and practice in relation to language development and social disadvantage are explored. The book is divided into two sections: the first addresses the theoretical associations and relationships between social disadvantage and language, where cognition, literacy, behaviour, learning, socio-emotional development, intervention and outcomes are considered in depth. The second section applies the theory to practice, where real-life intervention studies in nurseries, schools and other contexts are reported. Research and practice based in the UK is a focus of all the chapters and research reports. A genuinely interdisciplinary and collaborative approach is taken using perspectives from speech and language therapy, psychology and education. The book is ideal for professionals and students interested in the study of language development and intervention in the context of social disadvantage.

Understanding and addressing linguistic disadvantage must be a central facet of the social justice agenda of our time. This book explores the ways in which linguistic diversity mediates social justice in liberal democracies undergoing rapid change due to high levels of migration and economic globalization. Focusing on the linguistic dimensions of economic inequality, cultural domination and imparity of political participation, Linguistic Diversity and Social Justice employs a case-study approach to real-world instances of linguistic injustice. Linguistic diversity is a universal characteristic of human language but linguistic diversity is rarely neutral; rather it is accompanied by linguistic stratification and linguistic subordination. Domains critical to social justice include employment, education, and community participation. The book offers a detailed examination of the connection between linguistic diversity and inequality in these specific contexts within nation states that are organized as liberal democracies. Inequalities exist not only between individuals and groups within a state but also between states. Therefore, the book also explores the role of linguistic diversity in global injustice with a particular focus on the spread of English as a global language. While much of the analysis in this book focuses on language as a means of exclusion, discrimination and disadvantage, the concluding chapter asks what the content of linguistic justice might be.

Population mobility is at an all-time high in human history. One result of this unprecedented movement of peoples around the world is that in many school systems monolingual and monocultural students are the exception rather than the rule, particularly in urban areas. This shift in demographic realities entails enormous challenges for educators and policy-makers. What do teachers need to know in order to teach effectively in linguistically and culturally diverse contexts? How long does it take second language learners to acquire proficiency in the language of school instruction? What are the differences between attaining conversational fluency in everyday contexts and developing proficiency in the language registers required for academic success? What adjustments do we need to make in curriculum, instruction and assessment to ensure that second-language learners understand what is being taught and are assessed in a fair and equitable manner? How long do we need to wait before including second-language learners in high-stakes national examinations and assessments? What role (if any) should be accorded students’ first language in the curriculum? Do bilingual education programs work well for poor children from minority-language backgrounds or should they be reserved only for middle-class children from the majority or dominant group? In addressing these issues, this volume focuses not only on issues of language learning and teaching but also highlights the ways in which power relations in the wider society affect patterns of teacher–student interaction in the classroom. Effective instruction will inevitably challenge patterns of coercive power relations in both school and society.

Describes how intellectual development of bilingual children differs from that of monolingual children.

Language and Social Disadvantage critically analyses and reviews the development of language in direct relation to social disadvantage in the early years and beyond. Definitions and descriptions of social disadvantage are addressed and wider aspects discussed. Theory and practice in relation to language development and social disadvantage are explored. The book is divided into two sections: the first addresses the theoretical associations and relationships between social disadvantage and language, where cognition, literacy, behaviour, learning, socio-emotional development, intervention and outcomes are considered in depth. The second section applies the theory to practice, where real-life intervention studies in nurseries, schools and other contexts are reported. Research and practice based in the UK is a focus of all the chapters and research reports. A genuinely interdisciplinary and collaborative approach is taken using perspectives from speech and language therapy, psychology and education. The book is ideal for professionals and students interested in the study of language development and intervention in the context of social disadvantage.

Demonstrates the principles involved in planning and designing an effective syllabus. This book examines important concepts, such as needs analysis, goal-setting, and content specification, and serves as a useful introduction for teachers who want to gain an understanding of syllabus design in order to modify the syllabuses with which they work.

The authors combine a philosophical analysis of the idea of disadvantage with proposals for moving society in the discretion of equality, by 'declustering disadvantage'. The book will help political philosophers, social policy theorists, and practitioners involved in the design and delivery of actual social policy.

With the recent controversy in the Oakland, California school district about Ebonics—or as it is referred to in sociolinguistic circles, African American Vernacular English or Black English Vernacular—much attention has been paid to the patterns of speech prevalent among African Americans in the inner city. In January 1997, at the height of the Ebonics debate, author and prominent sociolinguist William Labov testified before a Senate subcommittee that for most inner city African American children, the relation of sound to spelling is different, and more complicated than for speakers of other dialects. He suggested that it was time to apply this knowledge to the teaching of reading. The testimony harkened back to research contained in his groundbreaking book Language in the Inner City, originally published in 1972. In it, Labov probed the question "Does 'Black English' exist?" and emerged with an answer that was well ahead of his time, and that remains essential to our contemporary understanding of the subject. Language in the Inner City firmly establishes African American Vernacular English not simply as slang but as a well-formed set of rules of pronunciation and grammar capable of conveying complex logic and reasoning. Studying not only the normal processes of communication in the inner city but such art forms as the ritual insult and ritualized narrative, Labov confirms the Black vernacular as a separate and independent dialect of English. His analysis goes on to clarify the nature and processes of linguistic change in the context of a changing society. Perhaps even more today than two decades ago, Labov's conclusions are mandatory reading for anyone concerned with education and social change, with African American culture, and with the future of race relations in this country.