Cover not available
Article published In:
Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 26:1 (2003) ► pp.55–70

Is it a case of mind over matter? Influences on teachers’ judgements of student speech

| Edith Cowan University
| Edith Cowan University

Although language variation is widespread and natural, it is subject to judgement. Where a standard language has developed, other varieties tend to be judged against its ‘standard’. While a number of overseas studies have found that this type of linguistic bias occurs in education and negatively impacts on dialect speakers, there has been little research in Australia. This study investigates how teachers judge the speech of school-aged students and what influences that judgement. Twelve teachers met in four school-based groups to rank tape-recorded samples of speech from students who were not known to them. They determined the criteria to be used in the ranking process which was tape-recorded, transcribed and analysed. The results suggest that teachers’ perceptions of speech were most strongly influenced by the students’ use of non-standard varieties of English. This is of particular concern where the use of nonstandard varieties is also associated with lower ability as seemed to be the case in the present research. These findings have implications for education, particularly given the emphasis on oral language competence in recent curriculum documents and the increasing reliance on teacher judgements of students’ learning outcomes.

Published online: 1 January 2003
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.26.1.05hai
References
Baker, S. J.
(1966) The Australian Language. (Rev. ed.). Sydney: Currawong Publishing.Google Scholar
Barbour, S.
(1987) Dialects and the teaching of a standard language, South West German work. Language in Society, 161, 227–244. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Barnes, D.
(1976) From communication to curriculum. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.Google Scholar
Bernard, J. R. L.
(1967) Some measurements of some sounds of Australian English. Unpublished PhD, Sydney University, Sydney.Google Scholar
Bex, T., & R. J. Watts
(1999) Introduction. In T. Bex & R. J. Watts (Eds.), Standard English: The widening debate. Routledge: London. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Biber, D.
(1988) Variation across speech and writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bryant, P.
(1997) A dialect survey of the lexicon of Australian English. English World-Wide, 18(2), 211–41. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cambourne, B.
(1990) Beyond the deficit theory: A 1990’s perspective on literacy failure. Australian Journal of Reading, 13 (4), 289–299.Google Scholar
Cameron, D.
(1995) Verbal hygiene. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Campbell, E. D.
(1994) Empowerment through bidialectalism: Encouraging Standard English in a Black English environment. Unpublished Masters Degree (Science), Nova University.Google Scholar
Carter, R.
(1995) Keywords in language and literacy. London: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Chafe, W. L.
(1985) Linguistic differences produced by differences between speaking and writing. In D. R. Olson, N. Torrance & A. Hildyard (Eds.) Literacy, language, and learning: The nature and consequences of reading and writing (pp. 105–123). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Cheshire, J., V. Edwards, H. Munstermann & B. Weltens
(1989) Dialect and education in Europe: A general perspective. In J. Cheshire, V. Edwards, H. Munstermann, & B. Weltens (Eds.) Dialect and education: Some European perspectives (pp. 1–10). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Cheshire, J., V. Edwards & P. Whittle
(1993) Non-standard English and dialect levelling. In J. Milroy & L. Milroy (Eds.) Real English: the grammar of English dialects in the British Isles (pp.53–96). London: Longman.Google Scholar
Cheshire, J., J. Milroy
(1993) Syntactic variation in non-standard dialects: background issues. In J. Milroy & L. Milroy (Eds.) Real English: The grammar of English dialects in the British Isles (pp. 3–33). London: Longman.Google Scholar
Clyne, M., Eisikovits, E., & Tollfree, L.
(2001) Ethnic Varieties of Australian English. In Blair, D., & P. Collins, (Eds.) English in Australia, (pp.223–238). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Collins, P.
(1989) Divided and debatable usage in Australian English. In P. Collins & D. Blair (Eds.), Australian English: The language of a new society (pp. 138–149). St Lucia: University of Queensland Press.Google Scholar
Corson, D.
(1999) Language policy in schools: A resource for teachers and administrators. Mahwah, NJ: Laurence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Curriculum Council
(1998) Curriculum Framework. Perth, Curriculum Council.Google Scholar
Eagleson, R.
(1989) Popular and professional attitudes to prestige dialects. In P. Collins & D. Blair (Eds.) Australian English: The language of a new society (pp. 151–157). St Lucia: University of Queensland Press.Google Scholar
Edwards, J. & H. Giles
(1984) Applications of the social psychology of language: sociolinguistics and education. In P. Trudgill (Ed.) Applied Sociolinguistics (pp. 119–158). London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Eltis, K.
(1978) The scription of attributes to pupils by teachers and student teachers with particular reference to the influence of voice in this process. Unpublished PhD, Macquarie University, Sydney.Google Scholar
Gee, J.
(1990) Social linguistics and literacies: Ideology in discourses. Basingstoke, Hampshire: The Falmer Press.Google Scholar
Georgakopoulou, A. & D. Goutsos
(1997) Discourse analysis: An introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar
Giles, H. & N. Coupland
(1991) Language contexts and consequences Buckingham: Open Univeristy Press.Google Scholar
Gordon, J. C. B.
(1981) Verbal deficit: A critique. London: Croom Helm.Google Scholar
Gunn, J. S.
(1970) Twentieth century Australian idiom. In W.S. Ramson (Ed.) English transported: Essays on Australian English (pp. 49–82). Canberra: Australian University Press.Google Scholar
Hagen, A. M.
(1989) Dialect, Frisian and education in the Netherlands. In J. Cheshire, V. Edwards, H. Munstermann, & B. Weltens (Eds.) Dialect and education: Some European perspectives (pp.48–61). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Halliday, M. A. K.
(1985) Spoken and written language. Melbourne: Deakin University Press.Google Scholar
Hodge, R. & G. Kress
(1993) Language as ideology. (2nd ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.Google Scholar
Hollingworth, B.
(1989) Education and the vernacular. In J. Cheshire, V. Edwards, H. Munstermann, & B. Weltens (Eds.) Dialect and Education: Some European Perspectives (pp.293–303). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Horvath, B. M.
(1985) Variation in Australian English: The sociolects of Sydney. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Horvath, B. & Horvath, R. J.
(2001) Short Ain Australian English: a geolinguistic study. In Blair, D., & P. Collins, (Eds.) English in Australia, (pp.341–355). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Jernudd, B. H.
(1969) A listener experiment: Variants of Australian English. Kivung, 21, 19–29.Google Scholar
Joseph, J. E.
(1987) Eloquence and power: The rise of language standards and standard languages. London: Frances Pinter.Google Scholar
Kiesling, S.
(2001) Australian English and recent migrant groups. In Blair, D., & P. Collins, (Eds.) English in Australia, (pp.239–257). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kress, G.
(1979) The social values of speech and writing. In R. Fowler, B. Hodge, G. Kress & T. Trew (Eds.), Language and Control (pp.46–62). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.Google Scholar
Lakoff, R. T.
(1982) Some of my favourite writers are literate: The mingling of oral and literate strategies in written communication. In D. Tannen (Ed.) Spoken and Written Language: Exploring orality and literacy (pp.239–260). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.Google Scholar
Lippi-Green, R.
(1997) English with an accent. Language, ideology, and discrimination in the United States. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Milroy, J., L. Milroy
(1991) Authority in language: investigating language prescription and standardisation. (2nd ed.) London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Mitchell, A. G.
(1951) Australian English. Australian Quarterly, 231, 9–17. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(1958) Spoken English. London: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Mitchell, A. G., & A. Delbridge
(1965) The speech of Australian adolescents. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.Google Scholar
Noguchi, R. R.
(1991) Grammar and the teaching of writing. Urbana: National Council of Teachers of English.Google Scholar
O’Donnell, W. R., & L. Todd
(1991) Variety in contemporary English. (2nd ed.) London: Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Oliver, R., G. McKay & J. Rochecouste
(1999) Spoken English varieties of Western Australian primary school children: a preliminary study. Paper presented at the Applied Linguistic Association of Australia Conference, September.
Oliver, R., McKay, G., & J. Rochecouste
Forthcoming) Lexical Variation among Western Australian Primary School Children, Australian Journal of Linguistics.
Perera, K.
(1993) Standard English in Attainment Target 1: Speaking and Listening. Language Matters, 31, 1–15.Google Scholar
Pilch, H.
(1976) Empirical linguistics. Munchen: Francke Verlag.Google Scholar
Pittman, J.
(1987) Listener’s evaluations of voice quality in Australian English speakers. Language and Speech, 30 (2), 99–113.Google Scholar
Ramson, W. S.
(1972) Distinctive features of Australian English. In G. W. Turner (Ed.) Good Australian English and Good New Zealand English (pp.33–45). Sydney: Reed Education.Google Scholar
Reeve, J. L.
(1982) Attitudes to Australian English revealed in the ABC Weekly: Occasional papers of the Speech and Research Centre. Paper presented at the 52nd ANZAAS Conference.
Rickford, J. R.
(1999) African American Vernacular English. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Sato, C.
(1989) A nonstandard approach to standard English. TESOL Quarterly, 23, (2) 259–282. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Seggie, I., C. Fulmizi & J. Stewart
(1982) Evaluations of personality traits and employment suitability in various Australian accents. Australian Journal of Psychology, 341, 345–357. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sharwood, J. A.
(1982) Vocabulary of the Australian dried vine fruits industry. University of Sydney Occasional Papers, 201, 11–63.Google Scholar
Skutnabb-Kangas, T.
(1988) Multilingualism and the education of minority children. In T. Skutnabb-Kangas & J. Cummins (Eds.) Minority education: from shame to struggle (pp.9–43). Multilingual Matters, Clevedon.Google Scholar
Sledd, J.
(1983) In defence of student rights. College English, November, 667–675. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Stubbs, M.
(1976) Language, schools and classrooms. London: Methuen.Google Scholar
(1980) Language and literacy: the sociolinguistics of reading and writing. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.Google Scholar
(1986) Educational linguistics. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Sturm, J.
(1989) Language variation and mother tongue education in the Netherlands: Reflections on some old disputes about language and education. In J. Cheshire, V. Edwards, H. Münstermann, & B. Weltens (Eds.) Dialect and education: Some European perspectives. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Tannen, D.
(1980) Spoken and written language and the oral/literate continuum. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the sixth annual meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society, University of California, Berkeley.
(1982) Oral and literate strategies in spoken and written narratives. Language, 581, 1–21. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Trudgill, P.
(1983) On dialect: Social and geographical perspectives. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.Google Scholar
Trudgill, P. & H. Giles
(1976) Sociolinguistics and language value judgements: Correctness, adequacy and aesthetics. Trier: Linguistics Agency of the University of Trier.Google Scholar
Turner, G. W.
(1966) The English language in Australia and New Zealand. London: Longman.Google Scholar
van Marie, J.
(1997) Dialect versus standard language: nature versus culture. In J. Cheshire & D. Stein (Eds.) Taming the vernacular: From dialect to written standard language (pp. 13–34). Harlow: Addison Wesley Longman.Google Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 3 other publications

Nguyen, Bich, Rhonda Oliver & Judith Rochecouste
2015. Embracing plurality through oral language. Language and Education 29:2 ► pp. 97 ff. DOI logo
Oliver, Rhonda, Judith Rochecouste, Samantha Vanderford & Ellen Grote
2011. Teacher awareness and understandings about Aboriginal English in Western Australia. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics 34:1 ► pp. 60 ff. DOI logo
Oliver, Rhonda & Haig Yvonne
2005. Teacher perceptions of student speech. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics 28:2 ► pp. 44 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 23 april 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.