Linguistic Ecology

This metaphor seems to be very fitting for the varied and interdependent relationships between dialects and it seems to be a necessary paradigm that should, but most often is not, recognized. Bi-dialectism seems to acknowledge and move towards a solution,y et it only appears to address "oratory" language issues.

My question then with regards to TESOL pedagogy is, are we working toward a reading/writing comprehension, or a "Standard English" literacy, or is it necessary that we teach our students how to speak standard English.

Perhaps, it comes down to the simple appreciation of dialect difference, and "a pedagogy of critical language awareness. [That] involves a pedagogy that teaches students how 'notions of facts' about language are actually 'elements of a larger narrative, an elaborate construction deployed for larger social needs and political ends, and that as such the should be question, and if necessary, made differently"(Bokhorst-Heng and McKay 117).

Encouraging students' critical awareness of their own heritage, both culturally and linguistically, will inevitably be the driving force that pushes English through its process of evolution. What we romanticize about standard English of the past, will one day be the sentiment of the "standard English" we use today. It joys me that the term "standard English" is so problematic, because if it were a stable entity then English would be considered a dead language, like latin for example, which is reliable in its unchanging form that we can apply it universally in service of other stalwart phenomena like scientific laws. The reason perhaps that there is so much quarreling about the standardization of English is that the language's future is yet to be determined. English, like any ecology is in a constant state of change, and it is this linguistic volatility that requires our constant and vigilant attention as educators.