Don’t ditch standard English. Teach it better
Other dialects have their place. But the standard version remains vital
TEACHING ENGLISH as a first language is not easy—many youngsters leave school feeling they never quite mastered its finer points. Recently some commentators have been wondering whether the standard version of English really deserves to be singled out as “proper” and worthy of teaching at all. The debate they set off has been unedifying because of entrenched views that have as much to do with politics as with language.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Standing up for standard”
From the October 2nd 2021 edition
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