Other People's English: Code-Meshing, Code-Switching, and African American Literacy (Language and Literacy Series) - Softcover

Young, Vershawn Ashanti; Barrett, Edward; Rivera, Y'Shanda Young; Lovejoy, Kim Brian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0807755559 ISBN 13: 9780807755556

Publisher: Teachers College Press, 2014

Synopsis

This book presents an empirically grounded argument for a new approach of teaching writing to diverse students in the English language arts classroom. Responding to advocates of the “code-switching” approach, four uniquely qualified authors make the case for “code-meshing”―allowing students to use standard English, African American English, and other Englishes in formal academic writing and classroom discussions. This practical resource translates theory into a concrete road map for pre- and inservice teachers who wish to use code-meshing in the classroom to extend students’ abilities as writers and thinkers and to foster inclusiveness and creativity. The text provides activities and examples from middle and high school as well as college and addresses the question of how to advocate for code-meshing with skeptical administrators, parents, and students.

Book Features:

• A rationale for the social and educational value of code-meshing, including answers to frequently asked questions about language variation.
• Authors from the fields of linguistics, writing studies, English education, and teacher education.
• Teaching tips that have been used with students and in professional development workshops.
• Action plans that invite readers to make code-meshing a shared project that informs instructional practices and addresses cultural prejudices.

About this title

From the Author

Vershawn Ashanti Young is associate professor of African American Studies and English at the University of Kentucky. Rusty Barrett is associate professor of linguistics and English at the University of Kentucky. Y’Shanda Young-Rivera is an educational consultant and former Chicago public school teacher and administrator. Kim Brian Lovejoy is associate professor of English at Indiana University–Purdue and editor of The Journal of Teaching Writing.

Review

" Other People's English takes the literacy field to the next level. Would I buy this book and recommend it to others? No doubt."
―Geneva Smitherman, professor emerita, Michigan State University

“This book is a beautiful blend of theory, linguistics research, practical classroom applications, and maybe most important (not ‘most important ly,’ if you know the rules of Standard English), it’s a conversation, not in your face, not a demand for conversion, but a conversation based on personal experiences, classroom experiences, and decades of research and scholarship.”
―From the Foreword by Victor Villanueva, Regents Professor, Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences, Washington State University

Edition details

• Publisher: Teachers College Press
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0807755559
• ISBN 13: 9780807755556
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192