What is a dialect?
Rationale
This resource provides information for schools in how to best support Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander EAL/D students for whom Standard Australian English (SAE) is an additional dialect. In NSW schools, many Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students are learning SAE as an additional dialect and not as an additional language.
Timeframe for use:
This document should be read in planning the implementation of English programs and by teachers planning support for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander EAL/D learners.
Intended audience:
EAL/D specialist teachers, classroom teachers, school leaders.
Instructions for use:
This document can be used to professionally develop teachers’ skills and capabilities in teaching Second Dialect Acquisition and EAL/D pedagogy. It can assist school leaders to plan professional learning, lead professional discussion and guide programming for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander EAL/D learners.
Evidence base:
A research base for this resource includes:
- Adger, C., Wolfram, W., Christian D. Dialects in Schools and Communities. Routledge, 2007.
- Eades, D. Aboriginal Ways of Using English. Aboriginal Studies Press, 2013.
- Siegel, J. Second Dialect Acquisition. Cambridge University Press, 2010.
- Capability Framework: Teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander EAL/D Learners. Queensland Government, 2013.
Alignment to system priorities and/or needs:
The Aboriginal Education Policy commits schools to providing opportunities that enable Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students to achieve equitable education and social outcomes and participate successfully in our society while maintaining cultural identity.
Alignment to School Excellence Framework:
Learning Domain - Curriculum; Teaching Domain - Effective Classroom Practice
Consulted with:
Aboriginal Education and Communities Directorate and Multicultural Education.
Reviewed by:
Aboriginal Education and Communities Directorate and Multicultural Education.
Created/last updated:
December 2023
Anticipated resource review date:
December 2024. To ensure ongoing improvement of this resource, feedback on this resource can be provided via the survey or QR code below.
Teaching Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander EAL/D students for whom Standard Australian English (SAE) is an additional dialect
In NSW, some Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students come to school with a different dialect of English, often called Aboriginal English, however this term is by no means universally accepted or even known in NSW Aboriginal communities. The department is using the term, Aboriginal Ways of Using English, to describe the varieties of spoken English that may be in use by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in NSW. This allows for the full range of dialects to be recognised including those varieties that do not yet have any formal identification. It is also vital to acknowledge that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people may have their own names for their ways of speaking. Some terms that may be used include: Blakfella Talk, Lingo, Broken English or Mission English. Schools need to be sensitive when working with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students and families to ensure that language and dialects are not mis-named or classified as being incorrect, and therefore in need of remediation. It is also important to recognise that for many Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students and their families SAE is their main home dialect/language. These students are not EAL/D learners.
Aboriginal Ways of Using English (including Aboriginal English) may vary from community to community, so it is important that schools and teachers are aware of the different dialects of English that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students may bring to school. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students who speak another language (e.g. Kriol, Torres Strait Creole, Pitjantjatjara, Yolgnu) as their main home language, will be EAL/D learners and will have many learning needs in common with other EAL/D students. This resource applies only to students for whom SAE is an additional dialect.
What is a dialect?
A dialect can be defined as ‘a variety of a language associated with a regionally or socially defined group of people’ (Adger et al., 2007). Everyone speaks a dialect. Standard Australian English (SAE) is a dialect. It is also the dialect that is often given the most prestige in society. ‘Accent’ is usually used in reference to pronunciation.
Linguists often describe 3 accents in Australia (Cultivated, General and Broad) but there are regional variations. Some accents are given more prestige than others. ‘Accent Bias’ can lead to unequal access to employment, housing, and education.
Across Australia, many Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students come to school speaking languages and dialects other than SAE. Students must develop proficiency in SAE to attain equal access to classroom learning across the curriculum, including achieving in literacy and numeracy (EALD Capability Framework, 2013).
Why is an understanding of Second Dialect Acquisition (SDA) important for EAL/D learners?
- Students who are learning SAE as an additional dialect are often unaware that they use a different dialect. Teachers need to work sensitively with students, parents and communities to raise awareness about the different dialects that may be used by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students across NSW.
- Many Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students in NSW will be users of SAE and will not require any additional support to acquire SAE. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students may have had experiences of being unnecessarily corrected for using their home dialects at school. Teachers and schools need to approach the topic with sensitivity and work closely with their local Aboriginal community.
- Aboriginal Ways of Using English (including Aboriginal English) vary across NSW and Australia. Schools need to be aware that the names given to dialects are not universally applied and/or known within communities themselves. Schools should not make assumptions about students’ home dialects and languages.
What activities will support SDA in the classroom?
- Encourage use of home dialects at school to build students’ background knowledge of curriculum topics. Do not correct students’ spoken dialects. Raise awareness about SAE and discuss with students the different purposes and learning contexts where SAE would be the most appropriate dialect to use.
- Use appropriate texts that feature students’ home dialects (Aboriginal English) including the use of bidialectal texts and texts written by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors.
- Contrast not Correction: this approach allows teachers to compare home and school dialects in ways that are supportive of second dialect users. Teachers can contrast informal spoken language with the formal academic language required for school learning.