Norm, standard, deviation

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Norm, standard, deviation

• Richard Hudson
• Giessen, September 2008

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Plan

• Norm why language is normative
• Standard why nations adopt standard languages
• Deviation why it sometimes matters
• Education what it can do
• Educational linguistics what it can do

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Norm why language is normative

• Norm normal pattern
• e.g. /kat/ means
• Normally, when people say /kat/, theyre thinking
  
• This is what is, not what ought to be.
• But its normative because
• only true in certain communities, so part of
  culture
• only a strong tendency, allowing exceptions
• necessary for cooperation
• So conformity in language is almost morality

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The benefits of normality

• Speed
• normality allows fast talking and listening
• especially if memorized chunks are large
• Accuracy
• normality avoids misunderstanding
• Social identification
• only full members of the club know the norms
  properly
• so outsiders are easy to spot

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Research questions norms

• Does variability affect speed?
• of speakers
• of listeners
• of readers
• of writers
• How much misunderstanding is due to abnormality?

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Standard why nations adopt standard languages

• symbolic support for the nation
• users identify with the nation
• efficient publication and administration
• larger markets available
• fewer translations needed
• easy communication between citizens
• in writing
• in speaking

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Another reason?

• To help foreign learners
• Instrumental learners want a single form to learn
• Variation is a problem, not a source of important
  social information
• So the needs of foreign-language learners
  conflict with those of first-language learners.

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Research questions standards 1

• What part should pronunciation play in
  standardization?
• its central to sociolinguistic identity
• pronunciation differences are a major source of
  communication difficulty
• but it doesnt affect writing
• sociolinguists distinguish accent and dialect
• UK schools teach standard dialect but not accent

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Research questions standards 2

• What are the effects of the two main models of
  standardization?
• standard/dialect, e.g. England
• diglossia, e.g. German Switzerland
• Do more children learn to use the standard in one
  than in the other?
• Are there any general lessons for education?

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Research questions standards 3

• Does standardization for foreigners have any
  effect on native standards?
• Much discussion about World Englishes, driven
  by non-native speakers
• Foreigners want uniformity
• natives rejoice in diversity

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Research questions standards 4

• What is maturity in a standard language?
• Is it more mature use of existing linguistic
  resources
• better performance using the same competence
• Or is it the use of more mature linguistic
  resources?
• better performance using better competence

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For example

• Why do more mature writers use more subordinate
  clauses? Because they
• get better at using subordinate clauses?
• learn more subordinate patterns?
• more mature older (England Key Stage)
• KS1 Year 2, age 7
• KS2 Year 6, age 11
• KS3 Year 9, age 14
• KS4 Year 11, age 16
• more mature better (England Grade 1-10)

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subordinate clauses/100 words
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Deviation why it sometimes matters

• Positive deviation
• creative language
• verbal humour, verbal play to explore the
  boundaries
• Neutral deviation
• geographical variation between alternative
  standards, e.g. England, Scotland, USA
• Negative deviation
• deviation based on ignorance
• deviation that evokes negative stereotypes

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Research questions deviation

• Does positive deviation aid learning?
• How successfully do non-standard speakers learn
  standard?
• and how about speakers of other languages?
• What, exactly, does mature ability require
  beyond native knowledge of
• standard
• non-standard
• other languages

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Education what it can do

• Traditionally the three Rs
• reading
• writing
• arithmetic
• Notice 2/3 are language skills
• Language is still central to education
• But we now have a more sophisticated view.

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The four Ts

• Teach
• new knowledge
• Train
• new skills ways of using knowledge
• Track
• development towards maturity
• Transmit
• traditional culture
• research findings

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The educational cycle
adult
researcher
university
know- ledge
research
school teacher
know- ledge
Year 1-13
infant
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Language education in England

• 1960 grammar teaching dies in English
• 1980 it dies in foreign languages
• 1990 grammar teaching reborn thanks to
• Mrs Thatchers central control of education
• back to basics
• first National Curriculum
• Linguists good ideas
• 1999 new National Curriculum for
• English
• Foreign languages

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The 1999 National Curriculum English

• liberal about non-standard forms
• called dialectal, not wrong
• includes Knowledge About Language
• structure
• variation
• for example,

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KS 3 4 Writing
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Comments

• appropriate grammatical terminology
• Hooray!
• This requires explicit study of grammar
• I believe this is a good idea
• But am I right?
• for example nouns, verbs, adjectives,
• What about subject, phrase, .
• Is this dumming down or ignorance?

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Foreign languages

• are in crisis
• School children find them difficult and
  boring
• They dont want to study them at university.
• Language graduates dont want to become school
  teachers.
• Inspectors complain about the teaching.

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Year 13 Foreign languages
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Languages The National Curriculum
(In learning foreign languages,) they explore the
similarities and differences between other
languages and English and learn how language can
be manipulated and applied in different ways. The
development of communication skills, together
with understanding of the structure of language,
lay the foundations for future study of other
languages and support the development of literacy
skills in a pupils own language.
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Comments

• explore the similarities and differences between
  other languages and English
• Hooray!
• understanding of the structure of language
• Hooray!
• lay the foundations for future study of other
  languages
• Hooray!

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and even

• support the development of literacy skills in a
  pupils own language
• Hooray!!
• Traditionally, English and foreign-language
  teachers have worked separately
• Linguists suggested Language awareness, in
  which they work together.
• A revolutionary idea!

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Lots of good ideas, but

• Teachers didnt learn Knowledge About Language
• at school grammar was dead
• at university little study of language
• Teachers of L1 didnt learn about L2 and vice
  versa,
• so cross-subject linking is hard and unattractive

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The educational cycle meets reality
adult
researcher
university
know- ledge
research
school teacher
know- ledge
Year 1-13
infant
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Wanted

• More relevant research
• Better flow of research findings into
  undergraduate courses for
• L1
• L2
• More language graduates in teaching
• More application of research-based ideas in
  teaching

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Educational linguistics what it can do

• Relevant and usable research on
• Linguistics
• how language matures
• Didactics
• how schools can teach language
• Cultural studies
• how schools can integrate language with other
  parts of culture

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Thank you!

• This slide show can be found at
• www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/talks.htmgi
• Some papers on educational linguistics can be
  found at
• /dick/papers.htmed