Tuning in to Accentism: Dialect, discrimination and education in the Black Country

在英国，每年都有成千上万的孩子开始上学，却发现他们在家里说的语言与在课堂上使用的语言不一致。当一所黑人乡村小学给家长们写了一封信，解释说当地方言形式将不再被允许在课堂上使用时，这一点得到了很好的说明。然而，当地媒体对此事的报道显示，家长们的反应是轻蔑的，这表明教育中的标准语言意识形态与当地社区对口音和方言的体验往往不一致，而口音和方言是自豪感和联系的来源。虽然对语言习得的研究表明，为了“为上学做好准备”，儿童必须达到必要的里程碑，但很少有研究关注方言多样性对这一旅程的影响，特别是当所说的多样性被污名化时。事实上，早期的研究表明，贬低当地方言形式会导致课堂参与度降低。这些早期经历的负面影响可能会产生长期持久的影响：它们可能是导致学业成绩较低的一个因素，在某些情况下还会造成识字障碍（Labov, 1994）。口音歧视，或基于语言背景对个人的偏见，在社会上随处可见。如果你说话带有伯明翰口音，陪审团更有可能判你有罪（Dixon et al., 2002）。如果一名医疗专业人员说带有韩国口音的美国英语，他们会被认为不那么值得信赖（Pantos和Perkins， 2012）。这种偏见产生了深远的影响，不仅对那些说不标准口音的人，而且对方言本身的语言活力也有影响。就像语言一样，当口音导致人们停止使用自己的方言时，这种方言就会消亡，随之消亡的还有与之相关的文化和历史。通过针对媒体和教育部门，该项目将调查和解决英国黑人国家的口音问题，那里的口音问题非常严重。该项目将结合两个研究地点的观点和平台：西米德兰兹郡的Colley Lane小学，以及当地广播电台和社区中心“Black Country Radio”的合作伙伴关系。这种合作提供了一个独特的机会，将社区和课堂的不同观点结合起来，同时使两者受益。主要的学术研究场所是教室。孩子们如何应对家庭和学校相互竞争的语言意识形态？他们如何将这种理解整合到他们正在发展的语言系统中？最终，这对他们的学习成绩有什么影响？这些学术发现和问题将利用当地电台的平台，以一种对公众友好的方式进行探讨。这将使学校研究的结果及其影响能够在最重要的利益相关者之间传播：家长和学生本身，同时参与和教育教师和政策制定者，让他们了解他们的决定和实践对当地方言的未来及其使用者的影响。

Within the UK, each year thousands of children begin school only to find that the language variety they speak at home is at odds with the one used in the classroom. This was neatly illustrated when a Black Country primary school sent a letter to parents explaining that local dialect forms would no longer be tolerated in the classroom. However, local press coverage of the story revealed the parents' reaction to be one of disdain, demonstrating how the standard language ideology within education is often at odds with how accent and dialect are experienced within the local community where they are a source of pride and connection. While research into language acquisition demonstrates the necessary milestones children must reach in order to be "ready for school", much less research has looked at how dialectal diversity may impact on this journey, particularly when the variety spoken is stigmatised. Indeed, earlier work has shown that the denigration of local dialect forms can lead to lower engagement in class. The negative effects of these early experiences can have long lasting effects: they can be a contributing factor in lower academic attainment and in some cases create a barrier to literacy (Labov, 1994). Examples of accentism, or prejudice against an individual based on their linguistic background, can be found throughout society. If you speak with a Birmingham accent, a jury is more likely to find you guilty (Dixon et al., 2002). If a medical professional speaks with Korean accented American English, they are perceived to be less trustworthy (Pantos and Perkins, 2012). This prejudice has far reaching consequences, not only for individuals who speak with a non-standard accent, but also on the linguistic vitality of the dialect itself. Just as with language, when accentism leads people to stop using their native dialects, the dialect dies out, taking with it the associated culture and history. Through targeting the sectors of media and education, this project will investigate and tackle accentism in England's Black Country, where accentism is keenly felt. The project will combine the perspectives and platforms of two research sites: Colley Lane Primary School in the West Midlands, and the collaborative partnering of 'Black Country Radio' a local radio station and community hub. This collaboration presents a unique opportunity to unite the contrasting perspectives of community and classroom whilst simultaneously benefiting both. The primary academic research site is the classroom. How do children cope with the competing language ideologies of home and school? How do they integrate this understanding within their developing linguistic systems? And ultimately, how does this impact on their academic attainment? These academic findings and questions will be explored in a public-friendly way using the platform of local radio. This will enable the results from the school study and their implications to be disseminated amongst the most important stakeholders: the parents and pupils themselves, whilst simultaneously engaging and educating teachers and policymakers about the effects their decisions and practices have on both the future of the local dialect, and its speakers.