Learning and the Language Dilemma

By Leon Dixon (1995)

After having worked with young people since 1973 at the W.E.B. DuBois Learning Center, where volunteers have been helping students with their basic skills, especially reading, I have come to realize that there are certain aspects of language that have an influence on learning that many of us do not seem to fully appreciate.

For one: each of us has our own style of language. And if a certain number of us have enough language similarities in common, then we collectively share a dialect. Every one of us thinks, feels, and imagines in our own dialect. Textbooks and most other sources of information are presented in Standard English (SE). Whenever we receive information in that form, we must translate it into our dialect. A problem that occurs is that most of us do not realize that this is taking place. If our personal language usage is close enough to SE, then this translation is done with enough ease so as not to cause any problems.

Another thing: each discipline has its own language with its own nuances. All of which are couched in SE. I have noticed that when some young people read their lessons, they can literally read (i.e. pronounce) the words, but they often do not understand what is being expressed. They are trying to use the “rules” of their dialect to interpret the SE of the text. This is especially noticeable in the natural sciences and mathematics.

A technique that I have successfully employed in overcoming this hurdle is to work with the young people to help them understand the concepts in their own dialect. Once they are able to satisfactorily explain the concepts to me, using their own words, I proceed to explain to them how it is expressed in SE. And I also help them understand the problems that they are running into with their language usage. It needs to be explained to them that their dialect usage has its place and is all right in its “proper” setting. But in the worlds of academia and work, SE is the norm. They have to be bi-dialectal!

A cultural point: in American culture, as opposed to some others, children are given names with little or no thought given to their meanings. And many people live their lives without associating names of things and terms with anything descriptive. This means they are relying too heavily on rote memory. And they suffer the consequences as characterized by the line in a popular rap song that says, “My mind’s playing tricks on me.” In academic disciplines, the understanding of terminology is essential in grasping and internalizing concepts. Again, this can be very significant in science and mathematics.

American youths are going to have to compete in the twenty-first century and the coming Information Age with young people throughout the world. If they are to do this successfully, then our educators and caregivers are going to have to do a better job in repairing them to handle these dilemmas of language that have to do with the difficulty of translating from a community dialect to Standard English.

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