Apprehending and Appropriating Cultural Imagery in Bidialectal Education.
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| Title: | Apprehending and Appropriating Cultural Imagery in Bidialectal Education. |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Malcolm, Ian G. |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 10 |
| Publication Date: | 2001 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Australian Research Council. Western Australia Education Dept., Perth. Edith Cowan Univ., Perth (Australia). |
| Document Type: | Opinion Papers Speeches/Meeting Papers |
| Descriptors: | Aboriginal Australians, Bidialectalism, Bilingual Education, Cultural Differences, Cultural Influences, Culturally Relevant Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Regional Dialects |
| Geographic Terms: | Australia |
| Abstract: | This paper argues that if bidialectal education is to be seriously contemplated for Aboriginal Australians, it should be considered with more than the surface structures of dialectal difference. Bidialectal education programs must be underpinned by an understanding of the meanings carried by Aboriginal English and the processes of interpretation that Aboriginal English speakers are likely to bring to standard English. The paper summarizes work done at Edith Cowan University, Australia, related to bidialectal education, explaining that the university uses the catchphrase "the ABCs of bidialectal education" to refer to three elements that are essential in a comprehensive bidialectal education program: A (Accept Aboriginal English), B (Bridge to standard English), and C (Cultivate indigenous ways of approaching experience and knowledge). This paper focuses on cultural imagery, which constitutes the mental images that, for people in a culture, comprise the world that they respond and relate to both in language and in other social behavior. After describing cultural imagery and bidialectal Aboriginal Australians and discussing research approaches to cultural imagery, the paper presents four initiatives, including the following: revitalizing standard English, exploiting cultural schemas, employing bidialectal communication tasks, and making instruction more comprehensible for dialect speakers. (Contains 16 references.) (SM) |
| Entry Date: | 2002 |
| Accession Number: | ED463667 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This paper argues that if bidialectal education is to be seriously contemplated for Aboriginal Australians, it should be considered with more than the surface structures of dialectal difference. Bidialectal education programs must be underpinned by an understanding of the meanings carried by Aboriginal English and the processes of interpretation that Aboriginal English speakers are likely to bring to standard English. The paper summarizes work done at Edith Cowan University, Australia, related to bidialectal education, explaining that the university uses the catchphrase "the ABCs of bidialectal education" to refer to three elements that are essential in a comprehensive bidialectal education program: A (Accept Aboriginal English), B (Bridge to standard English), and C (Cultivate indigenous ways of approaching experience and knowledge). This paper focuses on cultural imagery, which constitutes the mental images that, for people in a culture, comprise the world that they respond and relate to both in language and in other social behavior. After describing cultural imagery and bidialectal Aboriginal Australians and discussing research approaches to cultural imagery, the paper presents four initiatives, including the following: revitalizing standard English, exploiting cultural schemas, employing bidialectal communication tasks, and making instruction more comprehensible for dialect speakers. (Contains 16 references.) (SM) |
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