Standard language ideology is alive and well in public speaking textbooks

Abstract

For more than 50 years, the field of linguistics has recognized the equality of human languages, including all dialects of all languages. In this study we examine how current popular public speaking textbooks handle issues of linguistic variation in English. We looked specifically at textbook discussions of accent, grammar and pronunciation. Unfortunately, we have found that the majority of textbooks we examined serve to maintain the outdated “deficit” model of language variation, to the detriment of students.