Variationist Approaches to Language and Education

Abstract

Scholars of language variation and change have contributed to educational projects since the 1960s. The primary focus has been explaining the nature of dialects and language change to educational practitioners and students. Researchers have made connections to composition and other realms of English studies. Vernacular dialects, such as African-American Vernacular English, have been the main area of research, as these are the dialects that have been least understood and most disparaged. Researchers have attempted to help educational professionals and students better understand the nature of language and specifically language variation in order to improve educational practice.