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Language Usage

• Books That Invite Talk, Wonder, and Play
  Focusing on children's books identified as "notable" for their rich use of language, this book presents essays that discuss literary genres and literary language, responding to the language of Notable Books, and developing an appreciation for language diversity. The book also presents brief essays by well-known children's authors regarding their writing processes.
• Celebrating Linguistic Diversity (Talking about Books)
  Offers brief annotations of 45 illustrated children's books that offer a vision of a linguistically rich world where language difference is a resource, not an obstacle. Groups the books in the following categories: codeswitching as authentic language; dual language texts; language and cultural traditions; alternate forms of communication; and personal and community voices.
• Language Use of Mauritian Adolescents in Education
  Reports on a research project conducted in Mauritius that aimed to investigate patterns of language use, language choice, and language attitudes of Mauritian adolescents in full-time education. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire and interviews from a sample of the secondary school population.
• Maybe Shakespeare Was Right about "Race"!
  Explains how the 19th- and 20th-century use of the word "race"--in the media, culture, and in classrooms--is one core element of the problem of racism that remains today. Further, it argues that teachers must critically analyze the words used in the classroom because they are primary active agents in formulating the subsequent actions society takes.
• On the Border of Opportunity: Education, Community, and Language at the U.S.-Mexico Line. Sociocultural, Political, and Historical Studies in Education
  The U.S.-Mexican border is an extensive geographical region that is socially and economically distinct from either the United States or Mexico. It has always been a multilingual and multicultural place.
• Politically Correct on Campus.
  This digest reviews materials which discuss political correctness and its manifestations on college campuses. First presenting opposing definitions of the term (liberal and conservative), the digest then reports on the topic as seen in the research, and offers several suggestions about incorporating the conflicts themselves into the curriculum.
• Preschoolers' Language during Use of Multiethnic Books in Daycare
  One of the purposes for providing children with multiethnic books is to promote acceptance of diversity, yet the results of this exposure have rarely been empirically studied. The purpose of this study was to explore the story-related topics of discussion initiated by eleven 4- and 5-year-olds as they used multiethnic books during small group adult-initiated readings and one-on-one child-initiated emergent readings in one daycare classroom.