With a new Foreword by April Baker-Bell and a new Preface by Vershawn Ashanti Young and Y’Shanda Young-Rivera, Other People’s English: Code-Meshing, Code-Switching, and African American Literacy presents an empirically grounded argument for a new approach to teaching writing to diverse students in the English language arts classroom. Responding to advocates of the “code-switching” approach, four uniquely qualified authors make the case for “code-meshing”—allowing students to use standard English, African American English, and other Englishes in formal academic writing and classroom discussions. This practical resource translates theory into a concrete road map for pre- and inservice teachers who wish to use code-meshing in the classroom to extend students’ abilities as writers and thinkers and to foster inclusiveness and creativity. The text provides activities and examples from middle and high school as well as college and addresses the question of how to advocate for code-meshing with skeptical administrators, parents, and students. Other People’s English provides a rationale for the social and educational value of code-meshing, including answers to frequently asked questions about language variation. It also includes teaching tips and action plans for professional development workshops that address cultural prejudices.
عن المؤلف
Rusty Barrett is an associate professor in the linguistics program and the English department at the University of Kentucky where he teaches courses in general linguistics, sociolinguistics, and linguistic anthropology. His research focuses on the highland Mayan languages of Guatemala, language revitalization, and language and sexuality, gender, and ethnicity. He is co-author (with Jung-Tae Kim) of Classroom English in Use (2011). He is the author of From Drag Queens to Leathermen: Language, Gender, and Gay Male Subcultures (Oxford UP, 2017).