Toward a National Public Policy on Language / Geneva Smitherman.

Speech, language, and composition professionals should take a leadership role in working toward a national public policy on language. The declining rates of literacy and educational achievement in AfroAmerican communities serve as evidence that such a policy is needed. However, the policy would govern language teaching and language use throughout the United States and would ultimately be beneficial to all communities. Such a policy would (1) reinforce the need for and teaching of standard American English, (2) promote the legitimacy of mother tongue languages and dialects, and (3) promote the acquisition of one or more foreign languages, preferably those spoken in the third world, because of their widespread use in this hemisphere. Steps that speech, language, and composition professionals can take in making such a policy a reality include aligning with political progressives in demanding restoration of budget cuts from education and other domestic programs, conducting language awareness campaigns needed to accompany the movement for a language policy, and working with the public schools to develop uniform standards and guidelines for linguistic performance. (DF)

Microfiche. [Washington D.C.]: ERIC Clearinghouse microfiches : positive.