Lynne T. Diaz-Rico makes it clear that people who do not speak English and inhabit the United States have the right not to speak English (Diaz-Rico, 2008, p. 331). She also implies that people, at large, have the right to speak English in the dialect of their choice. Furthermore, she argues that teachers should honor the learner’s given dialect. In the same vain vernacular English becomes an issue of contention for some English learners who see it as an undesirable target. Ultimately, there is a clear dialect hierarchy that surrounds English and it informs who is considered proficient and who is seen as a viable teaching candidate. Nevertheless, code switching to formal English as opposed to vernacular or dialect ridden language is an important skill teachers should model for their students (O’Neal and Ringler, 2010, p.50). The previous can be achieved by any instructor not just those who were raised speaking a given standard dialect.
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