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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 198 745 FL 012 221 AUTHOR Byrnes, Dell TITLE Language in Education: Ethnolinguistic Essays. Language and Ethnography Series. INSTITUTION Center fc': Applied Linguistics, Washington, D.C. FEPORT NO ISBN-0-87281-134-4 PUB DATE Dec 80 NOTE 175p. AVAILABLE FROM Center for Applied Linguistics, ,3520 Prospect Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20007 ($10.50) EDFS PRICE MF01/PC07 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Anthrcpological Linguistics: Applied Linguistics: *Epistemology: *Ethnography: *Ethnology: Narration: Research Methodology: *Sociolinguistics: Story Telling ABSTRACT Eight essays in ethnolinguistics were compiled for this monograph. "Functions of Speech: An Evolutionary Approach" represents an introduction to the application of linguistic knowledge to the historical and sociological study of peoples. "Speech and Language: On the Origins and Foundaticns of Inequality among Speakers" expands on the theme of diversity, inequality, and evolution, with discussions of writing and of the views of Bernstein and Jurgen'Habermas. "Qualitative/Quantitative Research Methodologies in Education: A Linguistic Perspective" addresses the development of ,The three middle chapters, "What Is Ethnography?" "Ethnographic. Monitoring," and "Educational Ethnology," are concerned in ccmplementary ways with what counts as legitimate knowledge and who is counted as entitled to know. The status of narrative asa form of knowledge is addressed in "Narrative Thinking and Story-Telling Rights: A Fclkloristos Clue to a Critique of Education" (with Courtney Cazden). The final chapter, "Language in Education: Forward to Fundamentals" weaves together many of the themes of the book, expressing a concern that an ethnographic or ethnolinguistic Perspective nct be trivialized and vulgarized. (a) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** 1111111 ARV Language in Education: Ethnolinguistic Essays by Dell Hymes "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY EDUCATION & WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE Of Ce.vtbe EDUCATION r4-t THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO- DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN- ATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE- SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." Center for. Applied Linguistics L 2 Library of Congress Cataloging in PublicationData Hymes, Dell H. Language in education. (Language and ethnography series; 1) Includes bibliographical references. 1.Anthropological linguisticsAddresses, essays, lectures.2.Language and education--Addresses,essays, lectures.I.Title.II.Series. P35.H88 401'.9 80-27439 ISBN 0-87281-134-4 All essays in this volumeare reprinted by permission.Sources are as follows: 1.Anthropology and Education, edited by Frederick C.Gruber. (The Martin G. Brumbaugh Lectures, FifthSeries.)Phila- delphia: University of Pennsylvania Press,1961, pp. 55-83. (Also: Bobbs-Merrill Reprint Series in theSocial sciences, A-124 (1962).) 2.Daedalus (Summer, 1973),pp. 59-86.(Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 102(3).) (Issue: Language as a Human Problem, organized by EinarHaugen and Morton Bloomfield.Also published in book form.) 3.Anthropology and Education Quarterly 8:165-176,1977. 4.Working Papers in Sociolinguistics 45.Austin: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, 1978. 5.Language Development in a Bilingual Setting, editedby Eugene J. Briere, for the National MultilingualMulticultural Materials Development Center, California StatePolytechnic University, Pomona.Los Angeles: National Dissemination and Assessment Center, 1979,pp. 73-88. 6.Anthropology and Education Quarterly 11:3-8, 1980. 7.Keystone Folklore 22:21-36, 1978. 8.In Keynote Addresses from the Horace Mann LectureSeries and the Paul Masoner International Lecture Series 1972-1978. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh, School of Education. Also: Olga Garnio.a and Martha King, eds., Language,Chil- dren and Socie.The Effect of Social Factors on Children Learning to Communicate.(International Series in Psycho- biology and Learning.)Oxford, New York: Pergamon Press, 1979, pp. 1-19., December 1980 Copyright © 1980 by the Center for Applied Linguistics 3520 Prospect Street, N.W. Washington, D.C.20007 Printed in the U.S.A. contents introduction functions of speech:an evolutionary approach 1 speech and language:on the origins and foundations of inequality among speakers 19 qualitative/quantitative research methodologies in education:a linguistic perspective 62 what is ethnography? 88 ethnographic monitoring 104 educational ethnology 119 with Courtney cazden:narrative thinking and story- telling rights:a folklorist's due to a critique of education 126 language in education:forward to fundamentals 139 iil introduction These essays were written for differentoccasions but do have a perspective in common.I shall try to point outsome of the com- mon features and implications, but first wantto thank the Center for Applied Linguistics for the opportunity ofinaugurating this series.It is particularly a pleasure because ofa long personal association with the Center.Let me thank Dora Johnson and Marcia Taylor for bringing the bookto print so rapidly and effectively and Courtney Cazdenfor suggesting the collection to them. The term "ethnolinguistic" in thesubtitle may be a bit sur- prising, yet it expresses thecommon perspective of the essays better than any other term known tome.One alternative would be "sociolinguistic" and, indeed, Ihave written about this per- spective under that heading (Gumperzand Hymes 1972, Hymes 1974, 1979).The history of such terms, indeed,would suggest that "sociolinguistics" should bethe general term for all involve- ments of language in social life.The success and importance of certain lines of work and certainissues, however, have led to a widespread connotation for "sociolinguistics"as having specifically to do with variation and chalige,studied along the lines developed so inventively and successfully by William Labov.And part of the domain of this book, especiallythe first two chapters, would more easily fit what Joshua Fishman prefers to callthe "sociology of language."It seems best to admit that the inspiration forthe perspective of these essays is mainlyanthropological tradition, and to use a term, "ethnolinguistic,"that openly suggests anthro- pological concern for human culturethroughout the world, for open-ended inquiry of the sort besttermed "ethnography," and for cumulative comparison ofcases of a sort best suggested by "ethnology." These essays can be considereda contribution to the nascent fields of "educational linguistics" (cf.Spolsky 1978), but in that context their perspective seems distinctive enoughto make a qualifying label useful.The focus is only partially on what happens in schools and what is taught there.To a considerable extent, the focus is on the societal context thatshapes what can happen in schools.The concern is with some of theways in which we think about language and knowledgein our disciplines and in society at large. The first essay, "Functions of Speech," is the firstessay in which the perspective known as "the ethnography of speaking" was publicly advanced and was also the occasion ofmy first vi Introduction formal visit to the university of whose Graduate School of Edu- cation I am now a member.In retrospect that visit, then an isolated occasion, seems to have been premonitory.I hope that readers will excuse the roughness, even crudeness, of the chap- ter.The fundamental point is sound and essential.We need to be able to think of language situations and educational situations as part of the evolution of human societies.We need to be able to think of languages and personal competencies as specific sets of communicative means, shaped by particular histories and adap- tive niches.We need to transcend the liberal assumption built into so much of linguistic thought, that all sets of communicative means are equal in the eyes of linguistic theory.They are not equal in the eyes of history. We inhabit a world whose languages are stratified in terms of roles and lexical scope, broadly speaking, as world, national, and local.(For example, English, Danish, Frisian.)Of course a particular speaker of English may be linguistically inferior to a particular speaker of Danish or Frisian, in command of a primary language and in scope of repertoire.It remains that English, as the name for a set of lexical and discourse resources, anda body of materials employing them, has a different scale.It may be that a person whose command of English was limited to just those resources of technical terminology and routine in which English was distinct would be a communicative monster, were that com- mand complemented by no other.And the fact that a rapid- loading gun can defeat a bow and arrow confers no normal superiority on those with the gun (although they may think it does), and it may be important to point that out.As analysts of armament, nonetheless, we would be remiss if we ignored the technical difference. With regard to persons, what reason can there be to alter circumstances if the circumstances have no substantive effect? How can inequality be injustice if it does no injury?We must be vigilant against false stereotypes and ascription of deficit, but vigilance itself
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