The Well-Tempered Tongue

The Well-Tempered Tongue is a study of the language struggle in the modern high school. Focusing on the pressing issue of standard English, the book compares what teachers have intended in the English classes of one high school with the profound and sometimes perverse lessons the students have learned about their native tongue. The book reveals the striking differences in language attitudes between the academic levels and between the sexes; it documents the accomplishments of teachers and students in the area of English; and it explores the school's part in limiting the students' future in the language. John Willinsky has built on the students' frank and revealing discussions of their life in the language to construct the possibility of a more encouraging education in English.