
Critical Perspectives of the Language Gap
Eric J. Johnson(Editor)
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 29. August 2018
Book
Hardback
90 pages
978-1-138-49823-5 (ISBN)
Description
This volume is an orchestrated critique of the notion that individuals from lower socioeconomic status communities have inferior language skills as compared to middle- and upper-class groups. The idea of this so-called "language gap" stems in large part from Hart and Risley's (1995) publication Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children. Hart and Risley proposed that by age 3, children from more economically affluent households were exposed to approximately 30 million more words than children from low-income backgrounds. They also claimed that this gap in exposure to words negatively impacts cognitive development and eventual academic achievement. The contributing authors in this book contest the original concept of a "language-gap" as well as the recent swell of academic research and public programs that it has produced. The chapters interrogate the linguistic, academic, cultural, and social implications of the "language-gap" by providing critical accounts grounded in the scholarly disciplines of sociolinguistics, anthropology, and education.
This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Multilingual Research Journal.
This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Multilingual Research Journal.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 246 mm
Width: 174 mm
Weight
350 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-138-49823-5 (9781138498235)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
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Eric J. Johnson
Critical Perspectives of the Language Gap
Book
06/2020
1st Edition
Routledge
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Eric J. Johnson
Critical Perspectives of the Language Gap
E-Book
04/2020
1st Edition
Routledge
€55.49
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Eric J. Johnson
Critical Perspectives of the Language Gap
E-Book
04/2020
1st Edition
Routledge
€55.49
Available for download
Person
Eric J. Johnson is currently Associate Professor of Bilingual Education at Washington State University Tri-Cities, Richland, USA. His research focus involves ethnographic approaches to language minority programs and policies in public schools. His publications span a variety of topics involving language policy and planning, immigrant communities, parent and community engagement, bilingual education, and Hispanic-serving institutions. Dr. Johnson teaches undergraduate and graduate courses related to teacher preparation, including the theoretical foundations of bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) education, teaching methods for bilingual/ESL education, sociolinguistics, and diversity in education.
Content
Introduction: Introducing the Language Gap 1. Exposing Gaps in/Between Discourses of Linguistic Deficits 2. Unseen WEIRD Assumptions: The So-Called Language Gap Discourse and Ideologies of Language, Childhood, and Learning 3. Meaning-Less Differences: Exposing Fallacies and Flaws in "The Word Gap" Hypothesis That Conceal a Dangerous "Language Trap" for Low-Income American Families and Their Children 4. Interrogating the Language Gap of Young Bilingual and Bidialectal Students 5. (Re)Categorizing Language-Minority Literacies in Restrictive Educational Contexts