Article
Inviting the Mother Tongue: Beyond "Mistakes," "Bad English", and "Wrong Language"
The Journal of Advanced Composition
(1999)
Abstract
This essay grows out of feeling torn between conflicting goals or obligations. I think most teachers of first year college writing courses also feel this conflict, and I experience it acutely as director of a university writing program. On the one hand, I feel an obligation not to force all my students to conform to the language and culture of mainstream English. (See “The Students’ Right To Their Own Language” [Committee].) On the other hand, I feel an obligation to give all my students access to the written language of power and prestige.
Disciplines
Publication Date
January 1, 1999
Citation Information
Peter Elbow. "Inviting the Mother Tongue: Beyond "Mistakes," "Bad English", and "Wrong Language"" The Journal of Advanced Composition (1999) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/peter_elbow/12/