English as a Second Language and English as a Second Dialect

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Aboriginal English The "home talk" of many Aboriginal students is Aboriginal English. Aboriginal and Australian English are both dialects of English which developed side by side but separately from each other. Both these dialects need to be recognised and valued equally. Despite the fact that Aboriginal English (AE) and Standard Australian English (SAE) overlap significantly in vocabulary and grammar, there remain many non-corresponding forms, discourse patterns and concepts. This means that for many Indigenous Australians, using English means managing two different Englishes: one which is learnt and used in home and community contexts and another which is used in school and in other contexts controlled by non-Indigenous Australians. In linguistic terms, we would describe most Aboriginal English speakers as bidialectal. This "similar but not the same" relationship between Aboriginal English and Standard Australian English gives rise to three educational imperatives:   1. Accepting and valuing Aboriginal English If the only dialect recognised at school is SAE, the communicative potential and educational achievement of students who speak AE will be hampered. It is therefore imperative that schools recognise the existing linguistic competence of speakers of Aboriginal English and accept and value AE and the world view that accompanies its use. 2. Broadening the linguistic repertoire of Aboriginal students While Aboriginal English is tremendously important to Aboriginal people, facility with SAE is also important in terms of school achievement and self determination. Accordingly, teachers need to explicitly and carefully teach Aboriginal students about features of SAE, and also teach them how and when to switch between the two dialects according to audience, purpose and context. 3. Providing all students with the opportunity to be exposed to a range of language systems This broadens the students' ability to interact with people and cultures other than their own. Strategies that can be used to teach Aboriginal students SAE whilst honouring the linguistic and cultural importance of AE have come to be known as two-way bidialectal teaching strategies. They draw heavily upon ESL strategies, recast as strategies for teaching SAE as a Second Dialect. ABC of Two-Way Literacy and Learning The ABC of Two-Way Literacy and Learning initiated in 1998 aims to empower Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal education personnel embed principles of two-way bidialectal education in the curriculum for all students. ABC stands for: A – Accepting Aboriginal English B – Bridging to Standard English C – Cultivating Aboriginal ways of approaching experience and knowledge Material resources include: Two Way English Solid English Deadly Ways to Learn package, which includes Deadly Ideas and Deadly Yarns Ways of Being, Ways of Talk video package Improving Understanding of Aboriginal Literacy: Factors in Text and Comprehension Report   Support On-going professional support will be provided by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Officers.