Canny Writers: Tyneside dialect and the writing of secondary school students

Abstract

Summary The issue of writing in accordance with the conventions of standard English usage is one which is becoming increasingly prominent, with changes in the National Curriculum in English reflecting concerns about correctness in language. The present study examines the writing of a group of Year 11 pupils to examine the nature of the deviance of their writing from standard English patterns and, in particular, to assess the impact of non‐standard dialect forms on their written work. Errors in writing are seen to be very largely attributable to difficulties with such aspects of the system as punctuation, spelling and other orthographic features. There is evidence of non‐standard dialect influences on grammar and vocabulary but these are relatively slight, and, it is argued, should not be the prime concern of teachers interested in meeting the demands of the National Curriculum with regard to writing.