Cultural Linguistic Pluralism and the Problem of Motivation

Abstract

The knowledge of Standard English is necessary to function successfully in our society; and if Standard English is freed from its unjustified association with 'Anglo speech' and 'white man's talk' and is merely considered a standardized tool of communication, no harm can possibly be inflicted to the learner's self-image nor can its enforcement be considered a construct of white racism. The acquisition of Standard English by all Americans is ultimately a problem of motivation. A person can, however, not be motivated properly to learn Standard English unless he conceives of America as a pluralistic society whose members, though culturally and linguistically different, all share a common form of English in addition to whatever language or dialect they may have been born into. When American society is redefined in this way, it is no longer difficult to motivate a student, regardless of his cultural, social, or linguistic background, to learn the dialect that is shared by all.