Abstract

ABSTRACTThe definitions of “academic language” available to teachers and teacher educators often invoke generalized assumptions about the supposed gap between complex, discipline-specific forms of language and the everyday language of Latina/o/x students. In this article, we advance an alternative hypothesis – that Latina/o/x students boast expansive linguistic repertoires and engage in complex and sophisticated forms of everyday language, including some that overlap directly with the forms of language and literacy explicitly outlined in official English language arts standards, including the Common Core State Standards. With this as our premise, we draw on a robust theoretical tradition of sociocultural scholarship on language and literacy, as well as on our own ethnographic data, to highlight the complexity of Latina/o/x students’ everyday language practices, and to showcase how these complex language practices overlap with those typically framed as academic. We conclude with practical suggestions for beginning to explore Latina/o/x students’ everyday linguistic complexity.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.