Register Variation

I really never thought about "correct" or "standard" English as a dialect, I just thought it was the norm. In order to open doors, which leads to success in a multitude of careers, one must adopt this style of language. Standard English is the ‘language of power’.

I did not realize that speaking differently in the context I was in actually had a name – register variation, I recall talking to my grade 6 students about this. Many of my students came from a lower socio-economic background and some of them frequently used “street talk” (for lack of a better word). I mentioned to them that there are many ways of talking and speaking to one another. The way I speak with my friends when we are hanging out on a Saturday night, would not be appropriate in front of the class or speaking with the principal.

What I was stressing to my students was, “street talk” is not wrong and there is a right place to use it. They too, can speak to their friends in the neighbourhood or at recess in a way that they feel comfortable, but in class and when handing in assignments, it should reflect the audience they are participating in. As a teacher, my goal is to assist my students to be successful in any path they pursue.

We had countless conversations about going to York University once they graduated from high school. Many of my students were able to see the York campus from their bedroom window. We spoke about how lucky they were to live so close to a university, which meant they would not have to spend additional monies on residence. By practicing register variation, my students would be able to attend and thrive in university. This would then open the doors to the career of their choosing.

I see register variation is a life skill, if we teach our students that we embody many ways of speaking and we can choose how and when to speak a certain way in order to be successful in our lives.