Ethnography, Linguistics, Narrative Inequality Toward An Understanding Of Voice

Dell Hymes has revisited, enlarged and re-contextualized some of his leading essays, written over the last two decades, into a volume which addresses the contribution that ethnography and linguistics make to education, and the contribution that research in educational makes to anthropology and linguistics. The first section presents a historically grounded view of the role of ethnography in education, and pinpoints those characteristics of anthropology that most make a difference to research in education. The second section provides a view of the engagement of language in social life in relation to recognizing and overcoming inequality, with a corresponding critique of the limitations of linguistics and anthropology in this regard. The third section takes up discoveries about narrative, where ethnography and linguistics converge, and shows that young people's narratives may have a depth of form and skill that has gone largely unrecognized. This important volume illuminates Hymes' research as a whole; gives insights into current agendas and issues; and points to new areas for further research.

This collection of work addresses the contribution that ethnography and linguistics make to education, and the contribution that research in education makes to anthropology and linguistics.; The first section of the book pinpoints characteristics of anthropology that most make a difference to research in education. The second section describes the perspective that is needed if the study of language is to contribute adequately to problems of education and inequality. Finally, the third section takes up discoveries about narrative, which show that young people's narratives may have a depth of form and skill that has gone largely unrecognized.

Part 1 Ethnography: what is ethnography?; education ethnology. Part 2 Linguistics: speech and language - on the origins and foundations of inequality among speakers; report from an underdeveloped country - toward linguistic competence in the United States. Part 3 Narrative and inequality: narrative thinking and story-telling rights - a folklorist'sclue to a critique of education; narrative form as a grammar of experience; oral patterns as a resource in children's writing - an ethnopoetic note; ethnopoetics and socioloinguistics - three stories by African-American children; Bernstein and poetics; inequality in language - taking for granted.

Dell Hymes