Then, of course, there are the more pronounced regional and ethnic dialects, involving vocabulary and pronunciation. If by teaching we mean including many or all of these in the public-school curriculum, we're in for a real challenge.
I think you're right about that, slithy. Teaching students what to call a sub/hero/hoagie in various parts of the country is pretty pointless, in my opinion, but wouldn't it open students' minds to teach them about your previous sentence:
Most of us have multiple dialects, if that is the right term As youngsters we learn to use one type of language in the schoolroom, another with our parents, still another when we're out with our buddies.
And then telling them that all of those dialects are "valid" and that all of the dialects they may hear others use are equally "valid", and that the dialect they are learning in school is the dialect that is most likely to lead them to college and a meaningful career (but maybe not if they are applying for a job at MTV or a hip-hop/urban magazine or the Southern Belles Association, or somewhere). I always appreciated it when teachers let us in on the "secret" that what they were teaching us was not always right or might not be cutting edge or might be controversial -- I think it insipires tolerance and a healthy willingness to question authority.
