Craig wrote: I'm more and more uncomfortable these days with the notion that dialects are OK, but not "acceptable" in public discourse. I don't think that's at all true (public writing is far more interesting than that) or desirable. Effective writers draw on all their language resources. And when mainstream writers do that, they enrich all our lives. This is a digression from the main points being discussed. What Craig said above rang a chord in my head, though, and it might be worth noting. My husband is a high school administrator (assistant principal) in an urban setting. He is also very touchy about using SWE - he actually corrects my English, and more often than not, he's right! That said, he has also taught himself the varying dialects in his student population. He uses multiple dialects in his work as a way to enforce, and reinforce, his own points. In short, he knows when to speak, and how to speak, in a variety of situations and to the greatest effect. This is something I admire in him, and a point which I think it would be good to note. Having the rules, and operating within them, greatly enhances one's ability to communicate - and that does mean knowing when to speak which dialect. I am certain that my husband is not the only one who practices this. I just wanted to digress a moment and suggest that, as Craig mentions, not only do effective writers draw on their language resources, so do effective people in general terms. -patty To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/