It would be easy to find validation of the "He don't . . ." form in major
English writers of the 16th and 17th centuries.  Languages change.  That's
one way we get all of our dialects.

There is, however, a need in such a diverse country as the United States to
have a standard dialect of English.  It simply makes it more possible to
have precise and accurate communication, but no one I know is entirely
comfortable speaking standard English, and it is rare to find a person
entirely comfortable writing it.  We all have our dialects.  It is pure
prejudice that leads us to honor one dialect over another.

It is simple to confront the problem.  Honor and enjoy every dialect you
hear or see in your classroom.  Encourage students to explore the phonology,
morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics of their own dialects and
present the results of such explorations as part of your curriculum.

This assumed, add the necessity of providing the same sort of exploration of
standard English along with the statement that every American who intends to
conduct personal or business affairs in a broader context that his or her
own dialect area, needs to master this second dialect in its written and
spoken forms.  Affirm that it is not a better dialect, just another one, an
important one for successful interaction with the broader community.

By the way, on an even broader scale, encourage your students to learn a
second language along with a second dialect.  It makes a great difference in
a person's life. For instance, my new Guatamalan son-in-law was quite
honored when I welcomed him to the family over the internet in Spanish.
When he moves here, he can help me improve my Spanish, while I help him
learn both standard English and my own native Idahonian dialect (which I
continue to nurture after 45 years of separation).

Dialect is an important part of our individual human definition.

At 09:35 AM 6/7/00 EDT, you wrote:
>New to the list, I have what is likely a simple question: When a student says
>or writes "He don't..." we know this to be incorrect, strictly speaking, but
>what is the reason for this construction?  I teach in an area where many of
>my students are not far removed from Appalachia or as they put it, the
>"hills."  Are there linguistic roots to this "he don't" construction?  I'm
>getting at the notion, I suppose, that while we teach the students to learn
>to pass in the world by knowing straight grammar, perhaps there is some room
>for validating their own way of speaking and/or writing.
>Thanks for any answers/comments.
>Jean Harper
>Indiana University East (Richmond, Indiana)
>