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)