Sociolinguistic studies of language development have tended to con centrate on the home and the classroom and to emphasize the im portance of social class as a major determinant of differences in lan guage style. However, analyses of spatial patterns of reading attain ment in inner London indicate that although class is important its influence is moulded by features of the neighbourhood in which the children live. These neighbourhood influences may help explain areal variations in the performance of members of the same social class living in different parts of the city. It is suggested, as a result of these findings, that a focus on the local area by students of linguistic develop ment may provide additional information about processes of language acquisition.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Backler, A.L. (1977). A geography of education in the United States: some preliminary considerations. In Odland, J. & Taafe, R. N. (eds) Geographical Horizons (Dubuque: Kendall-Hunt).
2.
Badcock, B.A. (1977). Educational attainment and participation rates in Sydney. Australian Geographer, 13, 325-331.
3.
Barker-Lunn, J. (1970). Streaming in the Primary School ( Slough: National Foundation for Educational Research ).
4.
Bernstein, B. (1971, 1972, 1975). Class, Codes and Control Vols. I-III (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul ).
5.
Charlton, W., Rawstron, E. & Rees, F. (1979). Regional disparities at A Level. Geography, 64, 26-36.
6.
Clark, M.M. (1970). Reading Difficulties in Schools ( Harmondsworth: Penguin).
7.
Cockburn, J.M. (1973). Annual surveys of reading disability in a Scottish county. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 43, 188-191.
8.
Davie, R., Butler, N. & Goldstein, H. (1972). From Birth to Seven: a Report of the National Child Development Study (London: Longman).
9.
Department of Education and Science (1975). A Language for Life: a Report of the Committee of Enquiry appointed by the Secretary of State for Education and Science under the Chairmanship of Sir Alan Bullock (London: HMSO).
10.
Dittmar, N. (1976). Sociolinguistics: a Critical Survey of Theory and Application (London: Edward Arnold).
11.
Douglas, J.W.B. (1964) The Home and the School: a Study of Ability and Attainment in the Primary School (London: McGibbon & Kee).
12.
Edwards, J. (1979). Language and Disadvantage ( London: Edward Arnold).
13.
—. (1986). Language and educational disadvantage: the persistence of linguistic 'deficit' theory. In Durkin, K. (ed.) Language Development in the School Years (Beckenham: Croom Helm).
14.
Feagans, L. & Farran, D. C. (eds) (1982). The Language of Children Raised in Poverty: Implications for Evaluation and Intervention ( London: Academic Press).
15.
Hamnett, C. (1979). Area-based explanations: a critical appraisal . In Herbert, D. T. & Smith, D. M. (eds) Social Problems and the City: Geographical Perspectives (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
16.
Harvey, D. (1968). Pattern, process and the scale problem in geographical research. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers , 45, 85-95.
17.
—. ( 1969). Explanation in Geography (London: Edward Arnold).
18.
Herbert, D.T. (1976). The study of delinquency areas: a social geographical approach. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers (New Series), 1, 472-492.
19.
Kariel, H.G. & Kariel, P.E. (1972). Explorations in Social Geography ( Reading, Massachusetts : Addison-Wesley).
20.
Little, A. & Mabey, C. (1973). Reading attainment and social and ethnic mix of London primary schools. In Donnison, D. & Everse, D. (eds) London: Urban Patterns, Problems and Policies (London: Heinemann).
21.
Malmquist, E. (1958). Factors relating to reading disabilities in the First Grade of elementary schools (Stockholm: Almquist & Wicksell).
22.
Mortimore, P. & Sammons, P. et al. (1986). The Junior School Project: a Summary of the Main Report (London: ILEA Research and Statistics Branch).
23.
Moulden, M. & Bradford, M.G. (1984). Influences on educational attainment: the importance of the local residential environment. Environment and Planning A, 16, 49-66.
24.
Nie, N.H., Hull, C.H., Jenkins, J.G., Steinbrenner, K. & Bent, D.H. (1970). Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (New York: McGraw-Hill).
25.
Robson, B.T. (1969). Urban Analysis: a Study of City Structure with Special Reference to Sunderland (London: Cambridge University Press).
26.
Shipman, M. (1972). The Limitations of Social Research ( London: Longman).
27.
Southgate, V. (1962). The Southgate Group Reading Tests: a Manual of Instructions (London: University of London Press).
28.
Stubbs, M. (1976). Language, Schools and Classrooms ( London: Methuen).
