Towards a curriculum in the history of American English : a feasibility study, with suggestions and resources for a senior secondary school course in the history and development of American English

The purpose of this study was to make an original contribution to the literature concerning the question: How can the study of the English language best be taught to secondary school students in the United States? It is the result of an intensive six-year study of position papers on the definition, role and function of English in the high school, of curriculum theories and theoretical curricula, of teacher preparation studies and current trends in the teaching of English in the secondary schools, and, most of all, of the development of the English language and culture, particularly in America. It is also an attempt at an integrated answer to the often diverse problems of the teacher of secondary school English, and of his students, in approaching the study of the English language. The answer proposed is a comprehensive year's study of American English at the senior high level, perhaps on the order of an American Studies course, with emphasis placed on the historical development of American English as the foundation and generative force for the study.Chapter one examines some important preliminary considerations toward constructing new curricula based on American English, and includes a definition of the subject itself, the so-called "New English", the components of language study, the preparation of teachers in this subarea, the range of the student population, some broad objectives of the new curriculum, and the need for such an approach; in short, a brief history of recent trends in the field of historical English language study in the secondary schools.Although there exist no near-comparable formats for the study of American English, chapter two treats related proposals, most of them growing out of the Project English Curriculum Development Centers. The thrust of the great majority of sample curricula is toward the study of generative-transformational grammar, with only superficial treatment given to language history.Chapter three provides further justification, conceptually and pedagogically, for a curriculum in the history and development of American English. More importantly, this section offers specific suggestions on the construction of such a curriculum. Attention is given to the four major aspects of curriculum development: objectives, conceptual content, activities and materials. The four are integrated through an approach using special behavioral objectives.A brief resource history in the development of American English from its earliest beginnings is presented in chapter four as an important adjunct to the construction of a workable curriculum. The history is not meant to be comprehensive; rather, it is an attempt to give the teacher who proposes to construct or fulfill a curriculum an overview of the trends, processes and changes in the development of English in America. The relatively heavy documentation and the lengthy bibliography are meant to serve as a list of resources for information in depth or for specialized knowledge.Taken together, the four chapters represent the first serious attempt to integrate the many facets of language history and behavior within a comprehensive study of American English at the secondary school level.Thesis (D. Ed.