Just what is Standard English? Is it correct English? Should grammar be taught?
The answers to such questions invariably provoke controversy. In this handy A to Z guide to language and literacy, Ronald Carter unpicks the meaning of key terms like `proper English', `real books', `text', and `discourse', and the ways in which concepts are used - and abused - by teachers, politicians, linguists, journalists and employers.
Each concise definition is cross-referenced, and supported by extensive examples and by references to further reading. Designed as a dictionary, but possessing an encyclopedic range, Keywords in Language and Literacy, provides an invaluable guide to the debates surrounding language and literacy. An indispensible book for all teachers and students of language and education, and anyone interested in the place of language in schools.