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The genre to which a text belongs is usually revealed early in
the text, for example, "Once upon a time...", "On
the streets of Berlin tonight…" Similarly, the genre
of oral messages is often revealed to listeners as much by intonation
as by the words themselves. If pupils have a sense of genre they
will also have an awareness of the significance of the form and
content of important features of the text: for example, the appropriateness
of the language used for its purpose, content, and audience. With
the ability to recognize genre, readers and listeners are also
aided in making predictions, in skimming and scanning, and by
such means getting a rapid sense of the gist of any communication.
Identifying the genre of a text is, therefore, a skill which
leads to a better understanding of texts, the nature of the messages
they convey and how their information should be interpreted. Having
an understanding of genre gives writers and talkers a valuable
aid in the task of communicating effectively. Readers and listeners
will also be better able to comprehend the content of a text.
It is for such reasons that strands in the attainment targets
for Listening and Reading have been devoted to the recognition
of genre. Some pupils acquire the habits of recognition and categorization
readily; others, perhaps the majority, never develop them without
help. Since they are important skills, they require to be deliberately
and consciously taught. The programmes of study give additional
advice on teaching and learning activities.
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Scottish culture
The speech of Scottish people is often distinctive. It
may display features of pronunciation and intonation which
together constitute an accent. It may contain features of
dialect, such as vocabulary, syntax, idiom and economies
of expression. These reflect the histories of communities,
and are part of the language children bring to school.
The first tasks of schools are therefore to enable pupils
to be confident and creative in this language and to begin
to develop the notion of language diversity, within which
pupils can appreciate the range of accents, dialects and
languages they encounter. This will involve teachers in
valuing pupils' spoken language, and introducing them to
stories, poems and other texts which use dialect in a positive
way.
This is a sensitive area. Society gives prestige to some
accents and dialects and undervalues others. Teachers will
be confronted with difficult decisions: for example, What
is appropriate? When should inappropriate language be corrected?
The central principles of acceptability should be that the
pupil is making a genuine attempt at communication, is trying
to achieve a real or agreed purpose, and especially for
older pupils, is making an apposite choice in the speech
form being adopted.
The idea of diversity is crucial to understanding language.
There is no standard form of Scots; there are many forms,
varying one from another, although sometimes sharing common
features. To help pupils, terms such as dialect and accent
should be explained and used, with examples, to encourage
discussion and develop perceptions of Scottish languages,
and how they relate to the lives and experiences of Scottish
people.
Pupils can investigate and enjoy language diversity by
noting features of their own speech which differ from Standard
English, and from other dialects they encounter. Recording
interviews with older people will give a picture of former
ways of living and reveal the changing nature of local language.
Tape recordings of more geographically distant Scottish
dialects will extend this awareness. The study of place
names, starting with the local area, will demonstrate the
continuing language history of Scotland.
Given such experiences, and a conviction of the worth of
their own accents and dialects, pupils will
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