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Caribbean Journal of Education

Developmental And Social-Class Differences In Language

Authors: 
Pages: 
5-23
Publication Date: 
December 1974
Issue: 
Abstract: 

It has often been suggested that lower social-class children are poor in their lang­uage abilities, and are in this respect deprived or disadvantaged. A suggestion contrary to this is here put forward; it is shown, by a comparison of language usage in upper and lower-social-class Jamaican children, that the two social-class extremes have different styles (formats) of communication, but that the two styles (formats) are equal in their capabilities. 

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