quest for info/suggestions. re:dialects

[Donald M. Lance]

Mea culpa.  English-teacher bashing.  My apologies.
dml

>From: Anson Olds, Tue, Oct 5, 1999, 6:47 PM

>Donald Lance writes:
>
>I suspect that the fact
>underlying the myth of homogenization of American dialects is that certain
>public-use registers like TV and radio announcing, acting,
>professionals-on-the-job, etc are sounding more alike.  Some people, like
>English teachers, use this register all the time.
>
>Are we generalizing a little?  I've heard English teachers from all over the
>country who use, maintain, and promote their own regional, socio-economic,
>and ethnic dialects, even to the point of saying "I seen" instead of "I
>saw." Coming from the Midwest, I celebrate my regional dialect differences
>with my New England high school students, most of whom are convinced that no
>one has dialects any more.  This, in spite of the teachers, students, and
>parents around them who still drop their post-vocalic r's etc.   English
>teachers are not all cut from the same cookie cutter!