Bidialectalism: a one way street?

Is it only Standard English speakers who expect nonstandard speakers to make adjustments when in contact with standard speakers, or do many/some nonstandard speakers, and particularly those speak a nonstandard dialect, also expect standard speakers to adjust their language use to the "local" context?

Background:

Quote:

In my keynote speech, entitled Englishes in Contact: Dialects, Power, and the Burden of Being Understood, I made the case that language prejudice is tied to power; that speakers of “other” (than standard American or British) varieties of English are generally in less powerful positions in society, and carry a disproportionate “burden” in making themselves understood. Drawing on my own experience as a speaker of Caribbean English (CE), I argued that my CE dialect was not an issue in the Caribbean until it came into contact with American English, which carries power and prestige.

Language contact, then, forces linguistic adjustments, and the dominant culture expects the nonstandard speaker to make the adjustment at all times. Schools index this power differential by suggesting (really mandating) that the need for bilingualism or bidialectalism is only on the nonstandard dialect speaker or the speaker who has less power.

http://www.stjohns.edu/media/3/65654df11aa443008339aecc3ae81dda.pdf

<< Is it only Standard English speakers who expect nonstandard speakers to make adjustments when in contact with standard speakers, or do many/some nonstandard speakers, and particularly those speak a nonstandard dialect, also expect standard speakers to adjust their language use to the "local" context? >>

I'd say in general, the rule is that standard speakers expect nonstandard speakers to make adjustments and not the other way around. However, if the nonstandard speakers are unaware of certain differences in dialect, then they may 'expect' adjustments because they don't have anything else to expect. For instance, in India, it's typical to answer the phone with, "Hello, this is [name], what do you want?". In America and Britain, "what do you want?" is typically a very rude question, as it's usually used when the listener is bothering the speaker and the speaker wants them to go away. But, of course, that's generally not the intention of an Indian who is just answering the phone, so an American or Brit must know not to take offense at it in that case. It wouldn't surprise me if the reverse situation can happen: an Indian taking at a typical American or British phrase because they are unaware that it has a different meaning in those countries.

But, generally, speakers of a 'pretigious' dialect tend to expect others to conform to them rather than the other way around. I'm sure this applies to almost every language, not just English. I bet the only languages where this doesn't happen to some extent are those that are too small to have multiple dialects!

- Kef

Why would an Indian answer the phone in English? Furthermore I don't believe that there is an Indian English dialect. "Indian" English is just simply the result of Indians speaking English as a second language. It's not a dialect in itself no matter what anyone says. In my experience most native-born Indians who claim to be first-language English speakers are not, they are simply trying to impress.

MollyB, I have to agree that the standard speakers do just expect everyone to talk like they do. I have found that a coworker who is from South Africa has a terrible time speaking to other workers and some residents due to her accent. Personally I have no problem understanding her due to the fact that i have lived in other areas with different dialects. There is the question though about the nonstandard speaker adjusting their speech patterns to fit with the standard uncounsciencely. I know that when I moved from the Midwest to Arizona I found myself unconsciencely changing my own speech patterns to match those around me. I have found this also to be true if I am around a group of people whose dialect is slightly different than what I am used to. It may not be totally an issue of "forcing" a person to change their speech patterns but an unconscious desire to "fit in" with the dominant group.