'Dile family': Socializing language skills with directives in three Mexican families in South Central Los Angeles (California)

Many studies on child-directed discourse in families with lower socio-economic backgrounds suggest that caregivers tend to reduce the complexity of their language when talking to young children. These researchers contend that for mothers with low-income backgrounds the verbal input consists primarily of directives. They believe that the mother whose conversational behavior is largely dictated by her intention to direct her child may inhibit the child's linguistic development. Such views of language deficits have also been considered as a major reason for the poor performance of language minority students among educators. The structural problems that continue to plague the inner cities are rarely viewed as explanations of lack of educational success in mainstream discourses.; This dissertation argues against these assertions by demonstrating some of the complexities of child directed discourse in three low-income Latino families and by drawing attention to the structural imbalances that working class Latinos experience in terms of educational inequities and spatial segregation. Data are drawn on an ethnographic and discourse analytic study over the course of one year of three working class Latino families residing in South Central Los Angeles.; This study focuses explicitly on directives that caregivers give to their children and the ways in which young children uptake these directives in everyday interactions. More specifically, the study demonstrates the range of forms and functions of the directives caregivers' employ and the way in which these caregivers provide justifications and explanations, following their directives. Additionally, this dissertation contends that children demonstrate verbal engagement such as use of nominal words, clarification questions, and justifications statements. The dissertation also discusses ways in which children employ directives in the context of play. Children employ directives to act out pretend play figures such as a chauffer or a queen. Children also employ directives in a range of ways in much the same way as their parents and older caregivers do in everyday contexts. For example, they employ explicit and implicit, mitigated and unmitigated, declarative, imperative, and interrogative forms of directives during the course of their play. The dissertation contests some of deficit views and argues for inclusive and equitable policies.