Social dialect differences and the recall of verbal messages

Investigated the influence of dialect differences on communication between adults and children from different dialect communities. A sample of 15 adults and 24 children was selected from each of 2 dialect populations. Language samples were obtained from both groups of adults, and then used as stimulus materials in an immediate recall task with the 2 groups of children. Each stimulus list was presented by speakers from each of the dialect groups. The effect of speaker differences was significant for the standard dialect group of children but not for the nonstandard dialect group of children. The effects of source differences on recall were not clearly observable. Findings suggest that some children from nonstandard dialect communities develop facility in the standard dialect at an early age.