AIBU / When is it dialect and when is it just wrong?

[ecuse]

We live in East London/Essex border. I'm not from here originally. My little girl (6) has an East London accent. I expect this, this is where she is from, it's fine, in fact it suits her.

But she's all with the "you woz", "we woz", "wozzn't you, mummy?". I understand she picks this up from her whole peer group. BUT. When I go into school for reading morning etc etc I realise all 4 of the teachers she has had so far say "you woz" etc.

AIBU to think that teachers should not do this? They are teaching her literacy and that's just gramatically incorrect.

I don't think I'd ever have the bottle to bring it up but AIBU to be vexed, or am I just being all Hyacinth Bucket about it? Is it legitimate dialect or is it just wrong?

I use all kinds of local slang in my everyday speech. I'm also perfectly capable of writing a shit hot academic essay .

Context is everything, at school I would expect teachers to model correct grammar.

Hear hear, Atenco.

Same where we live.

Dialect is a perfectly acceptable form of communication and grammatical variances are to be expected. It pisses me off no end that people cannot accept that it is just as valid as any other dialect. Dislike is based on snobbery.

However, teachers in class should model standard English as it is important for children to know both.

@SwissChristmasMuseum the OP specifically asked about the use of the word 'was' when the more appropriate 'were' should have been use instead. So is about correct use of words in speech, which I don't feel is snobbery to be honest!

soapboxqueen, paradoxically, such views are due to a lack of education

The problem with parroting back is it doesn't work because of conjugation!

DD: "Me and Emma woz being a bit naughty there, wozzn't we, Mummy"?
ME: "You and Emma were being a bit naughty there?"
The point is lost. To make it, you have to actively correct them.

Unlike when you do the "Look, mummy, a bellypopper", "oh yes, darling, a helicopter"

Those educating children should be teaching children standard English. I don't care how people speak in real life otherwise.
Here in the NW everything is "them" instead of "those" from teaching staff too. How will children ever learn the correct form to use in their writing?

True, no beef with the OP - not ok from teachers in the classroom! Some of the other stuff though...

Swiss nailed it.

It's dialect. Dialect is fine for informal conversation

Schools promote standard English and teach standard English because that's the variety that has the most prestige. In essence, there is a standard variety of English which people are expected to master. Schools teach it. They are right to correct your child (though I'm secondary so would have explained formal/informal, when dialect is fine etc).
skyzumarubble wiv fanks is accent, not dialect, nothing inherently wrong with saying that. If they're spelling words like that then it's just wrong.

Ecuse - indeed! But even then, you'll be largely ignored. Massive exposure to good literature, radio etc. is the answer.

The problem with teachers failing to model good language is that it then becomes a barrier to those who have the least support at home.

They are the ones who suffer.

Children whose parents care, model good language and support them to use appropriate language have an inbuilt advantage.

Schools need to work to help children who don't always have support.

Badgers I'm NW too.
DS's latest is clarifying himself as the subject.
"I love chips, me."

Totally agree with Swiss - exposure to high quality written and spoken word will do wonders.

ALSO - it actually worries me less for my kids as they're getting standard English from me and the extended family. So they do pretty much know it's wrong and can wheel out standard English if required (and by 'required' I mean in this context primarily exams and work).

Other kids with families that have always been round here (high degree of overlap with poorer kids) aren't necessarily even getting that, so they're going to be disadvantaged much more than mine if their teachers aren't modelling correct English for them.

That idiot Rylan on good morning always says " Youse", as in ewes, and Pacific instead of specific, it's like nails on a black board to me, can't bear it.

Swiss But looking down on people for their use of English and pronunciation is ridiculous snobbery.
If an English person's use of English is incorrect, I assume they don't read many books or newspapers and have never seen the offending phrase written down eg. people thinking specific is Pacific. Therefore they probably aren't very well informed about very many things since they only take in information from talking or watching TV. It depends on the circumstances as to whether that would make me look down on them. If they were a teacher or a journalist for example, yes, I would.
There's a majority now that say 'sat' when it should be sitting. Started off as dialect and was an error elsewhere. Now it's mainstream. Still drives me insane though. Might as well say, 'I was ran for the bus' as 'I was sat next to my friend'.

Disagree Abernathy - that is the definition of linguistic change and there's nothing you can do about it.

"Dialect is accent. "

I suggest you buy a dictionary llangennith.

You've just described the process of how language evolves.

Mind you, me and the other half have got into a bad habit of asking one another "you want I should [...]"? instead of "do you want me to [...]"?

We did it slightly ironically when we lived in the USA for a while a few years back and now it has stuck. So I'm a fine one to talk.

Ha! Accent is identity. Very often geographical with deep historical roots.

Teachers (and teaching assistants) should be modelling standard English to children.

Accent is one thing but grammatically incorrect is another as children often write what they hear/say.