However, as we have already suggested, programmes like this are con- structed upon very inadequate appreciations of dialect variation - which includes pronunciation and syntax differences, as well as lexical variation. Bereiter and Engelmann have been criticized by Labov, who is well-known for his demonstration of the linguistic validity of Black English Vernacular (1973, 1976). This rather undercuts the philosophy of intervention and compensatory language programmes for the pre-school child since there is, in effect, nothing for which to compensate.