In order to illustrate this, let us designate as subgroup "A" those members
of a lower-status group (class or ethnic) for whom the preceding five propositions
apply. Those from backgrounds in which the propositions do not apply
are designated subgroup "B". Subgroup "A" would, we propose, be unlikely
to achieve proficiency in the standard dialect. For them, acquiring
such a dialect would be "subtractive" to their sense of class or ethnic identity
and, even if the acquisition was seen as economically and politically profitable
(Ryan, 1981), subgroup "A" members would still experience a fear of
assimilation by the outgroup and the likely rejection by their valued ingroup
peers (Clement, 1980). Subgroup "A" members would not seek informal
acquisition contexts (Fig. 1), and would become proficient only in classroom
aspects of the standard dialect, such as vocabulary and grammar. Individual
differences in attaining this limited proficiency would reflect intelligence as
well, perhaps, as differences in the efficiency of pedagogical techniques.