Darnel,an African-American Second Grader Who Uses Nonstandard English,complained About His

Multiple Choice

Darnel,an African-American second grader who uses nonstandard English,complained about his partner in spelling practice."Fred not say nothin' today." Which of the following would be the most relevant reply that the teacher could make?

A) "If he's not saying anything today,do you think something is bothering him?"
B) "In school language we should say 'Fred is not saying anything today.'"
C) "Darnel,please remember: 'not' goes with 'anything.' We don't use it with 'nothing.'"
D) "Why don't you ask Fred what the matter is? Maybe something is wrong."