When addressing why some English speakers drop third person singular inflections, an ESL teacher should discuss:

Dialect diversity in English is the correct focus when addressing why some English speakers drop third person singular inflections. This phenomenon often occurs in various dialects and can reflect regional language patterns, community identities, and speech habits that distinguish one group from another. Many speakers of nonstandard varieties of English may not use the standard forms that include these inflections, highlighting the influence of social and regional factors on language use.

Other factors, while relevant in linguistics, may not specifically address the dropping of inflections in a meaningful way. Language acquisition theories pertain more to how individuals learn languages rather than the sociolinguistic reasons behind certain speech patterns. Standard versus nonstandard English deals with issues of prestige and acceptability in language use but doesn’t directly explain the mechanics of inflection dropping as seen in various dialects. Finally, the history of the English language provides context for its evolution but is less relevant when exploring contemporary regional speech practices and their implications for language learning in an ESL context.