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Dialect / AAVE
Terms
Dialect: a form of language that is spoken in a particular area and that uses some of its own
words, grammar, and pronunciations (Merriam-Webster)
Standard English: the English language in its most widely accepted form, as written and spoken
by educated people in both formal and informal contexts, having universal currency
while incorporating regional differences (Dictionary.com)
Ebonics: African American English; in its simplest form, it is a combination of the words ebony
and phonics--black and sounds (Rickford)
Code-Switching: the practice of moving back and forth between two languages, or between two
dialects or registers of the same language. Also called code-mixing and style shifting.
Occurs more often in conversation than in writing (Nordquist)
Dialectology: the study of the way sounds, words, and grammatical forms vary within a
language (Britain)
Stigmatized Dialects: AAVE, Appalachian English, Chicano English, etc. (Godley)
AAVE: African American Vernacular English
Problem
Negative attitudes toward the use of stigmatized dialects. This is not limited to teachers. The
belief that Standard English is logically, stylistically, an even morally superior to stigmatized
dialects is widespread in U.S. society (Godley).
Statistics
Very little information is available on the number of people who use AAVE. It was in the
spotlight back in the late 1970s (Ann Arbor Case) and mid 1990s, (Oakland School Board
Resolution) but society doesnt address it much now.
One longitudinal study was done between 1990 and 2007. Childrens use of AAVE was
measured at age 4, Grade 1, Grade 4, Grade 6, Grade 8, and Grade 10. Results showed that
childrens use of AAVE declined significantly from age 4 to Grade 1 and Grade 4. Usage
increased again during the middle school years and declined somewhat during high school.
Researchers concluded that socialization and language development in the early grades focuses
on the use of SAE, which caused a decline in the use of AAVE. (VanHofwegen and Wolfram)
According to the NCES, in 2007 12% of African American students received special
education services under IDEA. It has been suggested that black students are over-referred for
special education services due to language differences that are misunderstood as language
disorders.
Britain, David. (n.d.) Dialectology. Centre for Languages Linguistics and Area Studies.
Retrieved 21 January 2016, from https://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/gpg/964.
Delpit, L. (1997). The Real Ebonics Debate. Retrieved January 19, 2016, from
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/publication/ebonics/ebdelpit.shtml
Godley, A. J., Julie Sweetland, Wheeler, R. S., Angela Minnici, & Brian D. Carpenter. (2006).
Preparing Teachers for Dialectally Diverse Classrooms. Educational Researcher, 35(8), 3037.
Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4124790
Harris, T. W. (2010, September 17). What's so wrong with "sounding black?" Retrieved January
19, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/colorstruck/201009/whats-so-wrong-
sounding-black
Nordquist, R. (2015, November 14). What Is Code Switching? Retrieved January 21, 2016, from
http://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/codeswitchingterm.htm
Provost, A. (2014, July 13). Teaching in the AAVE classroom: A New Approach to Writing
Instruction. Retrieved January 21, 2016, from
https://definedbybodyheartandmind.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/teaching-in-the-aave-
classroom-a-new-approach-to-writing-instruction/
Rickford, J. R. (n.d.). What is Ebonics (African American English)? Retrieved January 19, 2016,
from http://www.linguisticsociety.org/content/what-ebonics-african-american-english
Rigoglioso, M. (2014, December 2). Stanford linguist says prejudice toward African American
dialect can result in unfair rulings. Retrieved January 19, 2016, from
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/december/vernacular-trial-testimony-120214.html
Van Hofwegen, J., & Wolfram, W. (2010). Coming of age in african american english: A
longitudinal study. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 14(4), 427. doi:10.1111/j.1467-
9841.2010.00452.x