The developing relationship of linguistics to matters of current social concern, especially as it relates to the study of minority groups, is discussed. Problems in studying Negro/white speech differences are related to: The researcher vs. the researched; the unfulfilled promises of research and the dangers of knowing; the misassessing of facts by…

Knowledge about how language works is often considered superfluous by the public. In general, the public image of language is that language is in a serious decline and that outside influences on language have led it astray, views that are supported by false assumptions about language on the part of writers. Writers in newspapers and magazines note…