The two purposes of this study were to analyze the linguistic studies of the speech of black Americans which began in 1865 and ended in 1972 and to determine, on the basis of the studies analyzed, whether or not a black dialect exists. First, 73 studies were read and analyzed; second, these studies were categorized according to the investigators' points of view; and finally, the studies were closely examined for evidence of scientific methodology. Results showed that before 1954 most black dialect studies were based on random observations or on the authors' authority, with scholars usually denying the existence of black dialect, believing it to be essentially southern white speech. After 1954, black dialect studies increased sharply and the majority of investigators, using scientific methodology, reported convincing evidence that black speech differed sufficiently from standard English to be regarded as a separate dialect. However, black dialect is not restricted to members of the black community and it is not spoken by all blacks. (Author/JM)