The divergence controversy is addressed in this holistic examination of Vernacular Black English (VBE). The debate over VBE stems from Labov's conclusion that the vernaculars of Black and White dialects in the South reveal completely different patterns of development. This study is based on patterns obtained from the writer's earlier research on…

Examins historical and current views of pidgins and creoles. (KM)

Asserting that all dialect variation is accountable for in terms of social factors, this article strongly critizes the methods, assumptions and conclusions of geography-oriented dialectology. (FB)

Investigated African American Vernacular English dialect features in the midwestern community of Davenport, Iowa, and compared them to those reported by Pollock and Berni (1997) for Memphis, Tennessee--specifically productions of vocalic and postvocalic /r/ across African-American speakers from Davenport and Memphis. (Author/VWL)

This book examines linguistic variation and change. Section 1, "Sociohistorical Linguistics," includes: (1) "British Vernacular Dialects in the Formation of American English: The Case of East Anglian 'Do'"; (2) "'Short o' in East Anglia and New England"; and (3) "Sociohistorical Linguistics and Dialect Survival:…

This article summarizes African American Vernacular English (AAVE) phonological features from the perspective of phonetic transcription. Relevant International Phonetic Alphabet symbols and diacritics are discussed, as well as the importance of transcription detail when differentiating dialect variation from phonological delay or disorder. A chart…

This paper is the first in a compilation of articles reprinted by NCTE from the journal "Elementary English" and entitled "On the Dialects of Children." It comprises an overview of recent research in regional and social dialects in the United States. The "Linguistic Atlas of New England," the first section of the "Linguistic Atlas of the United…

In Guyana Creolese, the word "doz" appears frequently in the speech of people on a wide range of social levels. The term signals that the action occurs habitually. The use of "doz" is not widely noted among creolists, however, possibly because it often occurs in phonologically reduced forms such as "Iz" or…

Updated versions of "Dialects ("The Florida FL Reporter, Winter 1966-1967). Appears in "The Florida FL Reporter special anthology issue "Linguistic-Cultural Differences and American Education. (FWB)

Explains misconceptions and re-assesses old attitudes about teaching dialects in an effort to affirm the student's right to his own language. (RB)

Comparative judgments of vocal quality, speech fluency, and confidence of black and white speakers in southern universities were tested to determine the interrelationships of (1) perception of vocal quality and judgment of confidence in the voice, (2) quality and fluency, and (3) speech fluency and judgment of confidence, and to ascertain the…

Recruiters (n=65) rated effect of specific social dialect characteristics on job interview and rated their perceptions of social dialect speakers. Results revealed that 58% of Appalachian English variables presented and 93% of Black English variables presented were considered to have negative effect on job interview. For both dialects, nonstandard…

Three studies of the relationship of Black English (BE) pronunciation to spelling performance are reported in this document. The first study explored a large number of BE pronunciation features. The second included control features that do not have differing pronunciations in BE and standard English (SE). The third examined final consonant…