Discusses the Gullah language, an English-based Creole language that contains words from approximately 21 African languages. Discusses historical background and educational implications. Concludes that in communicating with Gullah speaking children, a teacher has to be flexible, understanding, and willing to learn the student's native language.…

Quantitative evidence is presented for a change in vernacular Black English (VBE) that appears to involve increasing similarities between VBE and other varieties. It is suggested that, although Black varieties and White varieties of English remain distinct and undergo certain changes separately, this need not be regarded as absolute divergence.…

This bibliography contains 103 references to scholarship on Africanized English and related educational scholarship published since 1985 and includes articles published in scholarly journals, books, and chapters from edited volumes. (MDM)

Intends to trace a line of thought from early rhetoricians and scholars to contemporary researchers, thinkers, and practitioners that both emphasizes critical pedagogy and values Black culture, especially its vernacular language. Concludes that there was always an African-American contribution to the field of composition in some way or another.…

Compared male and female speakers of white middle class English, black accented English, and black English vernacular in their telephone contacts with rental agents who were advertising apartments for rent in Philadelphia. Results found clear, dramatic evidence of telephone-based racial discrimination. Callers perceived as lower class black…

Investigates the perception and application of the norm in South African English with specific reference to Black South African English. Hypothesizes that South African English is in the hibernation and expansion phase. Three sets of data are presented and analyzed. (Author/VWL)

Investigates stress placement in one variety of Black South African English (BSAE), namely Tswana English. A corpus of 333 polysyllabic words was analyzed in detail to determine the properties of the Tswana English stress system; properties were interpreted by means of optimality theory. Concludes that stress is stored lexically in function words,…

Argues that the responses to the Oakland, California ebonics resolution miss what made the resolution so significant while also making debate about it so intractable. Proposes that compositionists who acknowledge attitudes that made the resolution so significant can productively engage the larger public regarding literacy education in a racially…

This document shares Dr. Walt Wolfram's views on African-American Dialect. He states that the most elementary principle is that all language is patterned and rule-governed, and one can apply that principle to African-American English, Appalachian English, and to every other dialect that is examined.

Using Burkean theory, I claim that Malcolm X brilliantly exposed the rhetoric and epistemology of whiteness as he rejected the African American jeremiad--a dominant form of African American oratory for more than 150 years. Whiteness theory served as the basis for Malcolm X's alternative literacy, which raises important questions that literacy…

Prator (1968) argued strongly for promoting a single standard of English, maintaining that schools have an obligation to teach a native standard of English. The assumption that the educational structure is a productive forum for directing language use is questioned. The report begins with a discussion of the controversy surrounding United States…

The paper considers difficulties facing black gifted children and examines the importance of language variability, classroom management, and learning to think. The nature of Black English is explored with various viewpoints of its origins, and suggestions are made for dealing with the special needs of students who have inadequate mastery of…

Black-oriented radio stations are a valuable resource for the white teacher needing familiarity with Black idioms. (JH)

Schools should provide opportunities for students, especially Black students, to become knowledgeable about their language system and culture. (JH)

A pilot project was undertaken to more clearly determine teacher attitudes toward Black English. A Teacher Attitude Scale (TAS) was constructed, based upon the literature and interviews with teachers and administrators, and administered to 15 teachers. Items significant at the .05 level were retained, forming the final edition of the TAS.…