ERIC Number: EJ859077
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Oct
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0161-1461
EISSN: N/A
Cohesive Adequacy in the Narrative Samples of School-Age Children Who Use African American English
Horton-Ikard, RaMonda
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, v40 n4 p393-402 Oct 2009
Purpose: This study explored the type and adequacy of cohesive devices that are produced by school-age children who use African American English (AAE). Method: The language samples of 33 African American children, ages 7, 9, and 11 years, were transcribed, analyzed, and coded for AAE use and cohesive adequacy (e.g., personal reference, demonstrative reference, lexical, and conjunctive markers). Results: There were 2 AAE features that child speakers used for cohesive purposes. Adequacy rates for personal reference cohesive devices were higher than for the other 3 categories. Age was a significant factor in the use and adequacy of cohesive devices. Conclusion: Typically developing African American children use the same category types of cohesive devices that have been reported for their peers who speak Standard American English. Further examination of cohesive adequacy to identify language impairment in school-age AAE speakers is warranted.
Descriptors: African American Children, Black Dialects, Language Impairments, North American English, Age Differences, Cognitive Development, Child Development, Evaluation Methods, Elementary Education, Comparative Analysis
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. Tel: 800-638-8255; Fax: 301-571-0457; e-mail: subscribe@asha.org; Web site: http://lshss.asha.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A