Module 10

African American English (AAE)

Has undergone many name changes: It has been referred to as: black dialect, black English, black English vernacular, African American language and Ebonics Today AAE is considered to be a dialect of mainstream American English Dialect: A rule governed variation in language used by a racial, ethnic, geographic, or socioeconomic group Dialects differ from each other in: vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar But: they are enough alike to be mutually understood by speakers of different dialects of the same language

Dialectal differences

In the US, mainstream American English (MAE) is used in government communications, national television newscast, and many businesses Many consider MAE to be the official language of the US MAE has several dialects. Each one has characteristic sound patterns, including typical expressions, and unique accents Dialectal differences are due to several interrelated factors, including geographical region, socioeconomic level, speaking situation and other factors With regard to geographic location, people living in the US develop variations of language use and production

Dialectal differences

It is important for SLP's and audiologist to understand the influence of language in order to differentiate between language differences and language disorders For example, speakers of African-American English, Spanish, and Asian languages have unique and predictable characteristics based on primary language influence that are signs of differences and not disorders Language differences do not need to be remediated However, some speakers seek elective intervention so that their productions may more closely approximate mainstream American English

Deletion of final consonant (DFC)

Normal AAE pattern In the video: child says "ba" for "bad"

Assessment and treatment

SLP's must be aware of the typical characteristics of AAE. This will help them understand how to distinguish between a language difference and a Language disorder in those who speak AAE

Spanish speaker characteristics: morphology and syntax

Spanish influenced English set two; slides 3-8

English influenced by Asian languages

The following are characteristics of language differences (not disorders,) commonly observed among Asian speakers The patterns are typical and are to be expected English influenced by Asian languages set two; slides 3-10

AAE Characteristics: morphology and syntax

The following utterances in green font are acceptable utterances AAE dialect set two slides 9-14

AAE characteristics: articulation and phonology

The following word/speech sounds in green font are acceptable productions for AAE speakers: Look at AAE dialect set 2 slides 4-5

Metathasis: aks/ask

This is a normal pattern for AAE speakers

English influenced by Asian languages

Use language and Acquisition module 10 quizlet; also use English influenced by Asian languages set one slides 9-12

Spanish influenced English

Use language and acquisition module 10 quizlet

AAE speakers

When AAE speakers are assessed, it is critical to know which aspects of their speech and language patterns reflect AAE rules and which indicate a disorder Many SLP's place children who speak AAE on their caseloads for remediation of AAE: not only is this illegal, it is often unsuccessful as well Some speakers of AAE may elect to become bidialectal in that they become proficient in MAE as well as AAE Being bidialectal enables speakers to maintain the use of AAE while also being able to use MAE for conducting business with non-AAE speakers

Authentic assessment

When clients who speak AAE are assessed, SLP's should use alternative forms for assessment including: language sample analysis, descriptions of children's functional skills, and authentic assessment such as: children's portfolios of classroom work

Misconceptions about AAE

All African-American speak AAE: not true Some African-American speak AAE and some do not. Some code switch back-and-forth between MAE and AAE and some do not AAE is spoken only by African-Americans: not true AAE may be spoken by people of any ethnic and language background Non-African-Americans speak AAE if their peer group speaks AAE AAE is A sub standard form of MAE: not true Some historically took a deficit perspective. This incorrect view was that African-Americans were cognitively unable to learn MAE The current ethnolinguistic theory states that AAE is a dialect in its own right. Its roots can be traced to many languages of west Africa AAE does not have regular predictable system: not true It is widely known that AAE is a rule governed system in which patterns in AAE can be predicted based on the rules If children speak AAE, their use of AAE should be discontinued: not true Some experts believe that speakers of AAE should elect to become bilingual or bidialectal so they can speak both AAE and MAE In this optimal situation, they preserve the culture, heritage and dialect as well as an MAE style speaking required in some daily situations, school experiences and future employment Use of standardized language test with AAE speakers is a non-biased indicator of language knowledge: not true Many instruments in schools are normed and standardized on Anglo, middle-class, monolingual English speakers These tests have been criticized as being inappropriate for use with AAE children. Many tests of morphosyntactic skill are biased against AAE speakers

Dialects in the US

Based on geographical locations, some divide the country into 10 major dialects of MAE: New York City, eastern New England, western Pennsylvania, Appalachian, southern, middle Atlantic, Central Midland, Southwest, Northwest and North Central

AAE Articulation and Phonology

Differing syllable stress patterns: GUItar/guitar, POlice/police Verbs ending in k are changed: Li-tid/liked, wah-tid/ walked Devoicing of final consonants: Bet/bed, ruk/rug, cap/cab i/e substitution: Pin/pen, tin/ten Diphthong reduction: Fahnd/find, ol/oil N substitution for ng: Walkin/walking, thin/thing