This paper, which deals chiefly with Black English (BE), is an attempt "to exemplify some general principles concerning the nature of nonstandard dialects" with the chief goal of demonstrating the legitimacy of such dialects and fostering an attitude of respect towards them. The following points are stressed: (1) BE shares many features with other…

This is a reprint of a work published in 1873. Cross-referenced definitions of languages and dialects, geographical areas, native peoples, and philological terms comprise the major portion of this book. Approximately 4,200 entries are included. An intoduction describes the geographical distribution of major languages. [Not available in hard copy…

The effect of nonstandard language usage (specifically Black speech styles and rural accents) on employment opportunities was explored through recorded interviews with White employers. Statistical regressions indicated that speech style and ethnicity had significant impacts on various employment ratings. (MF)

Liberian English differs from standard educated English. English teachers in Liberia are attempting to teach standard spoken English rather than the Liberian dialect, using TEFL strategies. This article discusses the phonological, syntactic, morphological, lexical and semantic characteristics of Liberian English and the consequences for English…

Disputes use of the term General American'' because of the excessive breadth of its scope and its indefiniteness; article is part of Lexicography and Dialect Geography, Festgabe for Hans Kurath''. (DD)

Explores how a speech variety close to oratorical standard English is learned in one Afro-American peasant community in the West Indies. Material gathered during two field trips, one supported by a John Simon Guggenheim Foundation fellowship and the other by a National Institute of Mental Health grant. (VM)

Black English-Negro Nonstandard English, or Negro dialect,"-although perhaps represented by less divergent varieties in the Northern cities of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, is here shown to have been there all along. (JM)

Based on author's doctoral dissertation, University of Wisconsin. (Editor)

Explores the tension between the manner in which intergroup language differences are used to symbolize group membership and the manner in which they mirror and reinforce social class and power distinctions. (EKN)

Discusses the problems involved in making room for language variation realities in the teaching of French. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

The prepositional phrases used in free play discourse by 45 African American preschoolers from low-income homes were analyzed. A statistically significant positive relationship was found between amounts of African American English (AAE) form use and relational semantic complexity. No significant relationships were found between simpler…

The Curriculum and Pedagogy book series is an enactment of the mission and values espoused by the Curriculum and Pedagogy Group, an international educational organization serving those who share a common faith in democracy and a commitment to public moral leadership in schools and society. Accordingly, the mission of this series is to advance…

In "True to the Language Game", Keith Gilyard, one of the major African American figures to emerge in language and cultural studies, makes his most seminal work available in one volume. This collection of new and previously published essays contains Gilyard's most relevant scholarly contributions to deliberations about linguistic diversity,…

An understanding of dialect differences goes beyond the recognition that people talk differently; it concerns the way dialects differentiate themselves, the main differences in the patterns, and the method of discovering the patterns of various dialects. This booklet is intended for those who need to know more specific information concerning the…