En Chapter 8

Chapter 8 | Enhancements

View a public service announcement about dialect‐based housing discrimination, based on sociolinguist John Baugh’s studies of linguistic profiling.

Hear Richard Brown talking about pressure facing speakers of African American English to change the way they speak.

Watch a video on the historical origins of African American English featuring sociolinguist John Baugh.

Hear a couple of speakers from Samaná, in the Dominican Republic; see below on what Samaná may reveal about the origins of African American English.

Hear audio clips of ex‐slaves from the WPA recordings.

A discussion of regional differentiation in African American English, even within a single US state – North Carolina

Hear audio clips from four generations of Hyde County African Americans.

Hear linguist John McWhorter talking about the grammatical rules underlying African American “slang.”