Preface

First and foremost descriptions of language used by 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old developing African American English (AAE)-speaking children give us some insight into their general patterns and norms of language use. Descriptions such as those in this book serve as a starting point for presenting child AAE as the native variety of some children that they acquire and develop systematically in stages. Owing to ever-present discussions about race, ethnicity, and education, questions about language use and child AAE are often raised in the context of the quest to overcome barriers to academic success. To what extent do differences between AAE and mainstream American English (MAE) impede academic success? This is an important question and considerable focus has been placed on different angles from which the topic is addressed. It is my hope that the information in this book will have practical application in a number of areas and disciplines related to linguistics and that it might be useful not only in showing how the language of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old developing AAE-speaking children differs from that of their peers from other speech communities but also how it is similar to their peers’ language. In trying to learn more about developing-child AAE, it is important to describe it in its own right; however, given what we know about inherent variability in adult AAE, we raise the question about developmental patterns of variation in child AAE, also.

This book can be used in linguistics and general education courses that address properties of developmental and adult AAE and in general courses about early language use in different speech communities. It can also be used in courses designed to introduce teachers, early childhood specialists, and speech pathologists to language patterns in the speech of some African American children. The language samples and linguistic description are geared toward illustrating what is meant by systematic language use and patterns in development. In addition the data collected from scenarios and elicitation tasks should also be useful in discussions about the developmental paths child AAE speakers take in using certain constructions.