Crossing Cultural Borders: `Girl' and `Look' as Markers of Identity in Black Women's Language Use

Abstract

This study explores the use of two discourse markers - `girl' and `look' - used by a group of Black women in talk about their language use across cultural borders. In both group and individual interviews participants reported that they not only use language differently across cultural borders, but also see their relationships with others as different in those various cultural worlds. While the use of `girl' indicates solidarity between Black women, the use of `look' is reported as calling attention to differences in identity with those who are not Black and female. The women's use and talk about the use of these two discourse markers indicates an awareness of the implications of language choice when negotiating identity and social distance in various cultural worlds.

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