Coming of age in African American English: A longitudinal study1

Janneke Van Hofwegen · Walt Wolfram

126 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Sociolinguistics

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Linguistic Variation and Morphology Linguistic and Sociocultural Studies Language Development and Disorders

Abstract

This study examines trajectories of development in the use of African American English (AAE) for 32 speakers through the first 17 years of their lives based on a unique, longitudinal database. Temporal data points in the analysis include 48 months, Grade 1 (about age 6), Grade 4 (about age 9), Grade 6 (about age 11), Grade 8 (about age 13), and Grade 10 (about age 15). Complementary methods of analysis for assessing AAE include a token‐based Dialect Density Measure (DDM), a type‐based vernacular diversity index, and frequency‐based variation analysis. The study reveals different trajectories and peak periods for the use of AAE, including a ‘roller coaster’ and a curvilinear trajectory; at the same time, there is a common dip among speakers in the overall use of vernacular AAE from Grade 1 through Grade 4. Examination of a selective set of demographic and self‐regard measures shows no significant differences for gender, school racial density, racial peer contacts, and measures of Afro‐centrality, but does show a significant correlation between mothers’ and child use of AAE as well as age/grade.

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References

1968The Social Stratification of English in New York City.1975Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 1970A sociolinguistic description of Detroit Negro speech. By Walter A. Wolfram. (Urban language series, 5.) Washington, D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics, 1969. Pp. xviii, 237. $5.00.1974Variable Rules: Performance as a Statistical Reflection of Competence 1979Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 1976Language Development: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve 2004Comprehensive handbook of psychological assessment 1973Black English: its history and usage in the United States. By J. L. Dillard. New York: Random House, 1972. Pp. xiv, 361. $10.00.

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