The language children bring to the classroom (home language) is often different from the language that is expected or accepted in schools. These language differences are often met with a variety of reactions from teachers. The purpose of this research is threefold: (a) to apply a narrative inquiry design to explore how teachers respond to the language that children bring (home language) to the early childhood classroom and the effects this response has on their work with children; (b) to engage in research efforts that will explore how differences in language may affect or be affected by pedagogy, curriculum development, and teachers' expectations; (c) to understand how teachers feel about their preparation and capacity to address the issue of language diversity. The 4 participants in this study are either current or former teachers of children between the ages of 4 to 8 years. Through the use of narrative inquiry, I have acquired stories from each of the 4 participants. The stories provide insight into these teachers' perceptions of children's language in the classroom. The stories also open discussions on language diversity and the role it plays in early childhood education classrooms as well as how prepared teachers are to deal with language differences. With this study I hope to contribute to the research that focuses on language and language diversity in early childhood education. I would also hope to prompt further research on issues such as teachers' approaches to children's language differences within the classroom, the affects of different approaches to language diversity on pedagogy and curriculum, and finally on culturally sensitive pedagogy.

abstract: Due to the limits of Arizona's secondary education system, English teachers often have to teach Standard English without regard for students' dialects and home languages. This can contribute to a lack of academic success for students who speak nonstandard and stigmatized language varieties. During the discussions that appear in this thesis, I examine pedagogical practices, particularly bidialectalism, that can be used to better teach these students. While these practices can apply to students of all languages and dialects, I focus on their effects on speakers of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). I also present some ways that educators can be better prepared to teach such students. I conclude with some practical applications, lessons, and activities that teachers in similar contexts can use and modify. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis English 2014

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the spoken variety African-American VernacularEnglish (AAVE) is used in entertainment. This is performed by comparing the spoken language oftwo fictional characters from two different sources of entertainment who are depicted as AAVEspeakers. The characters selected for the study are Stringer Bell from the TV-series The Wire andMama Odie from the movie The Princess and the Frog. Since the aim of this study is to compare andmeasure frequency of use of AAVE features amongst the two characters, a quantitative analysis hasbeen conducted. The findings show that the characters use similar features of AAVE but not to thesame extent. The results show that both characters use verb phrases, negations, and nominals. Theresults show that the characters have 6 grammatical features and 5 phonological features in commonin the selected material, where Stringer Bell uses more grammatical features and Mama Odie usesmore phonological features. Moreover, the results show that the depiction of the characters’ spokenlanguage varies due to the aim of the specific production and that the spoken language of the twocharacters is also affected by regional differences. / Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur den talade varianten afroamerikansk engelska (AAVE)används i underhållning. Detta utförs genom att jämföra det talade språket från två fiktivakaraktärer från två väldigt olika underhållningskällor där karaktärerna talar AAVE. Karaktärernasom är valda för studien är karaktären Stringer Bell från TV-serien The Wire och karaktären MamaOdie från filmen Prinsessan och grodan. Eftersom syftet med denna studie är att jämföra och mätafrekvensen av användandet av AAVE-funktioner mellan de två karaktärerna har en kvantitativinnehållsanalys tillämpats för detta ändamål. För att sammanfatta så använder sig karaktärerna avliknande särdrag men inte till samma utsträckning. Resultaten visar att båda karaktärerna användersig av verbfraser, negationer och nominaler. Resultaten visar att karaktärerna har 6 grammatiskafunktioner och 5 fonologiska särdrag gemensamt i det valda materialet, där Stringer Bells främstanvänder sig av grammatiska funktioner och Mama Odie använder främst fonologiska särdrag.Dessutom visar resultaten att skildringen av karaktärernas talade språk varierar beroende påproduktionens syfte. Följaktligen visar detta att det talade språket för de två karaktärerna också ärpåverkade av regionala varianter.

Tupac Amaru Shakur was a successful African American musician, poet, and actor most renowned for tackling controversial subject matters in his music as well as using it as a platform to highlight his political opinions and social activism. Tupac used African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in his music. AAVE is a form of English, with its own unique vocabulary, typically spoken in urban communities and historically rooted in the American South. The aim of this study is to analyse how Tupac uses language to represent the voiceless America. This research essay focuses on answering two sub-questions. First, what topics/discourses does Tupac rap about in the song Changes and second, how is language used to represent these topic/discourses? Changes, one of Tupac's most prominent song, is studied in a qualitative discourse analysis where AAVE (African American Vernacular English) is in the focus. Also, a minor study is presented in three different tables to compare AAVE words with Standard American (SAE). The results of this study indicate that AAVE in Tupac's music is purposeful, plays a strong role in his persona, presentation, and can be linked to his political activism. In conclusion, through analyzing Changes, this essay illustrates several examples on how Tupac uses linguistic features to explore several themes and highlight the African American struggle in his society.

John Rickford (1990) states that “80%-90% of African Americans speak some form of Black English”, also known as “Ebonics” or “African American Vernacular English” (AAVE). In 1996, when the Oakland School Board proposed its resolution designating Ebonics as their students’ primary language, many African Americans outright rejected the School Board’s reference and description of their language (Smitherman, 2000, 150). Among them were Baby boomers (1940-1960s), who participated in the debates, and the Generation X’ers, (1960s-1980s), who were informed by the debates. A recent interview of members from both groups show that there is continued skepticism regarding the legitimacy of Ebonics as a language. Their resistance offers much to learn about intergroup relations and conflict. This research explores these components of group identity by examining the in-group language responses to the question of whether Ebonics, AAVE, or Black English is a language.

African American Vernacular English (AAVE) has been extensively explored in previous research in sociolinguistics. However, the portrayal of the sociolect in movies is still not widely researched. In order to address this gap, the purpose of this thesis is to study how AAVE is used in the movie Sextuplets (2019), directed by Michael Tiddes and co-produced by Marlon Wayans. The material used was the script excerpted from Subslikescript (2019) [www], and the study was delimited to the speech of the two characters Alan and Dawn. The method used was close reading of these two characters’ lines in order to identify four grammatical features identified in previous research as associated with AAVE: negation ain´t+ multiple negation with ain´t, multiple negation, copula BE absence and Invariant BE. In addition, the data analysis procedure also involved identification of AAVE avoidance, i.e., instances where the characters had the opportunity to use the AAVE features but opted for their General American counterparts instead. The results show that all four AAVE features occurred in the speech of both characters, and the structures in which these features occur conforms to findings from previous studies of AAVE usage in authentic contexts. The findings also display extensive differences in frequency between the two characters’ use of AAVE. These differences can be related to their social background. Alan is portrayed as a wealthy African American male, whereas Dawn is presented as a troublemaker who has been in and out of jail. The speech of these two characters is realistic in the sense that it reproduces grammatical features of AAVE noted in previous research on language use in authentic contexts. In addition, the differences between the two characters can be said to reproduce stereotypes of how African Americans from different social classes use AAVE.

Sociolinguists working in Northern urban areas have shown that Hispanics who come in contact with African Americans sometimes acquire features of African American vernacular English (AAVE). However, the acquisition of AAVE features by Hispanics in the South has yet to be documented. Specifically, no one has studied the kind of English that Hispanics in Texas are acquiring. The present study investigates this issue through research in an inner-city area of Dallas: Oak Cliff. During the past twenty-five years, the population of Oak Cliff has changed from a largely African American community to include a substantial number of Hispanics. Though their neighborhoods remain fairly separate, sports and gangs provide an arena for extended contact. This study investigates the extent to which AAVE grammatical features are being acquired by bilingual Hispanic adolescents who hang out with African Americans. The analysis for this paper focuses on the relationship between contact and depth of acquisition of AAVE syntactic constraints on the use the copula (is/are, be). Preliminary results show that be+V+ing as an habitual form has been incorporated into the grammar of these subjects, suggesting fundamental changes towards an AAVE grammatical system.

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