The document discusses African American English (AAE), including its history and debates around its status as a language. It begins by defining AAE and outlining theories about its origins, such as developing from creoles or regional influences. The document then discusses a court case recognizing challenges AAE students face in schools. While some see AAE as substandard, linguists argue it represents social judgments rather than linguistic flaws. The document concludes by advocating for code-switching approaches in elementary classrooms to better accommodate AAE and increase student engagement, understanding and self-esteem.

1. Bridging the Gap in
Education with
Language
Accommodation
Nicole Gestwite
Adrian, MI

2. What is African American English?
dictionary.com
Black English
(noun)
Also called African American Vernacular English, African American English, Afro-
American English, Black English Vernacular, Black Vernacular English.
a dialect of American English
characterized by pronunciations, syntactic structures, and vocabulary
associated with and used by some North American Black people and
exhibiting a wide variety and range of forms varying in the extent to
which they differ from standard English.
2.any of a variety of dialects of English or English-based pidgins and
creoles associated with and used by black people.

3. A History of African American English
Anglicist Theory:
A result of the early retention of British English features that have not
been retained in other varieties of American English.
Creolist Theory:
Extreme circumstances of subordination and segregation lead to the
development of a creole language.
DEA

4. A History of African American English
Substrate Hypothesis:
An early regional influence as well as persistent influence of language is the
base of Black American English.
The Author’s Thoughts:
African American English started as a creole (blend of languages from early
slave trade times) and eventually developed into a pidgin (common
language spoken primarily by African Americans in certain regions) that has
many dialects (ex: Erie street in Adrian, MI is different from Chicago, IL.)
DEA

5. A History of African American English
Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School Children et al.
v. Ann Arbor School District
• Lack of parental or other home support for developing reading skills in standard
English.
• Students experience difficulty in hearing and making certain sounds used
discriminatively in standard English.
• The negative attitude of teachers toward the home language causes a
psychological barrier to learning by the student.
languagepolicy.net

6. African American English Debated
Google Images

7. African American English Debated
Google Images

8. African American English Debated
Google Images

9. African American English is a Language.
“As evidence by the spate of caustic, hateful responses on
Internet websites, so many Americans continue to believe that
the language variety of African Americans is nothing but
‘substandard’
‘a bastardization of English’
‘or just plain ignorant’
H. Samy Alim and Imani Perry, Society for
Linguistic Anthropology

10. African American English is a Language
H. Samy Alim and Imani Perry, Society for Linguistic
Anthropology
In fact, linguists note that such comments
represent mere social judgments based in classist,
racistviews of black people (even if made by black folks
themselves.”

11. Why Does African American English
Matter?

12. Why Does African American English
Matter?
contemporaryfamilies.org

13. African American English in the
Elementary Classroom
dictionary.com

14. Laisia Code Switcher

15. African American English in the
Elementary Classroom
Communication Accommodation Theory
“When humans talk to each other, they tend to change the way they talk to match
the way the listener talks.
Whether you realize it or not, and it can be either conscious or unconscious, you
match your accent, your speed, your rhythm, your vocabulary and even your stance
and gestures to that of the person you are talking to.”
Communicationstudies.com

16. African American English in the
Elementary Classroom
Communication Accommodation Theory
For students in the elementary classroom, having a teacher who converges to their
dialect will show:
an increase in the student’s respect, understanding, trust, and cooperation
as well as increase the student’s self-esteem, mutual understanding, and felt
supportiveness.
Giles & Soliz, 2015

17. African American English in the
Elementary Classroom
Google Images

18. African American English in the
Elementary Classroom
TRADITIONAL APPROACH: CODE-SWITCHING APPROACH:
“For this audience, how would we
want to speak?”
“What is the most effective way for
us to speak in this situation?”
“Let me help you code-switch this for
the person who we are giving this to.
Right now, the person is
___________.”
“That language is improper.”
“That language is bad.”
“You must speak ‘English.’”
“You need to fix this. Go back and
bring me a proper assignment.”
Wheeler and Swords

19. African American English in the
Elementary Classroom
We must remember that:
• The students are following the speech patterns of their home
life.
• The students are using a grammatical pattern different than
that of Standard American English.
• All students, not just African American English speaking
students, can benefit from code-switching.
Wheeler and Swords

20. African American English in the
Elementary Classroom
In order for code-switching to be successful,
it must be introduced in the beginning
stages of schooling.
As educators encourage cultural differences
visibly, cultural differences must also be
encouraged through code-switching.

21. Thank you.
Nicole Gestwite
ngestwite@adrian.edu