EPISODE · Apr 11, 2026 · 37 MIN
Ep. 22: African American English in the 757
from languagingHR · host LHR
Hosts: Jill Winkowski and Prue SalaskyDate: April 10, 2026Length: 37 minutesPublication Frequency: Fourth Friday (approx) of each monthIn this episode we explore African American English, its history, features, and variations, including in Hampton Roads, aka the 757. We interview three black academics in the region to learn about AAE and what defines it. We talk to Dr. Iyabo Osiapem, teaching professor of Africana Studies and Linguistics at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg. Founded in 1693, It’s the only university in the state to offer an undergraduate major in linguistics. At Hampton University in Hampton, the city where the first African indentured servants and slaves arrived in North America in 1619, we speak to Dr. Darylyn Dance, a specialist in rhetoric and composition. We also talk to Dr. Travis Harris, a hip hop scholar who teaches at Norfolk State University in Norfolk. From them we learned about the distinctive syntactical and pronunciation features of the AAE dialect; various theories of its development, including from West African languages; some distinctive local vocabulary; the influence of hip hop in its evolution; and its controversial history related to education, including the 1979 Ann Arbor case and the 1997 Oakland decision.We learn about its labels over the years, including “non-standard Negro English” used by white linguist William Labov, “the father of sociolinguistics,” who pioneered research into AAE in the 1960s, We learn about the work of African American linguist John Baugh in exposing linguistic profiling and the development of the ebonics label by educational psychologist Robert Williams, inventor of the BITCH test which highlighted cultural bias in standardized testing. Finally, we discuss attitudes to language variation. Here are some of the books and authors the three professors recommended for AAE: Olaudah Equiano (18th century)(enslaved, freed, went to UK) slave narratives, letters, poems;essayist and journalist Charles Chesnutt (turn of the 20th century) The Goophered Grapevine;Poetry by Frances Ellen Watkins (19th century); by Paul Laurence Dunbar (19th century); by Countee Cullen (early 20th century); by Langston Hughes (20th century); George Schuyler journalist, columnist, critic (20th century); Phyllis Wheatley, born in Africa, writing in second language; Imami All Mine by Connie Porter (This American Girl series); Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes are Watching God; Alice Childress, Rainbow Jordan; The Color Purple by Alice Walker; Dutchman (1964 play) by Amiri Baraka; Sonia Sanchez (20th century) poet, playwright, professor; Maya Angelou; Toni Morrison;Gil Scott-Heron, “The Revolution will not be Televised” (“godfather of rap”); academic articles by Vershawn Ashanti Young (contemporary); Bernice McFadden, “Sugar” (2000)For those interested in hip-hop, the W&M Hip Hop Collection, started in the 1980s, is part of Swem Library’s Special Collections and includes recordings, publications, and ephemera from Virginia based hip hop artists. Local stars include Pharell and Clipse (the brothers Pusha T and No Malice).Send your questions and feedback to [email protected]; and for more information and to listen to previous episodes, check out our website, www.languaginghr.wordpress.com.
What this episode covers
Hosts: Jill Winkowski and Prue SalaskyDate: April 10, 2026Length: 37 minutesPublication Frequency: Fourth Friday (approx) of each monthIn this episode we explore African American English, its history, features, and variations, including in Hampton Roads, aka the 757. We interview three black academics in the region to learn about AAE and what defines it. We talk to Dr. Iyabo Osiapem, teaching professor of Africana Studies and Linguistics at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg. Founded in 1693, It’s the only university in the state to offer an undergraduate major in linguistics. At Hampton University in Hampton, the city where the first African indentured servants and slaves arrived in North America in 1619, we speak to Dr. Darylyn Dance, a specialist in rhetoric and composition. We also talk to Dr. Travis Harris, a hip hop scholar who teaches at Norfolk State University in Norfolk. From them we learned about the distinctive syntactical and pronunciation features of the AAE dialect; various theories of its development, including from West African languages; some distinctive local vocabulary; the influence of hip hop in its evolution; and its controversial history related to education, including the 1979 Ann Arbor case and the 1997 Oakland decision.We learn about its labels over the years, including “non-standard Negro English” used by white linguist William Labov, “the father of sociolinguistics,” who pioneered research into AAE in the 1960s, We learn about the work of African American linguist John Baugh in exposing linguistic profiling and the development of the ebonics label by educational psychologist Robert Williams, inventor of the BITCH test which highlighted cultural bias in standardized testing. Finally, we discuss attitudes to language variation. Here are some of the books and authors the three professors recommended for AAE: Olaudah Equiano (18th century)(enslaved, freed, went to UK) slave narratives, letters, poems;essayist and journalist Charles Chesnutt (turn of the 20th century) The Goophered Grapevine;Poetry by Frances Ellen Watkins (19th century); by Paul Laurence Dunbar (19th century); by Countee Cullen (early 20th century); by Langston Hughes (20th century); George Schuyler journalist, columnist, critic (20th century); Phyllis Wheatley, born in Africa, writing in second language; Imami All Mine by Connie Porter (This American Girl series); Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes are Watching God; Alice Childress, Rainbow Jordan; The Color Purple by Alice Walker; Dutchman (1964 play) by Amiri Baraka; Sonia Sanchez (20th century) poet, playwright, professor; Maya Angelou; Toni Morrison;Gil Scott-Heron, “The Revolution will not be Televised” (“godfather of rap”); academic articles by Vershawn Ashanti Young (contemporary); Bernice McFadden, “Sugar” (2000)For those interested in hip-hop, the W&M Hip Hop Collection, started in the 1980s, is part of Swem Library’s Special Collections and includes recordings, publications, and ephemera from Virginia based hip hop artists. Local stars include Pharell and Clipse (the brothers Pusha T and No Malice).Send your questions and feedback to [email protected]; and for more information and to listen to previous episodes, check out our website, www.languaginghr.wordpress.com.
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Ep. 22: African American English in the 757
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