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DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1807755
PERCEIVING, PROCESSING, AND PRODUCING AFRICAN AMERICAN ENGLISH
Language matters, culture counts. Language is the soul of culture, an expression of identity, and a bridge between children and communities. Linguistic varieties spoken by children across the African diaspora, while distinct, share common threads that reflect the experiences of African-descended peoples across the globe. In speech-language pathology (SLP), recognizing, understanding, and valuing African American English (AAE) is not merely an academic exercise—it is an ethical imperative and a cornerstone of equitable practice.
AAEs encompasses a range of linguistic systems rooted in the African diaspora, such as AAE, the Gullah language, and Caribbean Creole languages, each carrying the weight of history, resistance, and resilience. The Gullah language, an English-based creole language, developed among African American communities in the coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia, spanning through parts of Florida and North Carolina (Berry, 2020). This creole language emerged during the 18th century in the rice fields, resulting from the contact between colonial English varieties and the diverse African languages spoken by enslaved Africans (Hancock, 1980). The relative isolation of the Gullah communities on the Sea Islands allowed them to preserve more native African linguistic and cultural patterns than any other African American community in the United States (Matory, 2008).
Similarly, Caribbean creole languages developed through the blending of European colonial languages and various African languages, reflecting the complex histories of colonization and enslavement in the Caribbean (Dwivedi, 2015). These creole languages serve as symbols of cultural identity and resilience, embodying the adaptive strategies of African diasporic communities in preserving their linguistic heritage amidst oppressive circumstances.
Understanding Gullah language, Caribbean creole languages, and other AAEs, all of which will be discussed in this forum, is crucial, as they not only represent modes of communication but also encapsulate the historical experiences and cultural identities of their speakers.
The way one communicates is a strong part of identity. I am a Black, African American woman who uses oral communication. I speak two varieties of English, mainstream/general American English (M/GAE) and AAE, as well as French (which I learned in school; so let's assume it's mainstream/general French spoken in France). I learned to speak a specific variety of M/GAE where I was born, in Evanston, IL, in a household where both of my parents were from different regions of South Carolina and spoke their own distinct varieties of AAEs. When I was 3, I moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, where I went to school and socialized/played with children of different racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. Once I got to college, I became further socialized into speaking AAE with my peers.
Understanding these aspects of my background is essential because they shape my positionality—the way my identity, experiences, and social context influence my communication and perspective. Positionality is crucial in scientific rhetoric because it acknowledges that knowledge and discourse are not neutral; they are shaped by the speaker's social and cultural background (Milner, 2007). Recognizing positionality allows for a more reflective and nuanced approach to communication, helping us understand how different linguistic and cultural experiences shape the way individuals engage with and contribute to scientific discourse (Hausermann & Adomako, 2022). In my case, my communication profile is a product of my racial, gender, geographic, and social and cultural experiences, all of which influence how I interpret and convey information.
Just as my communication profile was influenced by a variety of factors, the children served by our profession will come with a tapestry of linguistic knowledge that they represent. Imagine a first-generation child with Jamaican heritage, living in Brooklyn, New York, growing up in a multilingual household and practicing sequential bidialectalism, first acquiring Jamaican creole from their home, and then becoming fluent in AAE from their peers. Or an adolescent raised in Tuskegee, Alabama, attends school with peers from multiple racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, presenting as a multidialectal speaker of M/GAE and southern AAE. Regardless of the linguistic systems they use, each child embodies their personal journey of cultural heritage and linguistic evolution.
Although there are some commonalities among the linguistic features of AAEs, it is important to recognize that variations exist due to geographic, regional, generational, ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender differences. The way AAE is spoken in the southern United States, for example, may differ from what may be heard in urban areas such as Brooklyn, New York, or Chicago (McCullough et al., 2019). Even within the same state, such as Maryland, the influences of region have an impact on phonetic, syntactic, and lexical distinctions shaping the way speakers communicate. Generational shifts also play a role (Holt, 2011), as younger speakers may include new slang, digital communication influences, and evolving cultural expressions that differentiate their speech from older generations. Additionally, socioeconomic differences can affect language use, as individuals navigate different social, educational, and professional environments that may influence dialect exposure and use. Gender can also affect linguistic patterns, with research suggesting differences in speech styles, intonations, and discourse strategies within AAE communities (Clopper & Smiljanic, 2011).
Also note that within the realm of AAEs, there exist notable variations in communication style, cadence, humor, tone, and register—each of which contributes to the richness and adaptability of these linguistic systems. Communication style can range from highly expressive and animated to more reserved, depending on context, audience, and intent (Hamilton & DeThorne, 2021). Cadence, or the rhythmic flow of speech, often carries distinct patterns influenced by African oral traditions, music, and regional dialects. Humor, an integral part of AAEs, frequently employs wit and wordplay such as playing the dozens, and cultural references that create shared understanding and connection within the community (Smitherman, 1986). Tone can shift dramatically based on setting, audience, communication partner, and purpose, allowing speakers to convey emphasis, emotion, or nuance in conversation. Additionally, register—the level of formality or informality used—varies depending on whether one is speaking in a familial, social, professional, or academic setting. One crucial aspect to understand is that AAEs are not innately informal ways of speaking, they are rule-governed linguistic systems.
Together, these factors listed above contribute to the dynamic and diverse nature of AAEs, reinforcing the importance of understanding them as fluid, evolving linguistic systems rather than a single, monolithic entity.
Publication History
Article published online:
27 June 2025
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