Sociocultural and historical contexts of African American vernacular English / edited by Sonja L. Lanehart.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Acknowledgements -- Foreword -- About the Contributors -- Pt. 1. Introduction -- 1. State of the art in African American English research: Multi-disciplinary perspectives and directions -- 2. What is African American English? -- Pt. 2. African American English and its relationship to other varieties of English -- 3. The relationship between African American Vernacular English and White Vernaculars in the American South: A sociocultural history and some phonological evidence -- 4. Co-existing grammars: The relationship between the evolution of African American and Southern White Vernacular English in the South -- 5. The voice of the ancestors: New evidence on 19th-century precursors to 20th-century African American English -- Pt. 3. Language Use in the African American Community -- 6. Something to Shout about: African American Vernacular English as a linguistic and cultural treasure -- 7. "Nuthin' But a G Thang": Grammar and language ideology in Hip Hop identity -- 8. African American women: Talking that talk -- 9. Directness in the use of African American English -- Pt. 4. African American English and Education -- 10. The role of family, community, and school in children's acquisition and maintenance of African American English -- 11. Pay Leon, Pay Leon, Pay Leon, Paleontologist: Using call-and-response to facilitate language mastery and literacy acquisition among African American Students -- 12. Applying our knowledge of African American English to the problem of raising reading levels in inner-city schools -- 13. Applying linguistic knowledge of African American English to help students learn and teachers teach -- Pt. 5. Conclusion -- 14. Reconsidering the sociolinguistic agenda for African American English: The next generation of research and application -- Index.