Editing African-American English (section)

==In education==
{{Main|African-American Vernacular English and social context}}

Nonstandard African-American varieties of English have been stereotypically associated with a lower level of education and low social status. Since the 1960s, however, linguists have demonstrated that each of these varieties, and namely [[African-American Vernacular English]], is a "legitimate, rule-governed, and fully developed dialect".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=L. Bond|first=Bowie|date=1994|title=Influencing Future Teachers' Attitudes toward Black English: Are We Making a Difference?|journal=Journal of Teacher Education|volume=45|issue=2|pages=112–118|doi=10.1177/0022487194045002005|s2cid=145682254}}</ref> The techniques used to improve the proficiency of African-American students learning standard written English have sometimes been similar to that of teaching a second language.<ref name="using_ebonics">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ascd.org/publications/classroom-leadership/apr1999/Using-Ebonics-or-Black-English-as-a-Bridge-to-Teaching-Standard-English.aspx|title=Using Ebonics or Black English as a Bridge to Teaching Standard English|last=ASCD|website=www.ascd.org|language=en-US|access-date=2018-04-01|archive-date=2018-03-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315150919/http://www.ascd.org/publications/classroom-leadership/apr1999/Using-Ebonics-or-Black-English-as-a-Bridge-to-Teaching-Standard-English.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Contrastive analysis]] is used for teaching topics in African-American Vernacular English. Both the phonological and syntactic features of a student's speech can be analyzed and recorded in order to identify points for contrast with Standard American English.<ref name="using_ebonics" /> Another way AAE can be taught is based on a strategy, communicative flexibility, that focuses on language used at home and analyzes speech during dramatic play.<ref name="writing_instruction">{{Cite journal|last=Glover|first=Crystal|date=2013-03-01|title=Effective Writing Instruction for African American English|url=https://journals.uncc.edu/urbaned/article/view/26/20|journal=Urban Education Research & Policy Annuals|language=en|volume=1|issue=1|issn=2164-6406}}</ref> Using this method, children are taught to recognize when SAE is being used and in which occasions, rather than conforming to the speech around them in order to sound correct.<ref name="writing_instruction" />

Although the stigmatization of AAE has continued, AAE remains because it has functioned as a social identity marker for many African-Americans.<ref name="ebonics_SE">{{Cite web|url=http://mufwene.uchicago.edu/gurt99.html|title=Salikoko Mufwene: Ebonics and Standard English in the Classroom: Some Issues|website=mufwene.uchicago.edu|access-date=2018-04-29}}</ref> The goal with teaching SAE is not to end its use, but to help students differentiate between settings where its use is and is not considered acceptable.<ref name="ebonics_SE" /> In addition, research has also found that AAE can be used as a bridge to mainstream academic English. By understanding the similarities and differences between AAE and mainstream American English, teachers can provide students with effective strategies for learning and using both dialects.

Recently, linguists like [[John McWhorter]] have tried to persuade the public that "Black English" is not a separate language from or imperfect form of "[[Standard English]]".  He argues that Black English is a separate dialect, distinct from Standard English in the same way that [[Canadian French]] and [[Swiss French]] are distinct from the standard dialect of [[Parisian French]].  He also acknowledges that we have a long way to go as a society in recognizing Black English as anything but "full of slang and bad grammar".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Talking back, talking Black: truths about America's lingua franca|last=McWhorter|first=John|publisher=Bellevue Literary Press|year=2017|isbn=9781942658207|edition=1st|location=New York, NY|pages=11|oclc=945949085}}</ref>