Written by John Stigall, Jr.

        Which view of Standard American English (SAE) is the correct one? Many Black Americans refer to it as “talkin’ proper” while supposedly mainstream Americans refer to it as “using correct grammar.” For many linguists, the answer to this question has nothing to do with allegedly misplaced apostrophes because both characterizations are incorrect. Thus, there is actually nothing about SAE more proper or correct than any other dialect of English. I write about this issue because I, along with many others, am concerned that there is a bit of grammatical bullying going on in many American schools. British dialects differ greatly from SAE, yet they are almost universally regarded as sophisticated, and for this reason we gently correct a British exchange student for using an alternative spelling of ‘favorite.’ Australian dialects are considered charming at worst, but never as ignorant. However, for some reason when a Black student says “naw bruh” (when she or he may be displaying an exemplary knowledge of the subject matter in question) educators often feel the need to remind the student that they are in a school, not in the hood, and about how lazy it is to speak in such a ignorant manner. I believe these sorts of practices should come to an end because there is no good reason to hold one language above another, but this position requires some justification.

        One fact to take note of is that certain phrases in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) are more efficiently constructed than their SAE counterparts. For example, consider what linguists call the “habitual be” of AAVE. The sentence:

        AAVE: He been doing his work.

with special intonation used for the word ‘been’ is roughly equivalent in meaning to:

        SAE: He has been doing his work for quite some time.

Thus, we find in this case that SAE is sloppier and more cumbersome than AAVE, and I have no desire to attempt translating this phrase into the supposedly more sophisticated British dialects.

        Also, AAVE includes a large family of sub dialects. Hopefully, some of us have noticed that rural Black women who grew up in the 50s living in Birmingham do not communicate the same as affluent Black men who grew up in the 90s living in Chicago. Black language differs depending on geographical region, gender, sexual orientation, age, and class. So having such low regard for AAVE reduces a complex family of Black dialects to mere “thug talk,” “street talk,” or “slang” which is, in itself, quite lazy and ignorant.

        The final and most obvious point is that this brutish scolding of young Black speakers is potentially harmful to their self image. Given that no Americans use SAE at all times, there is no reason why AAVE dialects should be singled out as being inferior in some especially vile way. This does not imply that we should encourage students who use non-standard English to ignore or disregard SAE, but we should encourage what is often called “code-switching,” e.g. using SAE in professional and academic social settings and whatever dialect is most effective in more natural social circumstances.

        Most people accomplish code switching without formal training, and for this reason I think a good means of fine tuning this skill in addition to traditional methods is by using activities that simulate professional and academic social situations such as speeches, job interviews, debates, dinners, and class discussions. All the while, educators should make clear that these sorts of situations are the only time when this dreadful Standard dialect is necessary (I fear that some poor souls have come to believe that they should labor to speak to their friends in SAE). My personal belief is that steps in this direction are more practical and will yield more fruitful results than the current test-oriented approach. More importantly, it represents an attitude of tolerance and understanding that is ultimately better for all of our American students.