African American English: A Linguistic Introduction

Abstract

African American English: A Linguistic Introduction by Lisa J. Green. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002, xii+285 pp. Reviewed by Jevon D. Hunter University of California, Los Angeles With a heartfelt analysis that encourages readers to re-examine their ideas Lisa Green presents a provocative discussion in her recent about language education glish: in general, of African American English (AAE) book, African American En- that A Linguistic Introduction. In this book, Green effectively argues AAE is it both systematic and rule-governed rather than a system of isolated features that historically have been characterized as bad English. Throughout the book be- comes quite clear that the author aligns herself with those researchers who advo- cate a level of legitimacy for AAE as a linguistic system. Green's approach suc- (i.e., cessfully blends the theoretical rigors of academia sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, lan- and historical emergence) with the pragmatic concerns of (i.e., guage education use). language acquisition, language assessment, and language Her end result is a text that argues for a re-thinking of teaching and learning methodologies to challenge current pedagogical approaches to language educa- tion. Therefore, the book is appropriate not only for courses that deal with lan- in teacher guage development, but also for students an interest in literacy. education programs who have Green's chapter breakdown demonstrates well the blending of theory and practice. Chapters through 4, for example, involve a discussion of the theoretical foundations of AAE study. Chapter One, Lexicons and Meaning, focuses on the lexicon and semantics of AAE, affording the author an opportunity to discuss as a system of different AAE is word selection and meaning. Green contends its that AAE lexicon from other English lexicons because of reliance on verbal markers as indicators of how a particular event or action occurs. Her distinction offers a con- venient segue into Chapter Two, Syntax Part Verbal Markers in AAE, which addresses the usage of verbal markers within AAE syntax. It is in this chapter that (e.g., Green provides a detailed discussion of auxiliary verbs markers (i.e., have, be, do), aspectual meaning that informs occurrence), and preverbal markers {e.g.,finna, steady, and come). Chapter Three, Syntax Part 2: Syntactic and Morphosyntactic Properties in AAE it and Chapter Four, Phonology of AAE, conclude Green's this point structural analysis of AAE. Green's analyses up to challenge critics of four AAE who view as an improper, ungrammatical language whose speakers sound, first generally speaking, inarticulate and unintelligent. Thus, by the end of the Issues in Applied Linguistics ISSN 1050-4273 Vol. 13 No. © 2002, Regents of the University of California