Word from the Mother

Language and African Americans

Geneva Smitherman

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Paperback

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English

Routledge
07 February 2006

linguistics; Dialect, slang & jargon; Interdisciplinary studies

Written by the hugely respected linguist, Geneva Smitherman, this book presents a definitive statement on African American English. Enriched by her evocative and inimitable prose style, the study presents an overview of past debates on the speech of African Americans, as well as providing a vision for the future. Featuring cartoons which demonstrate the relationship between language and race, as well as common perceptions of African American Language, she explores its contribution to mainstream American English and includes a summary of expressions as a suggested linguistic core of AAL.

As global manifestations of Black Language increase, she argues that, through education, we must broaden our conception of AAL and its speakers, and further examine the implications of gender, age and class on AAL. Perhaps most of all we must appreciate the ‘artistic and linguistic genius’ of AAL, presented in this book through rap and Hip Hop lyrics and the explorations of rhyme and rhetoric in the Black speech community.

Word from the Mother is an essential read for students of African American English, language, culture and sociolinguistics, as well as the general reader interested in the worldwide ‘crossover’ of black popular culture.

By: Geneva Smitherman
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 11mm
Weight: 360g
ISBN: 9780415358767
ISBN 10: 0415358760
Pages: 192
Publication Date: 07 February 2006
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional & Vocational , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Reviews for Word from the Mother: Language and African Americans

'The author of Word from the Mother has written brilliantly in the language of the African American community without apologies. I am awed by its depth, comprehensiveness, and relevance. This is a powerful and provocative turn in the intellectual arena and readers will return to Word from the Mother for many years to come.' - Professor Molefi Kete Asante, Temple University, USA ...Geneva Smitherman needs little introduction; she has produced seminal works on the history, development and structure of AAL (African American Language)...this is a lively text that will have great appeal for both undergraduate and graduate students studying language--students will no doubt appreciate its lively language and hipness (to use an AAL word), but who will also have their awareness of the cultural and political nature of language use greatly enhanced by reading it. - Teaching as a Second or Foreign Language 'In short, although Smitherman has been more scholarly in her past book, in Word from the Mother she deliers the inspirational message we need to hear.' - Nancy Effinger Wilson