Middle-Class African American English

Including a wide range of audio extracts, this book offers a comprehensive overview of the use and evaluation of African American English (AAE) by middle-class speakers. It will provide scholars and students of AAE and sociolinguistics with a broader understanding of the African American English continuum and speech community.

African American English (AAE) is a major area of research in linguistics, but until now, work has primarily been focused on AAE as it is spoken amongst the working classes. From its historical development to its contemporary context, this is the first full-length overview of the use and evaluation of AAE by middle class speakers, giving voice to this relatively neglected segment of the African American speech community. Weldon offers a unique first-person account of middle class AAE, and highlights distinguishing elements such as codeswitching, camouflaged feature usage, Standard AAE, and talking/sounding ''Black'' vs. ''Proper''. Readers can hear authentic excerpts and audio prompts of the language described through a wide range of audio files, which can be accessed directly from the book''s page using QR technology or through the book''s online Resource Tab. Engaging and accessible, it will help students and researchers gain a broader understanding of both the African American speech community and the AAE continuum.