Bidialectalism in the classroom: the case of African-American English

Abstract

This article provides a brief description of the linguistic features of African-American English (AAE) and reviews the positions that have been taken up about its role in American education, ranging from those in which AAE is seen as an obstacle to the education of black children to those in which it becomes a language that is different from Standard American English to be taught as a second or foreign language. This article argues that a bidialectal paradigm is needed to describe the prevailing situation accurately and goes on to outline the steps that are necessary, within this paradigm, for the maintenance and development of AAE in the education of African-American children.