African American Female Speech Communities

Book excerpt: In this sociolinguistic study, not only are language and gender researched, but the relationship between language and ethnic group, region, and social class is also discussed. Hudson describes the ways in which some female African American writers use the language of African American female characters to reflect their membership in various speech communities. Materials used for this text include slave narratives, novels, short stories, diaries, plays, and autobiographies. The study bridges the gap between the existing research on that focuses on the Vernacular English spoken mainly by young African American males and the research which mainly focuses on the language used by white middle class females. Research in the area of African American English has investigated both its form and its use in conversational interactions. Hudson explores how African American English encompasses a range of dialects from Standard to Vernacular English, noting that there is a diversity of language types present in the African American female speech community. This book offers language researchers, social scientists, educators, and others valuable insights into language use by minority females.