LSLT - Shenika Hankerson / Understanding How African American Language (AAL) Discrimination Impacts AAL Speakers’ Writing Success and Well-Being
LSLT - Shenika Hankerson / Understanding How African American Language (AAL) Discrimination Impacts AAL Speakers’ Writing Success and Well-Being
Thursday November 16, the Language Science Lunch Talk series has Shenika Hankerson, Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics and Language Education in the Department of Teaching and Learning, on "Understanding How African American Language (AAL) Discrimination Impacts AAL Speakers’ Writing Success and Well-Being."
A considerable amount of sociolinguistic scholarship has extensively described the linguistic (e.g., phonological, lexical, and syntactical) and stylistic (e.g., rhythm, tone, and other rhetorical genres) features of the African American speech community. Despite this knowledge, along with national resolutions, declarations, policy statements, and action plans affirming the legitimacy of AAL (e.g., 1997 LSA Resolution on the Oakland "Ebonics" Issue, 2021 CCCC Position Statement on Ebonics), linguistic discrimination toward AAL still exists. In this LSC lunch talk, we will delve into the issue of AAL discrimination and examine its effects on AAL speakers, with a particular emphasis on AAL speakers in US writing classrooms. We will also explore “best practice” approaches for disrupting AAL discrimination and promoting AAL speakers’ writing success and well-being. Participants are invited to share their own experiences and ask questions during this LSC lunch talk.