Word from the Mother: Language and African Americans

by Geneva Smitherman

Overview

This classic text by Geneva Smitherman, pioneering scholar of Black Talk, is a definitive statement on African American Language (AAL). It is an essential read for students of African American speech, language, culture and sociolinguistics, as well as the general reader interested in the worldwide 'crossover' of Black popular culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032079974
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/26/2021
Series:	Routledge Linguistics Classics
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Geneva Smitherman is University Distinguished Professor of English at Michigan State University. A linguist and educational activist, she has been at the forefront of the struggle for language rights for over 25 years. She is the author of several books, among them, Talkin and Testifyin (1977), Black Talk (2000), and Talkin That Talk (2000).

Table of Contents

1. African American Language: So Good it’s Bad 2. Words and Expressions, Proverbs and Familiar Sayings 3. The N-Words 4. Honeyz and Playaz Talkin that Talk 5. 'I Used to Love H.E.R.': Hip Hop, in its Essence and Real 6. 'All Around the World, Same Song' 7. 'Negro Dialect, the Last Barrier to Integration?'

Editorial Reviews

'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

From the Publisher