Linguistic justice: Addressing linguistic variation of black children in teaching and learning

Abstract

This paper underscores how the multidimensionality of racism, such as cultural, systemic, and interpersonal biases, influences the early language development and support of African American English (AAE) speakers, as well as calling attention to the linguistic capital of AAE that is often not given prestige in contrast to General American English (GAE). Using a case study of early educators in a Black-majority preschool program, this paper sheds light on early educators’ knowledge, attitudes, professional preparation and needs regarding meeting the educational needs of AAE speakers; caution is warranted due to the small sample size and single source. Nevertheless, the findings from this case study are examined through an anti-racist and anti-linguicism lens, calling for a transformative linguistic approach, translanguaging, that recognizes the injustice of requiring African American children to demonstrate linguistic flexibility by switching codes. This requires their cognitive resources to be allocated to learning the language of the classroom along with other academic and social skills without allowing them access to their full linguistic repertoires. In addition to more research regarding educators’ knowledge, attitudes, and professional preparation regarding AAE, this paper calls for transformative training and ideology shifting, coupled with structural changes, to support early educators to accept the use of dialects used by children by recognizing that each language and language variety is utilized in different spaces for specific functions.