The Language Situation in the African American Speech Community: The Status of Variety X

Abstract

The language situation in the African American speech community, which is the focus of this chapter, is in many ways a microcosm of the language situation in the United States. To the extent that such is an accurate premise, one overwhelming generalization, of far-reaching significance is the acknowledgment that it is a virtually monolingual English-speaking community. Although other languages are spoken, English is – with few exceptions – the language normally spoken in everyday public interaction. Major exceptions are places like Miami, Florida, where one is as likely to hear Spanish spoken in certain areas of the city.