Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English

""Spoken Soul brilliantly fills a huge gap. . . . a delightfully readable introduction to the elegant interweave between the language and its culture.""
–Ralph W. Fasold, Georgetown university

""A lively, well-documented history of Black English . . . that will enlighten and inform not only educators, for whom it should be required reading, but all who value and question language.""
–Kirkus Reviews

""Spoken Soul is a must read for anyone who is interested in the connection between language and identity.""
–Chicago Defender

Claude Brown called Black English ""Spoken Soul."" Toni Morrison said, ""It's a love, a passion. Its function is like a preacher’s: to make you stand out of your seat, make you lose yourself and hear yourself. The worst of all possible things that could happen would be to lose that language.""

Now renowned linguist John R. Rickford and journalist Russell J. Rickford provide the definitive guide to African American vernacular English–from its origins and features to its powerful fascination for society at large.

• African American English: A Linguistic Introduction
• Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology (Primers in Anthropology)
• The Everyday Language of White Racism
• An Introduction to American English
• Black and White Styles in Conflict
• Flutes of Fire: Essays on California Indian Languages
• "Why Don't They Learn English" Separating Fact From Fallacy In the U.S. Language Debate (Language and Literacy Series)
• Talkin and Testifyin: The Language of Black America (Waynebook)
• Black Talk: Words and Phrases from the Hood to the Amen Corner
• Flossie and the Fox