Search the Fresh Air Archive

Close Search

A Linguist Shows Respect for Black English

William Labov teaches at the University of Pennsylvania discusses Ebonics. He's been studying Black English for 30 years and traced the rules governing Black and White English. He also examined the differences between the two and explored the roots of the changes taking place in the languages.

26:46
Queue

Guest

Host

Related Topics

Other segments from the episode on January 30, 1997

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, January 30, 1997: Interview with Fred Goodman; Interview with William Labov.
Queue
20:48

How Rock and Roll Counterculture Became a Business

Freelance journalist and music critic Fred Goodman. In a new book, "The Mansion on The Hill" Goodman chronicles how the record industry has changed rock 'n roll from the music of the counterculture to a billion dollar commercial enterprise. Goodman's past publications have appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, New York, and Spy.

Interview

Transcript

Transcript currently not available.

Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

You May Also like

Queue
34:18

Linguist John McWhorter

John McWhorter's newest book is called The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language. He has written on Ebonics, language and African Americans, and the origins of the Creole Language. His other books include Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America and Word on the Street: Debunking the Myth of 'Pure' Standard English. McWhorter is a professor at the University of California at Berkeley.

Interview
Queue
05:31

The Controversy Over Black English

Linguist Geoff Nunberg looks at the current debate surrounding black vernacular in school, which the Oakland school board has dubbed "Ebonics."

Commentary

Did you know you can create a shareable playlist?

Learn How
Advertisement

There are more than 22,000 Fresh Air segments.

Let us help you find exactly what you want to hear.
Just play me something
Your Queue

Would you like to make a playlist based on your queue?

Generate & Share View/Edit Your Queue