| Marcyliena Morgan



Language and Culture The ability to communicate through elaborate linguistic and symbolic systems is part of what makes humans social beings. Across cultures, different communication styles flourish at various levels of complexity in terms of language use and semiotic resources. These resources include gesture, space, body adornment, intonation and other forms of non-verbal communication. Language and Culture is concerned with the linguistic, discourse and symbolic systems that construct and represent social life and culture. Courses under this category are concerned with how language use constructs, constitutes and represents society and culture.



This seminar is concerned with the ways in which African American English mediates identity across cultural and social contexts and examines significant theories and arguments concerning its genesis, maintenance, and social function. The course will explore and analyze language ideology and current linguistic, educational, and historical arguments concerning AAE innovations and continuities, including the Ebonics debate. Innovative research on discourse styles, age, and gender will also be reviewed. Students will critique the state of AAE research and its success or failure to describe the changing and diverse character of urban African-American speech communities.



Urban Speech Communities Discourses of Love and Sexuality in African American Culture Hiphop and Don’t Stop: Introduction to Modern Speech Communities Ethnography of Modern Speech Communities Ethnography of Communication Language and Discourse: Race, Class and Gender Women’s Language and Discourse in the African Diaspora Contact Languages: Language, Discourse and Verbal Style in the African Diaspora African-American English: Language, Discourse and Power