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Objectivity and commitment in linguistic science: The case of the Black English trial in Ann Arbor*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2008

William Labov
William Labov
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania
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Abstract

Though many linguists have shown a strong concern for social issues, there is an apparent contradiction between the principles of objectivity needed for scientific work and commitment to social action. The Black English trial in Ann Arbor showed one way in which this contradiction could be resolved. The first decade of research on Black English was marked by violent differences between creolists and dialectologists on the structure and origin of the dialect. The possibility of a joint point of view first appeared in the general reaction of linguists against the view that blacks were linguistically and genetically inferior. The entrance of black linguists into the field was a critical factor in the further development of the creole hypothesis and the recognition of the distinctive features of the tense and aspect system. At the trial, linguists were able to present effective testimony in the form of a unified view on the origins and structural characteristics of the Black English Vernacular and argue for its alidity as an alternate to standard English. (Black English, language and the law.)

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Articles
Information
Language in Society , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , August 1982 , pp. 165 - 201
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

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