It is not the black child's language that is in question, it is not his language that is despised: It is his experience.
Why this quote matters: Reframes “standards” as hostility to lived experience, not grammar.
Signal phrase I might use: Baldwin insists, “It is his experience.”
It is the most vivid and crucial key to identity: It reveals the private identity, and connects one with, or divorces one from, the larger, public, or communal identity.
Why this quote matters: States language–identity linkage for synthesis. Signal phrase I might use: Baldwin maintains that language is “the most vivid and crucial key to identity…”
What we mean bythis is that your voice and all the ways you use it—as part of who you are—makes all the difference, and therefore, should be amplified and cultivated.
Why this quote matters to my theme: Centers student voice as a positive resource to develop, not suppress.
Signal phrase I might use: The chapter emphasizes that “your voice… should be amplified and cultivated.”
Yes, you read this correctly: standard written English is not an objectiveset of criteria.
Why this quote matters to my theme: Directly challenges “objective standard” myths that drive gatekeeping.
Signal phrase I might use: The authors assert, “standard written English is not an objective set of criteria.”
Instead of prescribing how folks should write or speak, I say we teach languagedescriptively.
Why this quote matters to my theme: Sets the teaching stance that supports code meshing.
Signal phrase I might use: Young proposes, “we teach language descriptively.”
But dont nobody’s language, dialect, or style make them “vulnerable to preju-dice.” It’s ATTITUDES.
Why this quote matters to my theme: Reframes “deficits” as listener prejudice, not speaker dialect.
Signal phrase I might use: Young contends, “It’s ATTITUDES.”
Such writing implies resistance to the dominant culture, destabilizes the privileged dialect/discourse, and portrays "subversive voices" that present "alternative versions of reality" (11, 13, 46).
Why this quote matters to my theme: Captures the resistance function of dialect literature and aligns with Bambara’s use of AAVE.
Signal phrase I might use: Heller, citing Jones, notes that dialect writing “destabilizes the privileged dialect/discourse…”
However, Bambara also celebrates AAVE as a vehicle for conveying black experience: Sylvia uses AAVE to express her self-confidence, assertiveness, and creativity as a young black woman.
Why this quote matters to my theme: Names AAVE’s expressive and identity-affirming functions directly.
Signal phrase I might use: According to Heller, “Bambara also celebrates AAVE as a vehicle for conveying black experience…”
In short, standard American English is not inherently racist. It is not merely a “tool of the patriarchy.” It is a tool for anyone who wishes to use it
Why this quote matters to my theme: It directly rebuts claims that SAE is inherently discriminatory and frames it as an open tool.
Signal phrase I might use: Jenkins concludes, “In short, standard American English is not inherently racist…”
The only purpose of language is to communicate, and if the language or dialect you use in a particular situation allows you to do so, then it is effective.
Why this quote matters to my theme: It centers communication effectiveness as the standard, supporting SAE as situationally pragmatic.
Signal phrase I might use: According to Jenkins, “The only purpose of language is to communicate…”