As a Black woman, African American Vernacular English or AAVE has always been how I’ve communicated to friends and family. It is an important part of the way I communicate but I have always known that it is considered unprofessional and/or confusing. I have used code switching only in professional environments such as school, work and interviews. I have done this to avoid portraying myself as aggressive and to avoid any confusion. But these beliefs of AAVE contribute to the assumption that AAVE is “bad English”. Like Martin brought up in “African American Language is Good English” AAVE is useful in different ways in the academic field.
I think using AAVE in the academic field would especially be beneficial when teaching in predominantly Black areas. As mentioned in the text it will help keep people’s attention. I also believe that teaching using it in predominantly Black areas will allow those students to understand concepts better. Communicating in familiar styles allows people to understand things better as they won’t have to take the extra step to almost “translate” it. Students also wouldn’t have to lose their sense of cultural identity within the academic field. Focusing on inclusion with linguistic styles will secure people’s understanding and comfort ability with themselves.
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