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The Hidden Stories of African American English with Dr. Sonja Lanehart

Jun 20, 2024

Dr. Sonja Lanehart discusses the rich history of African American English and the making of a new dictionary. They explore words like 'kitchen' and 'Aunt Hagar's Children,' the importance of black newspapers, and word submissions. The cultural significance of 'kitchen' for black women is highlighted, along with hidden stories in African American English and word evolution. Stay tuned for future segments on language evolution and fun walking-related terms.

39:41

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Episode guests

Sonja Lanehart

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

The Oxford Dictionary of African American English captures the historical richness of the language.

African American newspapers play a crucial role in preserving and amplifying the voices of black communities.

Deep dives

Creation of the Oxford Dictionary of African-American English

The podcast episode discusses the making of the Oxford Dictionary of African-American English with Dr. Sanja Lanehart, focusing on sources like African-American newspapers, literary history, and music to gather words and citations. The dictionary aims to represent the heterogeneity of African-American language across the US, addressing semantic categories and critical decisions, such as choosing headwords reflecting pronunciation differences.

Intro

2min

Sources for Project on African American English

16min

Discussing Word Submissions and Sponsors Break

2min

Exploring Words in the Dictionary and Cultural Significance of 'Kitchen'

2min

Exploring Hidden Stories in African American English

19min

Exploring Word Evolution and Teasers for Future Segments

2min

996. This week, you'll learn about the rich linguistic history of African American English with Dr. Sonja Lanehart, an advisor to the Oxford Dictionary of African American English. We talked about what goes into making an entirely new dictionary and about some of the first entries, including "kitchen," "Aunt Hagar's Children," and "do rag."

Find Dr. Sonja Lanehart at https://www.sonjallanehart.com/.

Visit the ODAAE website: https://www.oed.com/discover/odaae

| Edited transcript with links: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/lanehart/transcript

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