Measuring language competency in speakers of Black American English

Normative data for children who are speakers of Black American English (BAE) were obtained on the Test of Language Development (Newcomer & Hammill, 1977). In two urban sites 198 children (age 4-8 yrs.) were tested. Positive identification as a speaker of BAE was based on a two part screening test which contained 10 distinct features of BAE. Results of the investigation revealed that children who are predominantly speakers of BAE differed significantly in their performance from children on whom the test was standardized. The study demonstrated the inappropriateness of using a test of Standard American English (SAE) as a test of language development for children whose primary language exposure is other than SAE.