Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Dialect-Neutral Indices Of Narrative Cohesion And Evaluation, Frances Burns, Peter A. De Villiers, Barbara Zurer Pearson, Tempii Champion

Barbara Zurer Pearson

Purpose: This study compares the development of essential elements of narrative skill in children from African American English (AAE)- and general American English (GAE)-speaking communities using an innovative elicitation and evaluation paradigm. The measures include: 1) reference contrasting, 2) temporal expressions, 3) mental state descriptions, and 4) understanding of behavior based on false belief. Method: Participants were 291 AAE speakers and 238 GAE speakers, 4 to 9 years of age. Approximately one-third of both dialect groups were identified as language impaired. Children generated two stories based on short picture sequences. Their stories were coded for the four key indices of …