Talking Black in America: A Documentary and Outreach Program

该奖项支持制作一部一小时的纪录片，记录在美国的非裔美国人和散居海外的非洲人的演讲，在一个主要的电视频道和其他有关语言差异的公共教育场所播出。半个多世纪以来，关于非裔美国人讲话的全国性争论一直在爆发，这引起了人们对语言差异的深刻信念和观点的关注，以及对公共生活中语言变化的知情知识的必要性。这部纪录片和附带的讲师指南促进了对非裔美国人语言在美国社会中的地位和使用的理解，对其历史和当前发展的欣赏，以及对其在教育中的作用的理解。影片将在美国的多个地点拍摄，包括大城市（纽约、洛杉矶、芝加哥）、北卡罗来纳州和德克萨斯州的农村地区，以及加勒比地区和西非（利比里亚）的散居地。作为顾问委员会的一组杰出的研究人员将在设计制作主题和格式、收集镜头和监督编辑方面进行合作。本项目针对受方言偏见、刻板印象和语言歧视影响最严重的英语语言种类。在描述非裔美国人生活中语言的历史、发展和象征作用时，这个纪录片和推广项目希望将非裔美国人的英语作为非裔美国人历史和文化遗产的一个组成部分，并帮助消除美国社会中关于这些语言变体的持久流行的神话和错误信息。它进一步有助于理解语言差异对教育技能和评估的影响。

This award supports the production of a one-hour documentary on the speech of African Americans in the United States and in the African diaspora intended for broadcast on a major TV channel and other venues of public education about language differences. National controversies about the speech of African Americans have been erupting for more than a half-century now, calling attention to the depth of people's beliefs and opinions about language differences and the need for informed knowledge about language variation in public life. The documentary and accompanying instructor's guide promote an understanding of the status and use of African American Language in American society, an appreciation for its historical and current development, and an understanding of its role in education. Footage will be shot in a variety of locations in the US that include large urban areas (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago), rural regions in North Carolina and Texas, and diaspora sites in the Caribbean and in West African (Liberia). A prominent group of researchers who serve as an engaged Board of Advisors will collaborate in designing the themes and format for production, in collecting footage, and in monitoring the editing. This project addresses the language variety of English most strongly affected by dialect prejudice, stereotyping, and linguistic discrimination. In portraying the history, development, and symbolic role of language in the lives of African Americans, this documentary and outreach program hopes to situate African American varieties of English as an integral part of the historical and cultural legacy of African Americans and to help counteract the persistent popular mythologies and misinformation about these language varieties in American society. It further helps to understand the effect of language differences on educational skills and assessment.