"In response to the flood of interest in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) following the recent controversy over "Ebonics," this book brings together 16 essays on the subject by John Rickford, a leading expert in the field, who has been researching and writing on it for a quarter of a century."--BOOK JACKET. "Rickford's essays cover the three central areas in which questions continue to come in from teachers, students, linguists, the news media, and interested members of the public: What are the features of AAVE/Ebonics and how is it used? What is its evolution and where is it headed? What are its educational and social implications?"--BOOK JACKET.