Sonja L. Pruitt|Janna B. Oetting
Past Tense Marking by African American English–Speaking Children Reared in Poverty
San Diego State University|Louisiana State University
purpose study examined past tense marking african american english aaespeaking children low middleincome backgrounds determine poverty affects childrens marking past tense ways mirror clinical condition specific language impairment sli method participants 15 aaespeaking 6yearolds lowincome backgrounds 15 aaespeaking 6yearolds middleincome backgrounds served agematched controls 15 aaespeaking 5yearolds middleincome backgrounds served languagematched controls data drawn language samples probes results results revealed high rates regular marking variable rates irregular marking high rates overregularizations absence dialectinappropriate errors commission analyses marking affected phonological characteristics items childrens ages none analyses revealed effects childrens socioeconomic level conclusions within aae poverty status variable affects past tense marking ways different clinical condition sli