Louisiana Dialects of English
The study of dialect diversity is ideally suited for researchers who live in Louisiana 
because a wide range of English dialects are spoken in the state. Some of the dialects we study are referred to as nonstandard, nonmainstream, or vernacular. These include: Southern African American English (both rural and urban varieties), Southern White English (a rural variety), Cajun English, and Creole English.
The lab houses over 200 language samples that have been audio recorded, transcribed, and stored in an electronic archive. Most come from speakers, aged 3 to 7 years, although we also have samples from young adults and samples from parents and grandparents of LSU students.
We use these samples to learn about different dialects of English and the impact of these dialects on models of language impairment, language testing, and academic achievement. Driving this work is a desire to better understand how childhood language impairment manifests in each of these different dialects. Without this information, early identification and intervention of children who truly need services are compromised.
