We invite you to explore our online gallery of Linguistic Autobiography essays and Story Quilts! See below for our visual gallery of original artwork.
This website is a class project of the course in Black English Language and Culture (ENG 317), offered in Fall 2024 by Dr. Jamie A. Thomas, through the Department of English and Linguistics Program at California State University, Dominguez Hills.
ENG 317 students collaborate in pairs to discuss essay writing strategies.
Throughout this course, we have gathered inspiration from several influential works of African and African American artistry, storytelling, and community-engaged research. These works are of great import to sociolinguists and linguistic anthropologists alike.
Perhaps these authors can also become of source of inspiration to you, too!
An exploration through language, of a person's journey with language. As a self-reflexive exercise popular among sociolinguists, the process of formulating a linguistic autobiography assists the author with critically evaluating the role of language(s) across various avenues of life development: family, home, schooling, work, and play.
The concept of a story quilt originates with acclaimed African American artist Faith Ringgold. In an interview included as part of the Craft in America PBS documentary series, Ringgold recounts the utility of her invention; she originally created paintings on fabric textiles as a means of easily transporting her works. She also uniquely incorporated prose narratives within her quilted paintings, and experimented with geometric designs inspired by historical Kuba cloth patterns of Central Africa. Her story quilts and other works of art are on display in museums around the world.
These original paper artworks were created by student authors inspired by Faith Ringgold's internationally acclaimed interpretations of Congolese Kuba cloth patterns. The distinctly geometric, woven textile patterns gained notoriety during the height of the Kuba Kingdom of the 17th century through the early 20th century, the influence of which continues to this day.
Artist Faith Ringgold paints a story quilt in her art studio. Photo by Mark Markley, as part of the "Threads" episode of the Craft in America documentary series.
See below for quotes from students' personal reflections on this project!
"I enjoyed working on this project because it introduced me to phonetics and how communicative competence, language variety, and speech community impact my education and culture." - Vanessa
"This project made me take a deep dive into my past experiences and really analyze things from a different perspective. This class has shifted my views in the communities I say I belong to and has helped me grow my identity. I am very appreciative of having a professor and classmates who challenge me to keep thinking beyond." - Jason
"This paper was a very good experience for me, and I was able to explore how both my name and my life reflect the cultural orientations of my family." - Ayaz
"As a peer reviewer, I learned that being a helpful reader involves providing feedback that's not only constructive but also supportive. To review someone else’s essay made me think more critically about my own writing. It reminded me of how important it is to showcase my linguistic journey from Spanish to English in a way that’s relatable yet still distinct." - Rafael
"I enjoyed this assignment as it made me reflect on growing up with two languages in my household. I’ve realized how much being bilingual shaped the way I heard and tried to share stories. This project has taught me that languages not only deepen your connection with family history but also enhance cultural and community awareness." - Jennifer
"I feel like going back to this essay at the end of the course rather than just leaving it at the beginning was a clever way to go about the assignment." - Janhete
"I had a lot of fun learning with my family and classmates, and for it to all come together is very rewarding." - Kevon
"Working on this project was very eye opening to me." - Kyle
"While writing both the linguistic autobiography and family naming analysis essays, I was able to figure out a little bit more about my family and about myself." - Lilibeth
"This project has taught me how to publish my own writing, and how to stay persistent with my work." - Lauren
"Working on this project, I have learned how language is truly important, not only to me but to everyone's unique story from class." - Nancy
"I've learned how I've had to adapt to my surroundings, by this I mean learning to speak to Spanish and speaking different versions of both English and Spanish depending on whom I'm speaking to. Lastly, I have taken the time to read some of my peers' essays and I am amazed about the similarities and differences some of us share. " - Luis
"My experience with this assignment was very positive and fun." - Kassandra
"One of my key takeaways from this process is the realization of how early experiences with language have influenced my journey. My language journey is a testament to resilience and a celebration of diversity. " - Samantha
"Awesome to be able to share such a good experience with my classmates." - Carlos
"Overall, this project was definitely challenging because it encourages you to really think about yourself and what you have experienced. From this project, I learned that you go at your own pace and write what you feel is necessary, because it's your story." - Tracy
"The project has created a point of self-development in my worldview of Black English and how it is perceived." - Dylan
"Writing this essay has pushed me to become a little more comfortable with talking about myself." - Makayla
"This experience was unique in that I got to explore stories about my family and my childhood through a new lens and in a way that I had never previously considered." - Catherine