As children, we often do not notice how we are socialized into ideologies of race through cartoon movies.

By Shawg Ahmed
Course: Language in US Society (Ling 1000)
Advisor: GPTI Maureen Kosse, TA Irina Wagner
LURA 2018

When children go out into society and become adults, they may believe that one racial identity speaks only one way and another speaks only another. While there is nothing wrong with categorizing how speakers of different racial identities speak, the problem arises when people also associate language with socioeconomic class status and job potential.

One of the biggest socialization factors is television. Television teaches kids about how the world works, but often what kids learn are stereotypes (Lippi-Green 2012).

I chose to focus on the Disney film Princess and the Frog to demonstrate and exfoliate the stereotypical views displayed in characters based on their social identities and their language that they speak. In this movie, all the African American characters speak African American Vernacular English (AAVE), while the White American characters speak Standard American English (SAE). Being able to learn that different social identities speak different varieties of English is not a bad thing. However, in this film, all the African American characters that speak AAVE occupy working/poor class status and live in smaller houses and work in service-based positions, as seen in the character of the waiter.

This kind of representation, which presents AAVE speakers only as laborers, leads people to believe that those who speak AAVE are not smart enough or do not have the potential to succeed in other higher-level occupations. The result of this stereotypical thinking is very harmful to the African American community. Based on sociological research, an example could be this: An African American goes out to apply to similar positions as their White Americans peers, but they are less likely to be hired to higher-paid positions because there is an unconscious bias that those who speak AAVE are not capable enough. Others might speak in SAE, which is perceived as more prestigious and the more “normal” and “correct” way of speaking English.

I chose to research this topic in Disney’s Princess and the Frog because as a child, I grew up believing that speaking AAVE shows that a person is uneducated. I always tried to stay away from speaking it, whereas my African American friends spoke it freely. I was socialized to believe that in order for me to get into good universities and earn high-paying positions, I needed to speak more Standard American English.

I decided to explore the roots of where I first was socialized to believe that way, and the first thing I could think of was Disney movies, particularly my favorite movie, Princess and the Frog.

My goal with this research project was to explore how socialization into language may influence society in more ways than one might expect. I hope to eventually lead people in society away from continuing to think in the ways they were socialized, from the time they are children watching Disney movies to when they are adults watching news outlets. Speaking AAVE does not equate to your level of knowledge, education, or potential.