ABSTRACT
In chapter 1, we contend that culture is socially emergent and is cocreated, negotiated, and maintained as a function of identity. We also defined culture as a system of interdependent patterns of conduct and interpretation. We began the process of explicating this system in chapter 2, where we describe African American cultural identity. In chapter 3, we discuss modes of communication competence. However, we also argue that conversation is one of the key aspects of culture (Martin et al., 2001; Philipsen, 1987). In this chapter, we focus on characteristic patterns of African American conversation, particularly language and communication styles. African American culture and ethnicity emerge through these social patterns.
