Professor Baugh is a sociolinguist who studies the social stratification of linguistic diversity in advanced industrialized societies, with particular attention to the linguistic plight of socially dispossessed populations. His recent research focuses on a concept he calls "linguistic profiling," whereby race is identified based on characteristics of a caller's voice during telephone conversations. He is the author of several books, including Black Street Speech: Its History, Structure and Survival; Out of the Mouths of Slaves: African American Language and Educational Malpractice; and Beyond Ebonics: Linguistic Pride and Racial Prejudice.