in sociolinguistics at the University of California, Santa Cruz (1968–1971), on a Fulbright undergraduate scholarship.

While working in the United States, Rickford has kept contact with the University of Guyana as external examiner for linguistics courses, MA, and PhD theses (1982–present).

He is especially interested in the varieties of English spoken by marginalized communities in relation to ethical and economical characteristics.

His research focuses on African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) or Ebonics, spoken by many African Americans and the role linguistics plays in the educational context.

[6] Rickford has researched and written extensively on the topic and was an outspoken supporter of the decision.