Black+Vernacular


 * What is Black Vernacular?**

Black Vernacular is a nonstandard form of American English characteristically spoken by African Americans in the United States.
 * often spoken in urban and southern regions
 * also known as "African American Vernacular English (AAVE)

Few Characteristics:
 * African-American vocabulary has in many ways enriched American speech. The words //nitty-gritty//, //jazz//, and //yam// are all words that have entered mainstream English but which originated in African-American dialects. Much modern American slang, such as "throwback" for sports jerseys and "Benjamins" for hundred dollar bills also originate in Black Vernacular.
 * African-American dialects tend to drop the [t] from words like //rest// and //soft// . They likewise tend to drop the [r] sound in words like // bird //, // four //, // door //, and // father //.
 * The **consuetidinal //be//** refers to the use of an uninflected //be// to denote habitual or regular action. For instance, stating "She be here everyday" in black dialect implies continuous action. The consuetudinal be also refers to the tendency to delete forms of //be// in other uses--such as "She here now" instead of "She is here now."
 * Black Vernacular also tends to omit the final // -s // ending of verbs. For instance, a speaker of Black Vernacular might say, "He hear you" rather than "He hears you."
 * Black Vernacular often replaces /∂/ sounds with /d/ sounds or /f/ sounds. For instance, the grapheme in the word //that// may be pronounced as // dat //, and the  in // nothing // and // mouth // may be pronounced as //nuf'n// and //mouf//.
 * Black Vernacular often uses the emphatic //done// to stress completion of an act. For instance, "He done did it" provides a more forceful alternative to the Standard English "He's already done it."


 * Where did it come from?**

There are two main hypotheses about the origin of AAVE. One is the dialect hypothesis and the other is the creole hypothesis. The dialect hypothesis is the belief that African slaves, upon arriving in the United States, picked up English very slowly and learned it incorrectly, and that these mistakes have been passed down through generations. In other words, AAVE is just "bad English." The creole hypothesis, however maintains that modern AAVE is the result of a creole derived from English and various West African Languages. Slaves, who spoke many different West African languages, were often thrown together during their passage to the New World. To be able to communicate in some fashion they developed a pidgin by applying English and some West African vocabulary to the familiar grammar rules of their native tongue. This pidgin was passed on to future generations and as soon as it became the primary language of its speakers it is classified as creole. Over the years AAVE has gone through the process of decreolization and is beginning to sound more like Standard English.


 * Questions To Ponder:**
 * Does Black Vernacular determine social class?
 * What is speaking proper?
 * Is standard English the only way to talk?
 * Is standard English limiting African American dialect?
 * Are African Americans who use slang?
 * What is YOUR dialect?
 * Is standard English accommodating to all cultures?
 * Why is it considered wrong to speak in other dialects?
 * Why is slang associated with African Americans?


 * Videos**

Origins of African American English media type="custom" key="14183284"


 * Books**

//Language in the Inner City: Students in the Black English Vernacular// by William Labov [|http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=snEEdFKLJ5cC&oi=fnd&pg=PR8&dq=black%2Bvernacular&ots=AJQiuWC6yI&sig=yVNSUMWoamC-mk1fVdrCEBee7vQ#v=onepage&q=black%2Bvernacular&f=false]

=
//Language in the Inner City// firmly establishes African American Vernacular English not simply as slang but as a well-formed set of rules of pronunciation and grammar capable of conveying complex logic and reasoning. Studying not only normal processes of communication in the inner city but such art forms as the ritual insult and ritualized narrative, Labov confirms the Black Vernacular as a separate and independent dialect of English. His analysis goes on to clarify the nature and processes of linguistic change in the contect of a changing society.=====

//Ebonics and Language Education// by Clinton Crawford //Ebonics and Language Education// examines the political, linguistic, cultural, and social history of African people with the intention to make the reader feel as though he/she is personally experiencing the development of Ebonics. In this book, the origin of the term Ebonics is fully defined in all its dimensions. Also, this work demonstrates how the African culture has survived and created a new tongue in foreign lands, even under hostile circumstances.


 * Websites:**
 * http://www.hawaii.edu/satocenter/langnet/definitions/aave.html
 * http://bryan.myweb.uga.edu/AAVE/

This article takes a very interesting and widely unheard of stance about "Ebonic" (the author's terminology for AAVE). Fasold suggests that Ebonic is another language entirely, and it therefore should not be compared to English. He states, "Certainly Ebonic is bad English, in the same sense that French is bad English. English is bad Ebonic, too." Ebonic has very distinct characteristics, and many linguists who have studied it have determined that there are qualities of Ebonic that the English language does not have (ie. the use of "to be" in an uninflected form). Also, another argument against Ebonic that the author diffuses is the idea that Ebonic is too similar to English to be considered a language. To do so, he shows examples of other well-known languages that are also very similar to English. This concept of making Ebonic it's own separate language could have a real impact on the way African American students are viewed in schools. Instead of being treated as though they are speaking English badly, they would be treated as English Language Learners and as bilingual children.
 * Articles:**
 * Ebonic Need Not Be English by Ralph W. Fasold
 * http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/digest_pdfs/fasold-ebonic-paper.pdf

This article focuses of the issues brought about by the debate that spurred from a California court case which decided that since AAVE is the main language spoken by the students in a particular school, the curriculum should also be taught in that language. Part of the controversy is the very wording the of the decision; Ebonics is technically not a "language," (in our society today, at least) and many Americans--mostly white Americans--have strong feelings against letting Ebonics become a formal language. The author's conclusion is that regardless of whether we want to call it a language or a dialect, it is still widely spoken in America today, so we should recognize it as a country and make adjustments accordingly (like the California court case did).
 * The Ebonics (Black Vernacular) Language by James R. Coffey
 * http://language-linguistics.knoji.com/the-ebonics-black-vernacular-language/