Stigmas
Discourse
African American English (AAE)
History
Language
Conclusion
What is AAE?
Prestige
Questions?
Introduction
F
What is African American English?
"African American English is the linguistic outcome of the experiences of Africans and African Americans in North America." (Susan Tamasi, Lamont Antieau, 2015, p. 143)
Terminologies used for AAE
A Rose is A Rose
- African American Vernacular English, or AAVE
- African American Language;
- Black Vernacular English;
- Black English Vernacular;
- Black Language;
- Black Street Speech;
- Black Talk;
- Ebonics;
- Negro English;
- Pan African Communication;
- Spoken Soul.
Origin
Origin
- Many factors shaped AAE, like experiences, policies, social injustices, slavery, segregation and racism.
- Development of AAE is a direct reflection of history and experiences of African American in the North America.
- AAE has quite an interesting history. There are two widely believed historical accounts of its origin: i) The Angelistic Hypothesis, and (ii) The Creolist Hypothesis. Former refers to the language learned by African slaves through interaction with British settlers and the later refers to development of AAE from the creole.(Small, 2012, pp. 288)
Exclusive Use of AAE
- Not all African American people speak AAE, nor is this dialect limited to African Americans.
- AAE has several regional variations.For example the AAE spoken in Cleveland differs from the version of AAE spoken in Atlanta. Contributing factors will be discussed later in the presentation.
- The linguistic system and the speaker of AAE is diverse and varies regionally and socially.
Exclusive Use of AAE
Ethnolect and Sociolect
- AAE is often associated with particular ethnic group . According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, ethnic refers to as, " Of or relating to large group of people classed according to common culture, national, tribal, religious, linguistic or cultural origin or background."
- Ethnic group members are often related to social class, as well as language background and geographic regions. According to ASHA,1983 and Stockman,2007, AAE is referred as social and ethnic dialect.(Small, 2012, pp. 287)
ethnolect and sociolect
- Slaves arriving to North America marks the beginning in understanding the development linguistically of AAE.
-Transatlantic Slave trade ( 16th century)
- The origins for African language has been"lost."
- North American slave trade- triangular trade that circulated slaves amongst the Carribbean, North and South America.
- The Slave Code ( 1705)- "unified system of laws covering the ownership and treatment of blacks."
-Systematic Oppression
- Linguistically,there are only hypothesized ideas of what early
AAE was like.
figure 7.1 map of transatlantic slave trade
( Tamasi&Lamont, pg.149)
Based on Standard Language Ideology
- There is a difference in structure; The grammar and vocabulary of AAE are looked down upon as inferior to SAE on an imaginary linguistic hierarchy.
Attitudes
The views of the group are transferred to its speech and such as, prejudiced views can be hidden within linguistic perceptions, allowing one to stigmatize, judge, and even discrimate against a group of people in the name of "good language."
History
A history of racism and segregation in the USA also means that there is not only the hidden prejudice that may come with nonstandard speech connected to a particular social group, but there is also a very real and open racism that attaches itself to AAE.
Prestiges
- AAE is a product of a shared history and culture and is a unique linguistic system.
- Allows many to find positive associations with their language and personal linguistic identities.
The structure of African American English
Lexicon | Grammar | Phonology | Discourse Structure
Lexicon
- solely or primarily, by AAE speakers but not group exclusive.
- have particular meaning in AAE.
- used by broader community but HISTORICALLY associated with AAE.
ashy- dry skin for cold or wind
kitchen-curly hair at nape of neck
steady-action is being done intensely
stay-to reside in a place
tote-to carry
mash-to push in or down
Grammar
- Null Copula- absence of copula in sentece (i.e He late vs. He is late)
- Absence of Third-person Singlar -"s"
- Habitual"be"- the action or state is habitual (i.e He be late.)
- "Been"- reference distant past (i.e she been married)
- "Done"- notes that an action has been completed (i.e He done read the book.)
- Absence of Plural and Possessive -s
Discourse Structure
- Refers to the organization of langauge used in poetry, prose, article or langauge designed for public speaking
- AAE is noted for :- sense of verbal play, a strong oral tradition, sharp linguistic dexterity, where status is awarded to fast thinking and confident articulation. For example, speech of preachers, politicians, entertainers and educators.
- African American preachers are famous for their ability to excite a crowd through their words with the help of discourse tools such as call-and-response and repetition. Call and response refers to a technique where a statement is quickly followed by an answering statement. Speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr. present examples of this technique.
- President Barack Obama is famous for use of signifying and “black preacher style.” Signifying refers to “the use of indirect humor as critique, and a much discussed feature of black speech.”(Susan Tamasi, Lamont Antieau, 2015, p. 159)
Conclusion
- African American English is widely used in the United States to describe the dialect of a group of speakers whose experiences largely influenced the development of language making.
- The uniqueness of AAE, and the history of its speakers are attributes that influence how the dialect is perceived as " incorrect, bad language or problematic for its speakers.
References
- Transatlantic Slave Trade: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2019, from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human
- Antieau, L & Tamasi, S., (2015). Language and linguistic diversity in the Us: an introduction. New York: Routledge.
- Small, L. H. (2012). Fundamentals of Phonetics: A Practical Guide for Students (3rd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson.
Sources