African American Vernacular English - 1494 Words

African American Vernacular English Background: African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is the variety previously known as Black English Vernacular or Vernacular Black English by sociolinguists, and commonly called Ebonics outside the academic community. However, some characteristics of AAVE are seemingly unique in its structure. It also includes a number of standard and nonstandard English varieties are spoken by the US and the Caribbean people. AAVE has been the core of many public debates and also the analysis of this variety has encouraged and sustained debates amongst sociolinguists. Some speakers may use some special aspects of pronunciation and vocabulary. Nevertheless, the grammatical features are not connected with the variety. Several sociolinguists would reserve the term AAVE for varieties which are marked by the existence of specific distinctive grammatical features and some of them are discussed below. The history of AAVE and what language varieties it is related to are also a matter of argument. Some scholars co nfirm that AAVE developed out a connection between speakers of West African languages and speakers of vernacular English varieties. According to such an opinion, West Africans learnt English on plantations in the southern Coastal States from very few native speakers. Some say that this led to the development of a rudimentary pidgin, a very simple language which has been extended through a process of colorization later. VOCABULARY: AAVEShow MoreRelatedAfrican American Vernacular English Language Essay1732 Words   |  7 PagesAfrican American Vernacular English African American Vernacular English can be described as an assortment of American English that is mostly used by urban-working class and mostly bi-dialectical middle-class black Americans. The language is also commonly known as Black Vernacular English or Black English. In some cases, particularly outside the academic community, it is referred to as Ebonics given its distinctive features and similarities with other non-standard English varieties. The similaritiesRead MoreAfrican American Vernacular English (Aave)1503 Words   |  7 PagesAfrican American Vernacular English The United States of America is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations. Even though there is not an official national language, most Americans speak Standard American English (SAE). However, the most prevalent native English vernacular dialect in the United States is African American Vernacular English (AAVE). According to Sharon Vaughn, AAVE is â€Å"a dialect used by some African Americans† (110). In order to examine AAVE, one mustRead MoreThe Grammar Of Urban African American Vernacular English By Walt Wolfram1368 Words   |  6 Pagesurban African American Vernacular English by Walt Wolfram Introduction †¢ The roots of contemporary of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) were establish in the rural South . †¢ In the 20th century, it is associated with its use in non-Souther urban areas. †¢ Urban AAVE was a by-product of the great Migration o African-Americans moved from rural South to metropolitan areas of the North. o Demographic movement is not a sufficient explanation for the cultural shift. o 90% of African AmericansRead MoreAfrican American Vernacular English ( Aave )2169 Words   |  9 Pagesthat uses some of its own words, grammar, and pronunciations. (Webster Dictionary) African American Vernacular English(AAVE) was often called as Ebonics by Non-linguists. The languages and dialects are noble, which should not be separated by personal biased thought about the race, color, region, religion. However, in 1997, a nation-wide debate about Ebonics took place, which made people aware of the ‘Black English’ for the first time. The fuse of that case was the Oakland, Calif. School board, whichRead MoreAfrican American English ( Aae )1305 Words   |  6 PagesAfrican American English (AAE) is commonly referred to as Ebonics, as well as black speech, black vernacular, and several other phrases. According to William Labov, â€Å"This African American Vernacular English shares most of its grammar and vocabulary with other dialects of English. But it is distinct i n many ways, and it is more different from Standard English (SE) than any other dialect spoken in continental North America.† (Pullum, 39) AAE is a precious product of a people who mastered a languageRead MoreThe Future Of Black English And Its Academic Impact On African American Children1291 Words   |  6 PagesThe Future of ‘Black English’ and its Academic Impact on African-American Children Introduction Language plays a key role in communication in any society, culture and organization. This medium of social interaction is universal and has been passed down for centuries as a legacy. Therefore, it is imperative that the purity of the language is kept within each framework of heritage. Culture also plays a very important role in the evolution of language. It is the foundation of social engagement andRead MoreSpeech Is Nothing More Than Incorrect English1373 Words   |  6 Pagesand Linguists alike have made their fair share of jokes on this word comprised of â€Å"ebony† and â€Å"phonics†, which is used when referring to the speech of African American English speakers (Pullum, 321). While some would say that this variety of speech is nothing more than incorrect English, others would argue that African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is in fact a language on its own, complete with rules, complexities, and patterns (Pullum, 321). The opposing sides on this issue have sparked controversialRead MoreAfrican American Vernacular Traditions: Integrated Into Modern Culture1292 Words   |  6 PagesAfrican American Vernacular Traditions: Integrated Into Modern Culture African American vernacular traditions have been around for many centuries and still cease to exist in their culture. The vernacular traditions of the African Americans started when slaves were existent in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. It is believed that the slaves spoke a mix of Creole and partial English, in which they had to create in order to communicate between them discreetly. The vernacular traditions originatedRead More Code Switching in William Wells Browns Clotel Essay896 Words   |  4 Pagesone would speak to a scholar, or speak to a prison inmate in the same regard that one would speak with the President of the United States. Speaking in standard American English and then in African American Vernacular English (AAVE), or Ebonics, portrays the most prominent use of code switching in today’s society, especially among American youths. Today, people utilize code switching to associate better amongst a group of people. In William Wells Brown’s Clotel , code switching plays an important roleRead MoreEssay about ebonics1044 Words   |  5 Pagesconnotations of terms like Nonstandard Negro English that had been coined in the 1960s when the first modern large-scale linguistic studies of African American speech communities began. However, the term Ebonics never caught on amongst linguists, much less among the general public. That all changed with the Ebonics controversy of December 1996 when the Oakland (CA) School Board recognized it as the primary language of its majority African American students and resolved to take it into account