African American Vernacular English Ebonics AAVE Origins African

African American Vernacular English Ebonics

AAVE Origins • African slaves learned Pidgin English before leaving Africa. • Pidgins developed into creoles as slaves had no community that understood their African languages. • Creole acquired English features with education and urbanization.

Prevalence of African-American Vernacular English Significant proportions of African-Americans have a vernacular way of speaking that shares features with other African-Americans. • Individual speakers differ in frequency of non-standard forms. –Females use fewer than males –Middle class use fewer than Working class

African-American Vernacular English in Relation to Standard English • African American Vernacular English is clearly a dialect of English – Phonology and syntax are closely related to Standard English – ‘Ebonics’ is a term advocated by Afrocentrists who emphasize African influences on AAVE and minimize English influences. • Social contexts require vernacular or standard English, – African Americans need two dialects: AAVE and SE. – Home often requires vernacular but school requires standard.

African-Americans shift to a standard style of English they use in formal situations. • AAVE is used when participants are very familiar. – Type 1 is family, Type 4 is to white stranger. – AAVE includes dropping final /-s/ – Data are from Los Angeles

AAVE in relation to other Englishes 1. African-American Vernacular English is a subsystem of English • • Phonology Syntax 2. African-American Vernacular English incorporates Southern phonology. 3. African-American Vernacular English was derived from a creole similar to Caribbean creoles. 4. African-American Vernacular English has a highly developed aspect system unlike Standard English.

Features of AAVE • Reduction of Word-Final consonant Clusters – Other vernaculars also reduce clusters before consonants • [læsnayt] “last night” – AAVE reduces clusters even at ends of sentences • She came in las’ – Dropping suffix /-s/ is correlated to syntactic function.

Consonant reduction comparison • Dialects overlap • Speakers form a continuum of styles

More Consonant cluster comparison • Whites and Blacks both simplify if cluster followed by consonant. • Blacks continue to simplify when cluster is followed by vowel but whites pronounce complete clusters.

Consonant cluster reduction must be addressed when teaching reading. • Consonant reduction produces homonyms. • Not all speakers have all of the homonyms below. – 14 of the examples result from vowels, 5 from consonants

Variation of /r/ • Post vocalic /r/ is pronounced as extra length on the preceding vowel. – [pa: k yo: ka: ] “park your car” – Similar to New York and Southern dialects. – Different in dropping postvocalic /r/ even when it is prevocalic. • ‘Carol’ [ka: ol] • ‘Interested’ [inte: ested]

Contraction and Deletion of the Copula • Copula is sometimes contracted in rapid Standard English. – “She’s smart. ” • Copula is sometimes deleted in AAVE. – “She smart. ” • Exposed copula is not contracted in Standard English and not deleted in AAVE – “She is. ” • Copula deletion is rule governed. • Copula function affects deletion.

Copula Deletion by Class and Gender • Data are from Detroit • Women’s speech is closer to standard. • Middle class is close to standard

Hypercorrection • Hypercorrection is producing standard forms in greater profusion than the standard • AAVE – “They act like they think I really likes to go to school. ” • Third person singular -s is usually dropped – Attempt to produce standard produces missing feature in places where standard would not. – “lookted” [l kt. Id] • Past tense /-Id/ is usually dropped – Attempt to produce standard produces /-Id/ after past tense allomorph /-t/ • Hypercorrection occurs more often in formal contexts.

AAVE Aspect • Aspect is the manner in which events occur. – Aspect is sometimes marked on verbs. • Standard English has few aspect markers – /-ing/ progressive • AAVE has six aspect markers (an aspect system) – African languages generally have aspect systems

Will Smith (Men in Black): “It be rainin’ black people in New York City. ”

Invariant be in the classroom • Pupil uses aspect precisely

More invariant be in the Classroom

Be done uses the invariant be

• Multiple negation is also called”negative concord. ”

AAVE Style Shifting • Speakers use AAVE when they have rapport or solidarity with the audience. • In the presence of school authorities African American children avoid speaking • Some African American adults shift to Black Standard English in formal situations

Black Standard English • Standard English syntax • AAVE Pronunciations – Drop postvocalic /-r/ – Reduce clusters • But retain past tense /Id/, future /l/, and 3 d person /-s/

African-Americans shift to a standard style of English they use in formal situations. • AAVE is used when participants are very familiar. – Type 1 is family, Type 4 is to white stranger. – AAVE includes dropping final /-s/ – Data are from Los Angeles

School Rejects AAVE • Children who use AAVE in school are classed as hostile or handicapped. • African American children who do well in school are often shunned by peers. – Labov found inverse relation of popularity and reading scores. • Parents want children to learn standard but they still value AAVE. • Parents who have mastered Standard English have higher opinion of AAVE in all contexts.

Attitudes to Vernacular • Oakland, California • Parents reject use of AAVE in school.

Vernacular Culture Index: Detroit (Edwards)

AAVE Linguistic Variables (Detroit)

Correlations to Vernacular Culture Index

Ann Arbor School Case • African American children in Ann Arbor were classed as learning disabled due to reading problems. • Parents sued the school board in 1977. – Labov was expert witness • Parents won case by proving that AAVE was so distinct from Standard English that teachers needed to understand differences. • Outcome was that teachers had to take instruction in AAVE.

Oakland School Board Resolution • In 1996 the Oakland School board resolved to acknowledge AAVE as distinct in order to improve student reading. – Their plan included instructing teachers about AAVE and instructing students in AAVE.

Using AAVE in school is controversial • African American children do better on Boehm Test of Basic Concepts when it is presented in AAVE. • The 1970 s “Bridge” reading program used AAVE – There were three stages beginning material was entirely AAVE, then half AAVE and half SE and finally all standard English – Four months of “Bridge” instruction improved reading scores by 6. 2 months compared to 1. 6 months without “Bridge” – Publisher stopped printing texts because of pressure. • Oakland resolution was criticized for using AAVE in the classroom.

Ebonics Controversy • The Oakland School board resolution undercut its persuasiveness with erroneous statements about AAVE. • The resolution claimed that African American language is not a variety of English and should be called Ebonics, emphasizing its African roots. – Linguists have determined that AAVE is a variety of English. • The resolution claimed that Ebonics is “genetically based. ” – Linguists have found each language to be learned rather than hereditary

Obstacles to Classroom Success • AAVE pronunciation produces different homonyms than SE. – Reading teachers need to know students’ homonyms. • • Teachers mistake AAVE aspect for grammar errors. Educators stigmatize African American children’s speech. Some African American children resist Standard English. Acknowledgement and respect for home speech may help students learn. – Learning Standard English does not require surrendering the language of home. – Elsewhere students learn standard language different from their home dialect. (e. g. Switzerland) – L. A. teaches “codeswitching, ” acknowledging other codes.