African American English
Tina V. Young
ENG 550
Dr. Kimmie Knuckles
October 18, 2012
Introduction
African American Vernacular English, which is also known as the African American Language, Black Vernacular, Black Vernacular English, or simply Black English has been defined as an African American variety dialect (a variety of a language that is distinguished from other varieties of the same language by features of phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, and by its use by a group of speakers who are set off from others geographically or socially), ethnolect (a variety of a language spoken by a certain ethnic/cultural subgroup and serves primarily as a language, but can also be a distinguishing mark of social identity, both within the group and by outsiders), and sociolect (a variety of a language used by a particular social group) of American English. “Many non-linguists refer to African American Vernacular English as Ebonics which is a term that also has other meanings or strong connotations.” The pronunciations are most common to the Southern American English that is spoken by many African Americans and many non-African Americans in the Southeastern region of the United States. “As with all linguistic forms, African American English usage is influenced by age, status, topic and setting. There are many literary uses of this variety of English, particularly in African-American literature. African American English Vernacular shares several characteristics with Creole English language-forms spoken by people throughout much of the world. African American Vernacular English has pronunciation, grammatical structures, and vocabulary in common with various West African languages.”
As mentioned earlier, many features of African American Vernacular English are shared with English dialects spoken in the Southern regions of the United States regardless of color or age. “While these are mostly regionalisms (i.e. originating from the dialect commonly spoken in the area, regardless of color), a
ENG 550
Dr. Kimmie Knuckles
October 18, 2012
Introduction
African American Vernacular English, which is also known as the African American Language, Black Vernacular, Black Vernacular English, or simply Black English has been defined as an African American variety dialect (a variety of a language that is distinguished from other varieties of the same language by features of phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, and by its use by a group of speakers who are set off from others geographically or socially), ethnolect (a variety of a language spoken by a certain ethnic/cultural subgroup and serves primarily as a language, but can also be a distinguishing mark of social identity, both within the group and by outsiders), and sociolect (a variety of a language used by a particular social group) of American English. “Many non-linguists refer to African American Vernacular English as Ebonics which is a term that also has other meanings or strong connotations.” The pronunciations are most common to the Southern American English that is spoken by many African Americans and many non-African Americans in the Southeastern region of the United States. “As with all linguistic forms, African American English usage is influenced by age, status, topic and setting. There are many literary uses of this variety of English, particularly in African-American literature. African American English Vernacular shares several characteristics with Creole English language-forms spoken by people throughout much of the world. African American Vernacular English has pronunciation, grammatical structures, and vocabulary in common with various West African languages.”
As mentioned earlier, many features of African American Vernacular English are shared with English dialects spoken in the Southern regions of the United States regardless of color or age. “While these are mostly regionalisms (i.e. originating from the dialect commonly spoken in the area, regardless of color), a