"The language, only the language...it is the thing that black people love so much – the saying of words, holding them on the tongue, experimenting with them, playing with them. It’s a love, a passion. Its function is like a preacher’s: to make you stand up out of your seat, make you lose yourself and ear yourself. The worst of all possible things that could happen is to lose that language. There are certain things I cannot say with-out recourse to my language."
With these words Toni Morrison, an American professor and novelist, probably expressed exactly what many African American people felt and still feel. In her statement she refers to the so-called “African American Vernacular English”, abbreviated AAVE, which is “a variant of English spoken mostly by black people in the United States.” (Jokinen 2008: 1) It is also known as “African American English”, “Black English Vernacular”, “Black Vernacular Eng-lish”, “Black Vernacular”, “Black English” or “Ebonics”. It is important to point out that not all African Americans inevitably speak this ethnolect and that there are also people with a non-African American background who nonetheless may speak it. (cf. Patrick 2007: 1) Fur-thermore, it is hard to define who actually speaks AAVE as some speakers may only use some features, e.g. vocabulary or grammatical aspects, of this variant. (cf. Jokinen 2008: 1)
AAVE is a variant of English that you can see and hear every day – it is present in the Internet and in many songs and that makes it so interesting to find out more about it and to get a better understanding of AAVE. In this paper, I will focus on different aspects. I will start dealing with the question “Where does AAVE come from?” under point two and will continue with a brief overview of some basic grammatical features of AAVE in point three. Under point four, I will present and discuss a concrete example of a text, in which AAVE plays an important role, namely in the short story The Gilded Six-Bits of Zora Neale Hurston, written in 1933. Afterwards, under point five, I am going to talk about AAVE in Rap and HipHop songs as there can be found a considerable number of this kind of music all around the world and, under point 6, I will deal with the controversial question whether AAVE should be taught in schools or not. Finally, in the conclusion of my paper, I would like to let the uniqueness of AAVE and the importance of recognizing...
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 The origins of African American Vernacular English
3 Features of African American Vernacular English
3.1 Phonological features
3.2 Negation
3.3 Tense, mood and aspect
3.4 Vocabulary
4 African American Vernacular English using the example of Zora Neale Hurston’s short story The Gilded Six-Bits
5 African American Vernacular English in Rap and Hip Hop songs
6 African American Vernacular English as language of education?
7 Conclusion
8 Bibliography
Objectives and Research Themes
This paper examines the linguistic and social characteristics of African American Vernacular English (AAVE), exploring its historical origins, grammatical structure, and cultural significance. It further investigates how this ethnolect is represented in literature and music, and debates its role and acceptance within the American educational system.
- Historical evolution and theories regarding the origin of AAVE.
- Core phonological and grammatical features, including negation and tense markers.
- Literary representation of AAVE in Zora Neale Hurston's works.
- The sociolinguistic impact and usage of AAVE in Hip Hop culture.
- The controversy surrounding AAVE as a recognized language in education.
Excerpt from the Book
4 African American Vernacular English using the example of Zora Neale Hurston’s short story The Gilded Six-Bits
In this section, I would like to present and discuss a concrete example of a text, in which AAVE plays an important role, namely in the short story The Gilded Six-Bits, written by Zora Neale Hurston in 1933. The main characters of the story are Missie May and Joe – a married African American couple. It is a text that deals with the relations among black people and therefore, it is not that typical kind of story where relations between black and white people are being presented. In fact, there is only one white character in the entire story. Nonetheless, it is a text that, in some parts, criticizes racism and talks about unemployment, money and the period after the economical crisis.
The frequent use of direct speech between the two main characters becomes quite obvious when reading Zora Neale Hurston’s short story. However, it is not only the frequent use of direct speech that catches the reader’s eye, but rather the ethnolect that is used by the two main characters, namely AAVE. Missie May and Joe live in a small rural African American town called Eatonville in Florida, which is in so far quite interesting as the author Zora Neale Hurston as well lived there awhile before she decided to move to New York City: “The Gilded Six-Bits focuses on this comparison, demonstrating that the promises of a city are often gilded and that life in quaint rural folk ways is life with value and strength.” (Howard 1980)
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of AAVE, establishes the terminology used throughout the paper, and outlines the scope of the research.
2 The origins of African American Vernacular English: This section details the historical background of AAVE and discusses the three primary linguistic theories regarding its formation.
3 Features of African American Vernacular English: This chapter categorizes the linguistic markers of AAVE, including phonology, negation patterns, verb tense, and vocabulary.
4 African American Vernacular English using the example of Zora Neale Hurston’s short story The Gilded Six-Bits: This analysis examines how Zora Neale Hurston utilizes AAVE in her fiction to represent the cultural identity of her characters.
5 African American Vernacular English in Rap and Hip Hop songs: This section investigates the usage of AAVE by musical artists and its role in shaping black identity and public discourse.
6 African American Vernacular English as language of education?: This chapter debates the controversial decision of the Oakland school board and the broader pedagogical implications of accepting AAVE in schools.
7 Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the main findings, reiterating the uniqueness of AAVE and the ongoing importance of its recognition.
8 Bibliography: This section lists all academic sources, websites, and media cited in the paper.
Keywords
AAVE, African American Vernacular English, Ebonics, Ethnolect, Linguistics, Phonology, Negation, Tense, Hip Hop, Zora Neale Hurston, Oakland School Board, Education, Cultural Identity, Black English, Sociolinguistics
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper provides a comprehensive introduction to African American Vernacular English (AAVE), examining its origins, structural characteristics, and social status in the United States.
Which specific areas are covered regarding AAVE?
The study covers its historical formation, its grammatical and phonological rules, its usage in literature, its prevalence in Hip Hop music, and the controversy surrounding its recognition as an educational language.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to demonstrate the uniqueness and complexity of AAVE as a legitimate linguistic variant and to advocate for its recognition rather than its dismissal as "bad" English.
What methodology does the author apply?
The author uses a qualitative approach, analyzing existing linguistic literature, literary examples from Zora Neale Hurston, and sociocultural discourse surrounding AAVE in the media and education.
What is the main topic discussed in the final chapters?
The final chapters focus on the sociopolitical debate, specifically the 1996 "Oakland School Board" resolution to recognize Ebonics, and the subsequent public reaction.
What are the essential keywords identifying this research?
Key concepts include AAVE, Ebonics, sociolinguistics, cultural identity, and the pedagogical integration of non-standard English variants.
How does Hurston use AAVE in her work?
Hurston uses AAVE as an authentic representation of her characters' culture, moving beyond stereotypes to provide white readers with insight into the lived experiences of African Americans.
Why is the usage of the term "nigger" discussed in the context of Hip Hop?
The author discusses the term to highlight the sharp divide between its usage within the black community versus the social taboos and racial tensions associated with its usage by white individuals.
What is the central argument regarding AAVE in schools?
The author argues that recognizing AAVE's systematic nature can serve as a pedagogical bridge to help students better master Standard American English.
- Citation du texte
- Lea Lorena Jerns (Auteur), 2014, The Uniqueness of African American Vernacular English, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/274166
