First of all, this term paper will give some general information about the variety African American Vernacular English itself, its origins and who the speakers of AAVE are. Furthermore, it will give an overview of some features of AAVE and finally the analysis of two of the features on different rap songs from the famous rapper Snoop Dogg. The first feature that I will be looking at is zero copula and the second feature is the omission of the third-person singular –s in the present tense. In this term paper I will investigate the occurrence of these two features in Snoop Dogg’s lyrics from his first album “Doggystyle” and his latest album “Bush” and if they decreased or increased with time. Since music plays such a huge part in African American culture it should be possible to see these features of AAVE in the lyrics. The analysis will contain 16 rap songs from Snoop Dogg’s first album Doggystyle from 1993 and 10 rap songs from his latest album Bush from 2015.
English is a language with many varieties and also one of the most spoken languages in the world. The varieties of English are results of colonial expansion and may differ from each other in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is the variety that people associate with as the language used by the black community. The additional term vernacular refers to the speech style in everyday communication and differentiates black African American Vernacular English speakers from black speakers of Standard English. Especially in rap and hip-hop music the number of black performers is very high since it was introduced as a new music genre. The style of language that is used in hip-hop lyrics is highly influenced by the African Americans. AAVE is a variant of English that you can hear every day on the radio or television for example and that also makes it so interesting to analyze its use, features and origin.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 What is AAVE?
2.1 Who speaks AAVE?
2.2 The origin of AAVE
3 Some important features of AAVE
3.1 Phonological features
3.2 Grammatical features
3.3 Vocabulary of AAVE
4 AAVE features in Rap and Hip Hop songs (Snoop Dogg)
4.1 Grammatical features
4.1.1 Zero copula
4.1.2 Omission of third-person singular –s in the present tense
4.2 1993 in comparison to 2015
5 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This academic paper explores the presence and evolution of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) features, specifically zero copula and the omission of the third-person singular –s, within the lyrical content of rapper Snoop Dogg, comparing his 1993 album "Doggystyle" with his 2015 release "Bush".
- Origins and definition of African American Vernacular English
- Linguistic characteristics of AAVE (phonological, grammatical, and lexical)
- Comparative linguistic analysis of rap lyrics across two decades
- The cultural significance of hip-hop as a medium for AAVE expression
- Normalization of AAVE features in contemporary popular culture
Excerpt from the Book
4.1.1 Zero copula
The absence of the copula is very common in African American Vernacular English speech. The zero copula occurs when the finite form of to be is used as a main verb in other varieties. Whenever “is, am, are, was, or were” (Labov 1995: 31) is absent we speak of zero copula (cf. Labov 1995: 31). In both of Snoop Dogg’s albums there are many examples of zero copula. The examples in (2) show the feature zero copula in his first album Doggystyle from 1993.
(2) So what the fuck a nigga like you gotta say (Snoop Dogg: “Tha Shiznit”)
But for those who with me, sing that shit (Snoop Dogg: “Lodi Dodi”)
So we gonna smoke a ounce to this (Snoop Dogg: “Tha Shiznit”)
(…) that ass mine (Snoop Dogg: “Murder Was The Case”)
Chapter Summaries
1 Introduction: Provides an overview of English varieties and introduces the research focus on AAVE in the context of Snoop Dogg's rap lyrics.
2 What is AAVE?: Defines the socio-historical background of AAVE, its speakers, and its status as a distinct ethnic variety of English.
3 Some important features of AAVE: Details specific phonological, grammatical, and vocabulary characteristics that distinguish AAVE from Standard English.
4 AAVE features in Rap and Hip Hop songs (Snoop Dogg): Presents the core analysis comparing the frequency of specific grammatical features in Snoop Dogg's 1993 and 2015 albums.
5 Conclusion: Summarizes the findings, noting an increased frequency of AAVE features in the later album, and discusses the growing societal acceptance of AAVE.
Keywords
AAVE, African American Vernacular English, Snoop Dogg, Rap Lyrics, Zero Copula, Hip-Hop, Linguistics, Grammar, Omission of –s, Dialect, Socio-linguistics, Doggystyle, Bush, Language Change, Vernacular.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this academic paper?
The paper examines the usage and frequency of specific grammatical features of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) within the song lyrics of the rapper Snoop Dogg.
Which specific linguistic features does the author investigate?
The study focuses on two specific phenomena: the "zero copula" (absence of the verb "to be") and the omission of the third-person singular "-s" in present tense verbs.
What is the main research question or goal?
The goal is to determine whether the occurrence of these AAVE features in Snoop Dogg’s lyrics has decreased or increased between his 1993 album, "Doggystyle," and his 2015 album, "Bush."
What methodology is employed in the analysis?
The author performs a quantitative analysis by counting the occurrences of these features in the lyrics of both albums and calculating their "normalized frequency" relative to the total word count of each album.
What does the main body of the text cover?
It covers the definition and origin of AAVE, its phonological and grammatical characteristics, and a detailed breakdown of the lyrical analysis with statistical tables and charts.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include AAVE, African American Vernacular English, Rap Lyrics, Zero Copula, Omission of –s, and Hip-Hop linguistics.
Does the paper conclude that AAVE usage is declining in rap music?
No, the findings show that both investigated AAVE features were more frequent in the 2015 album compared to the 1993 album, suggesting a sustained or even increased usage.
Why might AAVE features be more frequent in the 2015 album?
The author suggests that the increasing popularization of AAVE in media, politics, and social interaction, along with the influence of digital communication, has led to greater acceptance and usage of these features.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Seda Evirgen (Autor:in), 2016, Features of African American Vernacular English in Snoop Dogg’s Rap Lyrics, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/322299
