Myths about African American English

1. Myths about African American English • AAE is bad or broken English • AAE is just slang • All African Americans speak AAE • Only African Americans speak AAE • AAE is genetically based • AAE speakers all sound the same • AAE speakers cannot also use standard English

2. Review of Habitual BE 1. My mom be working 2. He be absent 3. The students be talking in class

3. Review of Habitual BE 1. a. 32 They usually be tired when they come home. b. 3 They be tired right now. 2. a. 31When we play basketball, she be on my team. b. 4 The girl in the picture be my sister. 3. a. 4 James be coming to school right now. b. 31James always be coming to school. 4. a. 3 My ankle be broken from the fall. b. 32Sometimes my ears be itching.

4. Review of Habitual BE 1. a. 32 They usually be tired when they come home. b. 3 They be tired right now. 2. a. 31When we play basketball, she be on my team. b. 4 The girl in the picture be my sister. 3. a. 4 James be coming to school right now. b. 31James always be coming to school. 4. a. 3 My ankle be broken from the fall. b. 32Sometimes my ears be itching.

5. Review of HabitualBE 1. My mom be working  “My mom works [a lot]” 2. He be absent  “He is absent [often]” 3. The students be talking in class  “The students talk in class [all the time]”

6. Review of HabitualBE 1. The students always be talking in class. grammatical 2. The students don't be talking right now. ungrammatical 3. Sometimes the teacher be early for class. grammatical 4. At the moment the teacher be in the lounge. ungrammatical 5. My name be Bill. ungrammatical

7. Three Theories of AAE Origin • Creole – AAE began as a creole language mapping English vocabulary onto West African languages’ grammars (Gullah) • Anglicist – AAE was initially identical to the stigmatized dialects spoken by indentured servants and has since developed independently • Substrate – AAE was initially similar to regional white dialects, but did reflect some “substrate” influence related to differences in English and West African grammars

8. Visual of Theories of AAE history

9. Some Grammatical Features of AAE • Habitual BE • The students be doing their homework [often] • Copula Absence of is and are (Be absence) • They hungry; they gonna play • Third person singular present tense –s absence • He/she/it jump_ high • Possessive –s • My dad_ car • Negative concord • We don’t know nothing ‘bout that • Was regularization • Mykids was running

10. Some Pronunciation Features of AAE • Variations of “th” • Dese, dem, dose, birfday, wit (for with) • “g-dropping” • Fishin’, fightin’, playin’, • Consonant cluster reduction • Mist and missed  mis’ and miss’ • Ellipsis • ‘bout, ‘member, ‘cause • Skr- for str- • Skreet, skraight • Pre-nasal Stopping • Bidness, wadn’t

11. Some Conclusions about AAE • AAE has a grammar that is as systematic as that of standard English • AAE’s distinctiveness is due to its developmental history based on the early contact situation and its sociohistorical context • Contemporary AAE is divergent from earlier varieties, and has increasingly assumed significant status as an ethnic marker • The cultural center of current-day AAE is strongly associated with urban youth culture • The status of vernacular AAE may shift through the early lifespan based on home and school background, peers, and family • It is critical that educators and developmental specialists have a practical understanding of the structure of AAE and how it may affect the acquisition of different educational skills