African American Vernacular English (Aave)
African American Vernacular English
The United States of America is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations. Even though there is not an official national language, most Americans speak Standard American English (SAE). However, the most prevalent native English vernacular dialect in the United States is African American Vernacular English (AAVE). According to Sharon Vaughn, AAVE is “a dialect used by some African Americans” (110). In order to examine AAVE, one must explore the origins, grammatical features, and prominent resolutions, which created a precedent for educating students that speak dialects other than Standard American English.
For years, scholars and sociolinguist partook in debate over the origination of AAVE. “The root of the distinctive speech of many African Americans remains controversial, stemming from a long and often bitter history” (Wolfram and Torbert). Linguists Walt Wolfram and Benjamin Torbert conducted extensive research to trace the origins of AAVE. They discovered two conflicting hypotheses, The Anglicist Hypothesis and The Creolist Hypothesis. The Anglicist Hypothesis argues that AAVE originates from the assortment of English spoken in the British Isles. This stance believes “slaves speaking different African languages simply learned the regional and social varieties of the adjacent groups of white speakers as they acquired English. It further assumes that over the course of a couple of generations only a few minor traces of these ancestral languages remained” (Wolfram and Torbert).
The contrasting Creolist Hypothesis asserts that several grammatical features of AAVE stem from English-based Creole dialects. These common grammatical features include absence of the linking verb be, loss of inflexion suffixes, and the use of been to indicate distant time. Scholars and linguist have yet to solve the debate and solely choose one viewpoint.
In an effort to give black speech an identity, Social Psychologist
The United States of America is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations. Even though there is not an official national language, most Americans speak Standard American English (SAE). However, the most prevalent native English vernacular dialect in the United States is African American Vernacular English (AAVE). According to Sharon Vaughn, AAVE is “a dialect used by some African Americans” (110). In order to examine AAVE, one must explore the origins, grammatical features, and prominent resolutions, which created a precedent for educating students that speak dialects other than Standard American English.
For years, scholars and sociolinguist partook in debate over the origination of AAVE. “The root of the distinctive speech of many African Americans remains controversial, stemming from a long and often bitter history” (Wolfram and Torbert). Linguists Walt Wolfram and Benjamin Torbert conducted extensive research to trace the origins of AAVE. They discovered two conflicting hypotheses, The Anglicist Hypothesis and The Creolist Hypothesis. The Anglicist Hypothesis argues that AAVE originates from the assortment of English spoken in the British Isles. This stance believes “slaves speaking different African languages simply learned the regional and social varieties of the adjacent groups of white speakers as they acquired English. It further assumes that over the course of a couple of generations only a few minor traces of these ancestral languages remained” (Wolfram and Torbert).
The contrasting Creolist Hypothesis asserts that several grammatical features of AAVE stem from English-based Creole dialects. These common grammatical features include absence of the linking verb be, loss of inflexion suffixes, and the use of been to indicate distant time. Scholars and linguist have yet to solve the debate and solely choose one viewpoint.
In an effort to give black speech an identity, Social Psychologist
Cited: Rickford, John Russell, and Russell John Rickford. Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2000. Print Sidnell, Jack. African American Vernacular English (Ebonics). University of New England Australia. 1 April 2012. Web. Smitherman, Geneva. "`Students ' Right To Their Own Language ': A Retrospective." English Journal 84.1 (1995): 21. Professional Development Collection. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. TESOL. “Position Statement of the TESOL Board on African American Vernacular English (March 1997).”Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Inc., A Global Education Association, 1997. Web. 16 March 2012. Vaughn, Sharon R., Candace S. Bos and Jeanne Shay Schumm. Teaching Students: Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and at Risk in the General Education Classroom. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc, 1997. Print. Williams, Robert. Ebonics: The True Language of Black Folks. Institute of Black Studies, 1975. Print. Wolfram, Walt, and Benjamin Torbert. “When Worlds Collide.” Sea to Sea American Varieties on PBS. Writ: Drs. Cynthia G. Clopper and David B. Pisoni. Viewed 15 March 2012. Wolfram, Walt. “Reexamining the Development of African American English: Evidence from Isolated Communities.” Language 79.2 (2003): 282. Education Research Complete. Web 25 March 2012.