lecture 11
what's EBONICS?
-(Ebony + Phonics) -dubbed in 1970s by activist educators; term commonly used by non-linguists.
In 1800 there were ________slaves, of which only ________ were in the northern states.
-893,602 -36,505 (about 4%)
What's AAE?
-A dialect with its own phonology, grammar, and vocabulary. -A rule-governed, systematic language system like all other dialects and language varieties. -A culturally transmitted way of communicating
who speaks AAE?
-A majority of African Americans living in the US speak AAE -Many African Americans also speak a Mainstream variety of American English and can code-switch between AAE and MUSE.
the "unifies theory" of AAE origins holds that what?
-AAE arose from numerous sources,(including African languages and Southern US varieties -AAE has come from several evolutionary track
Where in Africa did the slaves come from?
-About a quarter from central-southeast Africa, roughly modern Angola and North Cameroon -Another quarter from the "Bight of Biafra" in modern Nigeria, also home to the "Bight of Benin" -Other places include Sierra Leone, Senegal, Gambia, Ghana, and the Ivory Coast
what is the social variation in AAE?
-Absence of 3rd person -s on verbs is a variable that stratifies the AAE community -Social class -Speech situation
what's an example of social variation in AAE?
-Age -Speech situation -Internal factor
what is the phonology of the plural?
-All words ending in voiceless consonants (p, t, f, k) take /s/ -All words ending in voiced consonants (b, d, v, g) and vowel sounds take /z/ -All words that end in an /s/, /z/, /ʃ/or /ʒ/sound take the [əz] ending.
the slave trade?
-Between 1701 and 1810, an estimated 6 million Africans were imported to the Americas. -About 1 million to Latin America -About 500,000 to the U.S. -3 to 4 million to the Caribbean
what is AAE grammar?
-Copula absence -Habitual 'be' -3rd person verbal -s absence -Remote BIN -Completive done -Negative concord -Negative inversion
what grammar words are also in other non-standard varieties of American English?
-Habitual 'be' -Completive done -Negative concord
what is AAE morphosyntax embedded questions?
-In a subordinate clause, an indirect "yes/no question" in Standard English has statement word order. - In AAE, such a clause has question word order.
what is AAE phonology?
-Monophthongization of /aɪ/in words like time and high -Merger of vowels in pin and pen • Postvocalic /r/-lessness -Consonant cluster reduction -Interdental fricatives (th) /θ,ð/> [d], [f]
what is AAE morphosyntax copula drop?
-Most places in which the copula can be reduced ("contracted") in "Standard" English, are places the copula can drop in AAE (dropping in AAE is just as optional as contracting in MUSE) -Those places where "Standard" usage forbids reduction are also those places AAE can't drop the copula
what's in a name?
-Negro dialect, Black dialect -American Negro speech -Black communication -Black street speech -African American language
copula can drop what?
-Present participle statives -Locatives and adjectival predicates -Nominal predicates
copula can not drop what?
-Sentence final position -Emphatic context -Tag questions
what is steady?
-Used to mark actions that occur consistently or persistently; esp. of the activity is vigorous and intentional -Occurs immediately before the main verb of the sentence
where did AAE come from?
-West African (Niger Congo) languages -British English dialects
what's an example of copula absence?
-copula deletion -copula drop -∅copula
what are the origins of AAE?
-dialectalist -creolist
what is AAE morphosyntax habitual be?
-habitual be - Un-conjugated (or "invariant") form of the verb be used to denote repeated or habitual action
what is AAE morphosyntax?
-habitual be -remote past BIN -completive dən -copula drop -negative inversion (and multiple negation) -embedded questions
what are camouflage forms?
-indignant come -Poor Imitation call X's self __-ing
standard English demands an _____ on verbs with _____ ______ ______
-s 3rd person subjects
what are the effects on internal factors in copula absence?
Copula absence is more and less likely depending on the category (part of speech) of the predicate (the part that follows the dropped copula)
AAE speakers may also reduce the consonant clusters when what?
reduce consonant clusters when the following segment is a vowel.
In spoken English, the second consonant in a consonant cluster is more likely to be what?
reduced (deleted) if the following segment is a consonant and more likely to be kept if the following segment is a vowel.
AAE dates back how log ago?
some four centuries
what are interdentals?
the "th" sounds
This pidgin included features of both what?
the West African languages and English.
AAE refers to what?
the full range of standard and non-standard or "vernacular" varieties used (mainly) by people of African American descent in the US.
Young people who affiliate with hip hop (Asians, Latinos, whites and others) often learn what?
the lexicon
what is code-switching?
the patterned switching between two or more languages or dialects.
what's an -s?
the pronunciation follows the same rules that the plural does
consonant cluster consists of what?
two consecutive consonants like st, nd, ft, ld, pt, kt
Some African Americans speak only what?
MUSE
what is AAE morphosyntax completive dən?
The completive indicates an activity that has already been completed
what is a consonant cluster reduction?
The deletion of the second consonant in consonant clusters that occur at the end of a syllable or word
what is AAE morphosyntax Negative inversion (and multiple negation)?
The inversion of a negated auxiliary or modal and the subject
what is copula absence?
a variable that stratifies the AAE community
what does AAE stand for?
african american english
The completive indicates what?
an activity that has already been completed.
Proponents of the ______________maintain that AAE has its roots in African languages.
creolist theory
According to the ____________ AAE arose from a ________ language
creolist theory, pidgin
AAE dates back to the earliest contect between who?
enslaved Africans and Europeans
what is pidgin language?
it was created among slaves from various linguistic backgrounds, primarily from West Africa.
When consonant cluster reduction occurs, speakers what?
logically follow the rules of English plural formation. If the pronounced form ends in /s/the plural marker is [əz]
in NYC and other urban centers, who speaks AAE?
many Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and others who live in or near African American communities learn AAE as a second language or second dialect.
AAE is one of the _______ dialects of english found in the U.S.
oldest
slave importation is ______________, but illegally it still goes to remote islands off the coast of ________ and _________
outlawed, Georgia, Carolinas
what's AAE?
African American English (Late 1990s)
what's AAVE?
African American Vernacular English (1980s)
what are creolist views?
AAE is not a dialect of English but a new development created by the interaction of Africans and Anglos as a result of slavery.
The 1860 census showed _______slaves in the southern states.
3,953,760
What is currently the term preferred by most linguists.
AAE
what are dialectalist views?
AAE is a dialect of American English like any other. Its unique features come from older dialects of British, Irish and Scottish English.
what is AAE morphosyntax remote past BIN?
BIN is a verbal marker that indicates an activity or state that happened in the remote ("distant") past. BIN must be stressed to have this meaning
What is BE?
Black English (1960s-70s)
What is BEV?
Black English Vernacular (1960s-70s)
what's BL?
Black Language (21st Century; Alim 2005)
what's BVE?
Black Vernacular English (1960s-70s)
