Department of Languages PUC Minas - Sociolinguistics/ DialectologyProf. Rodrigo Pelegrini HonoratoEnfoque Letras

How it all started… Back in the dates - Migration from England to the USA, Slaveholders, Uncle Toms, Africans, skin color (yellow bone, red bone), lack of reading and writing;

African American Vernacular English – (AAVE) AAVE is colloquially known as Ebonics,

which is a portmanteau / combination of “Ebony” and “Phonics” also called Black English, Black Vernacular, or Black English Vernacular (BEV);

It has pronunciation characteristics in common with various West African languages, Creole, and British English.

Warm-upIs there a specific grammar?Is BEV “incorrect”, “inappropriate”, or “sloppy”?

Do black people linguistically suffer because of it?

Is it accepted in the Business world?

Warm-upWhat is slang? How much slang does

Ebonics have?How is slang used?/What is it for?

(DEA/FBI)Does every single black person speak BEV?Is it very different from Mainstream

English/ Standard English? Are African Americans bilingual? “Code

switch proposed by Garrard McClendon.

Pronunciation Features of AAVE1. Reduction of a word-final consonant Hand = Han’ About = ‘BouPassed = pas’ Perfect =

Perfec’ Desk = des’ Right = Righ’Friend = frien’ Left = lef’

Pronunciation Features of AAVE2. Deletion of word-final single consonant.

Cat = ca’ chat = cha’Vet = ve’ Get = gi’That = da’ Shit = shi’

Pronunciation Features of AAVE3. Realization of final “ng” as “n” in gerunds:

Walking = walkin’Talking = talkin’Mc Donalds’ slogan = I’m lovin’ it!

Pronunciation Features of AAVE4. Realization of voiceless “th” as “t” or “f” or

“v”:

Nothing = nuttin’, nu’in, nuffin’Thin = tinKeith = KeifDeath = Deaf *Brother = Brover

Pronunciation Features of AAVE5. Realization of voiced“th” as “d”:

That = da’Brother = broda, bro’, bruh.The = da (50 Cent – In da Club)This = dis

Pronunciation Features of AAVE6. Realization of “thr” sequence to “th”:

Threw = thewThreaten = thwetenI’m throwed! = I’m thowed! (I’m fresh,I’m cool = I’m clean = No stain on me)

Pronunciation Features of AAVE7. Deletion or vocalization of “r” after a

vowel: It also happens in British English.

Sister = sistuh, sis’ Water = watah

Gangster = gangsta For sure = fo’ sho’ (Fo’ shizzle!)

Your = yo’ Open the door! = open da do’!

Pronunciation Features of AAVE8. Deletion of unstressed initial “a”

About = ‘bou(t) “Cuz dey kno’ ‘bout dat, hataz bettah chill plus I’m packin’ somn dat dey classify as steal...” by TRAE

Afraid = ‘frai (d)’

Among = ‘mong

Pronunciation Features of AAVE9. Swap “ai” for “ah” such as in:

I’m = “ah’m”Time = t”ah”mMy car= mah ca:While = wh’ah’le“I’m hot cuz I’m fly, you ain’t cuz ya not.” by MIMS

Pronunciation Features of AAVE10. Deletion or reduction of the sound“v” in words ended in –”ve”:

Love = luvI love you = I lu’ ya!I believe in God = “Ah” belie’ in Go’.

They deserved it = Dey deser’d it.

Grammatical Features

Grammatical FeaturesIn AAVE or colloquially Ebonics, the verb

“be” is often not included. See some examples:

 Ebonics Standard English

He all right He is all right

She at home now She is at home now

Where you at? Where are you?

He workin` He is working

Grammatical FeaturesThe use of the verb “be”, in Ebonics, is

simplified to “be”, “was”, “wuz” or “is”, for all persons. Ebonics Standard English

I be here everyday I am here everyday

She my homegirl She is my close friend/ girlfriend

We was here yesterday We were here yesterday

You my homeboy You are my best friend

Grammatical Features (Song)“Nigga you’s a window shopperMad at me, I think I know whyNigga you's a window shopperIn the jewelery sto’, looking at shit you can't buyNigga you's a window shopperIn the dealership, trynna get a test-driveNigga you's a window shopperMad as fuck when ya see me ride by” 50 Cent – Window

shopper

Some Slang Terms in AAVEMan, you nuts!She my sis!He my bro!Who you?Where ya stay?What’cha gon’ do tonight?“Dont’cha wish yo girlfriend wuz hot like me?” by Pussy Cat Dolls

She bad! = Smokin’ hot!Smoke show!She badder! She da baddast!Whoa, dat’s a smoke show!Don’t pay’em any mind!Dat’s what she said!

I do mah thang!How ya doin’?How ya been?What’s poppin’?What’s crackin’ ?Wuz gud?Fo sho! = Fo shizzleWhat it is yo’?What up? = Wussap? Sup?What it do? (Houston,TX)Lemme git back to da grind!Ya got chris-browned?

Negative Sentences (Double Negative)I ain't step on no line. = I didn’t step on any

lineI ain't belie’ed what she said, man. = I did

not believe in what she said.I ain't seen nobody. = I have not seen

anybody.I ain't see nu’in = I didn’t see anythingI ain’t no liar = I am not a liar.I ain’t got no cheddar = I don`t have any

money

Grammatical Features (Song) Ain't no mountain high

Ain't no valley lowAin't no river wide enough, babyIf you need me call meno matter where you are,no matter how far (don't worry baby)just call out my name.I'll be there in a hurryYou don’t need to worry'Cause baby thereAin't no mountain high enoughAin't no valley low enoughAin't no river wide enoughTo keep me from getting to you babe

By Marvin Gaye

Immediate Future“Be + going to” is generally replaced by

other terms such as: 1. Finna (about to) – I finna hit the mall. 2.Fixin’ to – I’m fixin’ to go home! 3. I’mma - I’mma do somn now. I’mma

call ya later! 4. Fittin’ to – What’cha fittin’ to do homie? 5. Gon’ – She gon’ be here in a blink of an

eye.

Challenge – Reading in Ebonics What y'all up 2? Damn it! I been lookin' fo' dat jawb

fo' a long tahme. Whatcha think we shoo b doin' 'bout dat shit? What I can letcha kno' bah now is dat I applied fo' it. I ain't no snitch but I needa keep on stackin' up da dough, ya knowmsayin?

I finna jet cuz ya kno' I gotta flip a bird 2nite so I finna git da slab ready, nahImean? Damn, peep dis shit out nigga, a car fulla white girls to be taken to dat 'hood where ya smoked dat fuckin' punk. Whattama tell ya is dat ain't nobody gon' put da hands on mah doja, ya heard? I'mma bus da goddamn cap on dey ass if dey fuckin' jump at it, aaight. Lemme head out cuz five-oh 'bout to show up!

Sleep on it!“Black English is not all slang, but all black slang is Black English.”

Reference BooksAkmajian, Demers and Harnish -

LINGUISTICS An Introduction to Language and Communication – Second Edition (315-320) Cambridge University Press, University of Arizona

LABOV, William – Introduction to African American and Latino English – (122-145)

University of Pennsylvania

LABOV, ASH and BOBERG – Atlas of North American English - Department of Sociolinguistics/ University of Pennsylvania

Keep it Throwed!

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”“Da limits o’ mah language mean da limits o’ mah world.”

* Ludwig Wittgestein