African American Vernacular English: a study of the representation of black speech in popular TV series
Abstract
African American Vernacular English or AAVE is a variety of American English often spoken by African Americans in urban or Southern regions. The fact that a large number of people speak this variety has led African American Vernacular English to before almost a half-century an important topic of discussion among both; linguists and the public. Linguists maintain that there is nothing “wrong” or “incorrect” about African American Vernacular English since, like other dialects, it only deviates from the standard and shows a consistent internal logic. However, it is known that this variety is highly stigmatized, and as a consequence, speakers of American Vernacular English are often regarded as ignorant or uneducated people as well as members of a lower social class. In this study I will give an overview of the main characteristics of African American Vernacular English through an analysis of relevant descriptive sources, and see how this language variety is represented in the media, especially in the popular TV series entitled “The Wire” which is settled in Baltimore. The wide range of characters that this series presents will allow me to figure out if there is some sort of variability in the use of this variety depending on the social context or the recipient. Moreover, I will also try to conclude how this variety is established as symbol of black identity.
Full text
Facul ad de Filología
T abajo de Fin
de G ado
A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English: a
s udy o he
ep esen a ion o
black speech in
popula TV se ies
Tu o : Ma io Cal Va ela
Julio 2016
Cu so académico 2015/2016
T abajo de Fin de G ado p esen ado en la Facul ad de Filología de la Uni e sidad de San iago de Compos ela
pa a la ob ención del G ado en Lengua y Li e a u a Inglesas.
Au o a: Joana Cos as Domínguez
Facul ad de Filología
T abajo de Fin
de G ado
A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English: a
s udy o he
ep esen a ion o
black speech in
popula TV se ies
Tu o : Ma io Cal Va ela
Au o a: Joana Cos as Domínguez
Julio 2016
Cu so académico 2015/2016
T abajo de Fin de G ado p esen ado en la Facul ad de Filología de la Uni e sidad de San iago de Compos ela
pa a la ob ención del G ado en Lengua y Li e a u a Inglesas.
A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English: a s udy o he ep esen a ion o black speech in popula TV se ies
TFG 2015-2016 Joana Cos as Domínguez Page 1
Abs ac
A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English o AAVE is a a ie y o Ame ican English o en
spoken by A ican Ame icans in u ban o Sou he n egions.
The ac ha a la ge numbe o people speak his a ie y has led A ican Ame ican Ve nacula
English o be o e almos a hal -cen u y an impo an opic o discussion among bo h; linguis s
and he public.
Linguis s main ain ha he e is no hing “w ong” o “inco ec ” abou A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English since, like o he dialec s, i only de ia es om he s anda d and shows a
consis en in e nal logic. Howe e , i is known ha his a ie y is highly s igma ized, and as a
consequence, speake s o Ame ican Ve nacula English a e o en ega ded as igno an o
uneduca ed people as well as membe s o a lowe social class.
In his s udy I will gi e an o e iew o he main cha ac e is ics o A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English h ough an analysis o ele an desc ip i e sou ces, and see how his
language a ie y is ep esen ed in he media, especially in he popula TV se ies en i led “The
Wi e” which is se led in Bal imo e.
The wide ange o cha ac e s ha his se ies p esen s will allow me o igu e ou i he e is
some so o a iabili y in he use o his a ie y depending on he social con ex o he
ecipien . Mo eo e , I will also y o conclude how his a ie y is es ablished as symbol o
black iden i y.
Key wo ds: AAVE, media, a iabili y and iden i y.
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Table o con en s
Abs ac ......................................................................................................................................1
Table o con en s........................................................................................................................2
1. In oduc ion.............................................................................................................................3
2. A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English: his o ical and social con ex .....................................4
2.1 O igins.......................................................................................................................4
2.2 Di e en e ms used o make e e ence o his a ie y.............................................9
2.3 Is AAVE a homogeneous a ie y?..........................................................................10
2.4 Language a i udes..................................................................................................11
2.4.1 Linguis ic p ejudice: s igma iza ion..........................................................12
2.4.2 The Oakland School Boa d P oposal........................................................14
3. The ea u es o AAVE..........................................................................................................16
3.1 Phonological ea u es..............................................................................................16
3.2 G amma ical ea u es..............................................................................................19
3.3 Lexicon....................................................................................................................23
4. AAVE in popula TV se ies: The Wi e.................................................................................25
4.1 In oduc ion o he TV se ies The Wi e...................................................................25
4.2 Ma e ials and me hod..............................................................................................27
4.3 Analysis o he agmen s.......................................................................................30
4.3.1 F agmen 1............................................................................................30
4.3.2 F agmen 2............................................................................................32
4.3.3 F agmen 3............................................................................................33
4.3.4 F agmen 4............................................................................................35
4.4 Discussion o he agmen s....................................................................................35
5. Conclusion............................................................................................................................39
Bibliog aphy..............................................................................................................................42
Appendix...................................................................................................................................44
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1. In oduc ion
The A ican-Ame ican cul u e has been always o me one o he mos in e es ing and iches ;
i s his o y, i s music, i s adi ion, i s li e a u e and, wha a ac s me mo e, i s language. Fo
his eason, I ha e decided o ocus my s udy on one o one o he mos con o e sial a ie ies
o English which is di ec ly ela ed o A ican-Ame ican people: A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English. Mo eo e , his a ie y has been and con inuous o be, an impo an opic
o discussion among socie y and linguis s and, o his eason, I conside A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English o be an impo an and in e es ing objec o s udy.
The main pu poses o his pape a e, i s ly, o s udy how, whe e and when his a ie y
appea s, his leads us o he s udy o i s o igins and his o ical con ex . Addi ionally we will y
o analyse i s social con ex , wha means; how people and ins i u ions eac o A ican
Ame ican Ve nacula English and wha kind o language a i udes a e showed owa ds his
a ie y. Mo eo e , i is also impo an o s udy wha kind o people speaks i and in which
manne o wi h which equency and y o ge o know, as a consequence, i his a ie y is a
homogeneous one.
Ano he p incipal objec o his pape is o analyze he ea u es ha de ine A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English. In o de o do his, we will ocus on a bibliog aphically sea ch and s udy
he main ele an desc ip i e sou ces o po ay he phonological, g amma ical and lexicon
ea u es ha cha ac e ize his a ie y. The main pu poses o his analysis a e i s ly, o know
he language a ie y ha his pape s udies and no only he con ex ha su ounds i and,
secondly, o demons a e ha , con a y o wha many people hink; A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English is a sys ema ic a ie y, and ha i shows a pe ec ly o ganized in e nal
logic as any o he language a ie y.
Finally, we will y o analyse how A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English is ep esen ed in he
media. A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English is a a ie y ha is p esen in many ilms, songs,
no els, se ies... Fo his eason, and in o de o see how he ea u es desc ibed by linguis s in
he desc ip i e sou ces a e ep esen ed in he media, I ha e decided o analyse he use o
A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English in a e y popula TV se ies en i led The Wi e. In o de
o do i , I am going o selec se e al scenes wi h he objec o analyse he use o his a ie y
by di e en ypes o cha ac e s.
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Th ough he analysis o hese selec ed scenes I will y o conclude i he e is any kind o
a ia ion in he way he di e en cha ac e s use A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English, and i
he e is a ia ion, I will y o igu e ou i i esponds o a change in he cha ac e ’s social
con ex as he social class, sex o age. Mo eo e I will also expec o ind ou i he e is any
kind o a iabili y in he use o his a ie y by he di e en cha ac e s depending on he
ecipien , wha means ha , his s udy o he se ies will y o show i he e is any kind o
accommoda ion (con e gence o di e gence) owa ds he speech o he ecipien .
In o de o accomplish he abo e men ioned objec i es, he s uc u e o his pape will consis
on h ee di e en sec ions. The i s one will be dedica ed o gi e an o e iew o he
his o ical and social con ex which su ounds A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English, in he
second sec ion, I will analyse he phonological, g amma ical and lexicon ea u es o his
a ie y and, he las sec ion will be dedica ed o he analysis o he use o A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English in he TV se ies The Wi e.
2. A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English: his o ical and social con ex
One o he i s hings ha one mus do in o de o s udy a language a ie y is o know he
o igins o i ; how, whe e and when i appea s and how, when and owa ds which places i has
been sp ead. I is also impo an s udy wha people hink abou ha a ie y and wha ype o
linguis ic a i udes people show owa ds i . Finally, he speake s o ha a ie y mus also be
analysed in o de o ge o know wha kind o people speak i and in which manne o wi h
which equency and y o ge o know, as a consequence, i his a ie y is a homogeneous
one.
Fo hese easons, in he ollowing sec ions we will gi e a b ie o e iew o he his o ical and
social con ex which has su ounded A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English since he e y
beginning.
2.1 O igins
A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English is a a ie y o English spoken by hose people in he
Uni ed S a es who ha e A ican-Ame ican o igins, ha is, people who descend om he
o iginal A ican popula ion ha was anspo ed he e. The ances o s o mos A ican
Ame icans came o he Uni ed S a es as sla es, which mean ha A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English was bo n ou o he his o y o sla e y in his coun y.
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This A ican popula ion i s a i ed o he colony o James own in No h Ame ica, Vi ginia,
in 1619, and om ha momen onwa ds, a s able s eam o sla es con inued o a i e o he
coun y o cen u ies. “E en hough he sla e ade became illegal in 1808, he domes ic ade
lou ished and he sla e popula ion in he Uni ed S a es nea ly ipled o e he nex 50 yea s,
by 1860 i had eached nea ly 4 million” (S a , 2009).
In spi e he ac ha A ican Ame icans a e cu en ly dis ibu ed ac oss he whole coun y,
hey we e o iginally se led only in he sou h, in an a ea which goes om Texas in he Wes o
No h and Sou h Ca olina in he Eas whe e hey wo ked as sla es o he whi e owne s o he
plan a ions. This explains why A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English sha es many ea u es
wi h Sou he n Ame ican English.
The ollowing map ( igu e 1) p o ided by he Social Science Da a Analysis (2000) shows
how: “A ican Ame icans comp ise he Uni ed S a es' la ges acial mino i y, accoun ing o
12.1 pe cen o he o al popula ion in 2000. This popula ion is concen a ed la gely in he
sou he n s a es and u ban a eas”.
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Figu e 1. The map shows he pe cen age o he sp ead o A ican Ame ican popula ion
h ough he Uni ed S a es in 2000. (SSDAN, 2000)
As a consequence o he Indus ial Re olu ion, especially in he i s pa o he nine een h
cen u y, a mig a ion om he sou h o he no h began. This led o he ac ha many A ican
Ame icans s a ed o li e in indus ial cen es o he no h and no h eas .
These sla es b ough wi h hem new languages o ally di e en om English as Rick o d
(1999) a i ms:
Like he o ebea s o many o he Ame icans, hese wa es o A ican
“immig an s” spoke languages o he han English. Thei languages we e om
he Nige -Congo language amily, especially he Wes A lan ic, Mande, and
Kwa sub-g oups spoken om Senegal and Gambia o he Came oons, and he
Ban u sub-g oup spoken u he sou h. (p.324)
Bu hese sla es a i ed in a coun y whe e English was dominan , so hey had o lea n
English. Rega ding his, he e is a big con o e sy among linguis s conce ning how much
hese A ican sla es we e in luenced by hei A ican languages when hey lea n English.
The linguis ic o igins o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English a e no e y clea and con inue
o be a ma e o deba e. In ac , he e a e h ee di e en iews abou how A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English a ose, as Rick o d (1999) po ays in his book, ying o cla i y he
possible sou ces o his a ie y.
The A ocen ic iew
This iew de elops he idea ha majo i y o he ep esen a i e ea u es o A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English ha e in luences om A ican languages. When Wes A ican sla es we e
b ough o Ame ica and acqui ed English, hey we e in luenced by hei own A ican
languages and “ es uc u ed i acco ding o he pa e ns o Nige -Congo languages” (Rick o d,
1999, p.325). As an example o he simila i ies ha exis be ween hem we can highligh he
way in which bo h A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English and Nige -Congo languages
simpli y consonan clus e s a he end o wo ds and do no use linking e bs like “is” and
“a e” as in, o ins ance, he p o o ypical example ha Rick o d (1999, p.325) po ays, “he
happy”.
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Despi e his, he e a e impo an Nige -Congo languages which do no show hese ea u es
and, mo eo e , some o hem as he simpli ica ion o inal consonan clus e s can be ound in
ce ain e nacula s in England ha had li le o no hing o do wi h Wes A ican in luence. As
a consequence o his, a la ge numbe o linguis s shows a scep ical a i ude ega ding his
heo y and demand mo e p oo o he in luence o A ican languages o e A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English.
On he con a y, he e a e also se e al linguis s and au ho s who suppo he A ocen ic iew;
among hem, we can highligh Mole i Ke e Asan e, an A ican-Ame ican p o esso in he
Depa men o A ican Ame ican S udies a Temple Uni e si y and a well-known w i e in
he ield o A ican-Ame ican S udies. Asan e (1980) is conside ed one o his mos amous
books abou he A ocen ici y.
The Eu ocen ic iew
This second iew conside s ha A ican sla es lea ned English as a consequence o being in
con ac wi h whi e se le s in he colonies, since hey used o wo k oge he in households and
ields. This hypo hesis a i ms ha hey acqui ed English success ully main aining li le o
hei na i e A ican languages. As a consequence, non-S anda d ea u es o A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English as, o ins ance, he omission o inal consonan s and he use o in a ian
habi ual “be”, would de i e om dialec s spoken by colonial English, I ish, o Sco ch-I ish
se le s.
In spi e o his, he e a e also e y ele an AAVE ea u es as he absence o linking e bs
like “is” and “a e” ha we can ha dly ind o do no ind a all in he dialec s o hese ea ly
se le s. So, consequen ly, and as happens wi h he A ocen ic iew, we s ill do no ha e
enough his o ical in o ma ion o con i m his hypo hesis.
Mo eo e , his iew seems o be he less popula among linguis s and his o ians since, as
Rick o d (1999) s a es: “The assump ion ha sla es apidly and success ully acqui ed he
dialec s o he Whi es a ound hem equi es a osie iew o hei ela ionship han he
his o ical eco d and con empo a y e idence sugges ” (p.326).
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2.4.2 The Oakland School Boa d P oposal
The e ha e been a lo o con o e sies ega ding A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English bu
undoub edly he mos impo an one was he Oakland con o e sy o 1996-1997.
On Decembe 18, 1996, he Oakland School Boa d o Oakland, Cali o nia, passed a
esolu ion in which Ebonics was ecognized as he p ima y language o A ican Ame ican
child en in schools: “Boa d o Educa ion o icially ecognizes he exis ence, and he cul u al
and his o ic bases o Wes and Nige -Congo A ican Language Sys ems, and each language as
he p edominan ly p ima y language o A ican-Ame ican s uden s” (Baugh, 2000, p.46).
Fu he mo e, his esolu ion also decla ed Ebonics o be sepa a e language, no an English
dialec : “These s udies ha e also demons a ed ha A ican Language Sys ems a e gene ically
based and no a dialec o English” (Baugh, 2000, p.44).
A big con o e sy has su ounded he Oakland esolu ion since i has been passed and, as a
consequence o his, he Oakland School Boa d eac ed wi h a mo e conse a i e posi ion,
passing a new esolu ion on Janua y 15, 1997. In his new e sion we can app ecia e a new
emphasis on he impo ance o lea ning S anda d English and ce ain s a emen s ha we can
ind in he i s e sion and p e iously men ioned such as “gene ically based” u n now in o
“ha e o igins in Wes and Nige Congo languages and a e no me ely dialec s o English”
(Baugh, 2000, p.44).
The in en ion o his modi ied esolu ion was no o each Ebonics as a sepa a e o main
language, bu o use i as an ins umen o imp o e he use o S anda d English among A ican
Ame ican s uden s who speak Ebonics:
Implemen he bes possible academic p og am o impa ing ins uc ion o
A ican-Ame ican s uden s in hei p ima y language o he combined
pu poses o main aining he legi imacy and ichness o such language whe he
i is known as "Ebonics," "A ican Language Sys ems," "Pan-A ican
Communica ion Beha io s" o o he desc ip ion, and o acili a e hei
acquisi ion and mas e y o English language skills. (Baugh, 2000, p.46)
The esolu ion added: “Ins uc ional assis an s, who a e ce i ied in he me hodology o
A ican Language Sys ems p inciples, used o ansi ion s uden s om he language pa e ns
hey b ing o school o English” (Baugh, 2000, p.45).
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As we can ead abo e, hey conside ed impo an o Ebonics speake s o be awa e o he
di e ences ha exis be ween hei e nacula language and S anda d English in o de o lea n
he la e easily. As Rick o d (1999) a i ms, educa o s mus ake in o accoun Ebonics in
o de o each child en S anda d English: “The e is expe imen al e idence bo h om he
Uni ed S a es and Eu ope ha mas e ing he s anda d language migh be easie i he
di e ences in he s uden e nacula and S anda d English we e made explici a he han
en i ely igno ed” (p.327).
Rick o d (1999) p o ides some suppo ing e idence:
A Au o a Uni e si y, ou side Chicago, inne -ci y A ican Ame ican s uden s
we e augh by an app oach ha con as ed S anda d English and Ebonics
ea u es h ough explici ins uc ion and d ills. A e ele en weeks, his g oup
showed a 59 pe cen educ ion in hei use o Ebonics ea u es in hei S anda d
English w i ing. Bu a con ol g oup augh by con en ional me hods showed
an 8.5 pe cen inc ease in such ea u es. (p.327)
As a eac ion o hese wo esolu ions p oposed by he Oakland School Boa d o Oakland,
Oklahoma passed a bill banning he ins uc ion o Ebonics in schools and sugges ing ha
A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English could be a h ea o he socie y:
Ebonics means an A icanized o m o English e lec ing Black Ame icans’
linguis ic-cul u al ies o hei A ican he i age. Ebonics may also be known as
Black English o Black dialec ….. [As his ac ion is] immedia ely necessa y o
he p ese a ion o he public peace, heal h, and sa e y, an eme gency is he eby
decla ed o exis . [H.B] (1810)
The Oakland School Boa d answe s ha wi h his esolu ion hey we e only p omo ing he
S anda d English P o iciency p og am, o SEP. This p og am was ac ually ounded by he
ede al go e nmen and i uses he me hodology o eaching a o eign language in o de o
help s uden s o change om non-S anda d o S anda d English.
This Ebonics con o e sy is a e y ep esen a i e example o how schools ha e been ea ing
he language o A ican-Ame ican child en o yea s, ega ding i as “inco ec ” and in e io
o S anda d English. The Oakland School Boa d esolu ion ailed, and his happens because
he eache s and adminis a o s o he Oakland schools, as well as he pa en s, had a
conse a i e poin o iew ega ding language based on ague, idealized and e oneous
s anda ds o co ec ness ha a e, as a consequence, ansmi ed o he s uden s.
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3. The ea u es o AAVE
As a consequence o he Ebonics con o e sy ha eme ged in 1996, people s a ed o demand
a lis o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English ea u es o a desc ip ion o hem, in o de o
p o e ha i is a sys ema ic a ie y ins ead o bad English as people ega ded i o be.
In he las decades, a lo o desc ip i e s udies ha e commen ed on he phonology, g amma ,
and lexicon o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English. Rega ding lexicon, one mus ake in o
accoun wo e y in luen ial wo ks: Majo C (1994) and Smi he man G (1994). Fo he
desc ip ion o phonology and g amma he e a e also e y impo an wo ks as he one by
Baugh (1983) o he ones on which I will ocus on o his pape , Rick o d (1999), and Bailey
G & Thomas E (1998). E en hough, i is ue ha he majo i y o wo ks which desc ibe he
phonology and g amma o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English a e cu en ly ou da ed bo h
in e minology and co e age.
The abo e men ioned books al eady desc ibe wha we know a p esen abou A ican
Ame ican Ve nacula English, so I would like o ecommend hem i you wan o ead mo e
abou he ea u es o his a ie y. Howe e , in his pape , I will y o gi e a b ie desc ip ion
o he mos impo an A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English’s s uc u al ea u es aking in o
accoun , as I ha e al eady men ioned, Rick o d (1999) and Bailey G & Thomas E (1998).
3.1 Phonological ea u es
E en hough he mo e dis inc i e ea u es o AAVE a e g amma ical, o ins ance, ze o
copula o habi ual be, linguis s ha e ga e a lo o impo ance also o he phonological
ea u es. In ac , hey ha e concluded ha he phonological di e ences be ween AAVE and
whi e a ie ies o English a e c ucial and e y dis inc i e o his a ie y. Mo eo e ,
Mon gome y & Bailey (1986) sugges ha phonology plays a c ucial ole in e hnic
iden i ica ion.
The ollowing ones a e some o he mos ele an phonological ea u es o AAVE, common
o many s udies o AAVE phonology as Rick o d (1999) and Mu wene, Rick o d, Guy, &
Baugh (1998) and based on hem.
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1. Reduc ion o wo d- inal consonan clus e s: i is he educ ion in a wo d o a g oup o
wo o mo e consonan s ha ha e no in e ening owel, especially hose which end in
/ / o /d/. A p o o ypical example o his ea u e is he one men ioned bo h by Rick o d
(1999, p.4) and by Bailey G & Thomas E (1998, p.88): han’ o S anda d English
“hand”.
This ea u e occu s in he majo i y o a ie ies o English bu in AAVE, as Bailey G &
Thomas E (1998, p.86) po ay in his book, is mo e equen o occu in di e en
con ex s. Fo ins ance, in mos a ie ies o English, he inal consonan in he clus e is
mo e likely o be los when he clus e is ollowed by an obs uen wi h he same place
o a icula ion as in “ i s ime”, p oducing: i s’ ime, o when he clus e is ollowed
by an obs uen wi h a di e en place o a icula ion as in “ i s gi l”, p oducing: i s’
gi l. On he o he hand, i is less likely o be los when he clus e is ollowed by a
owel as in “ i s apple”. Ne e heless, in AAVE, hese cons ains a e e e sed, and
he / / in “ i s apple” is mo e likely o be los han he / / in “ i s ime”.
2. Dele ion o wo d- inal single consonan a e a owel: his occu s especially in he
case o he nasals. A e y clea example ha Rick o d (1999, p.4) po ays is he case
o ma’ [mæ] o S anda d English “man”. Bailey G & Thomas E (1998, p.89) conside
his ea u e as appa en ly unique o AAVE, e en hough Rick o d (1999) conside s i
less equen han numbe 1.
3. De oicing o wo d- inal oiced s ops: when a wo d- inal oiced s op goes a e a
owel, i is de oiced an as a consequence, [b] is ealized as [p], [d] as [ ], and [g] as
[k]. The p o o ypical example ha Rick o d (1999, p.4) and Bailey G & Thomas E
(1998, p.89) men ion is he p onuncia ion o [bæ ] o S anda d English “bad”.
4. Realiza ion o inal ng as n in ge unds: as in he example men ioned by Rick o d
(1999, p.4), walkin’ o SE “walking”.
5. Realiza ion o oiceless h [ϴ] as o : as in in o S anda d English “ hin” and ba
o S anda d English “ba h” Rick o d (1999, p.4).
6. Dele ion o ocaliza ion o pos ocalic /l/: when /l/ comes a e a owel, i is no mally
dele ed o ocalized ( ha is p onounced as a weak neu al owel). An examples o his
men ioned by Rick o d (1999, p.5) is he’p o SE “help” and oah o S anda d
English “ oll”.
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Rick o d (1999, p.5) also men ions ha his phenomenon can esul in he dele ion o
he “ll” o con ac ed will, especially when he ollowing wo d begins wi h a labial /b/,
/m/, o /w/, as in “He be he e omo ow” o S anda d English “He’ll be he e
omo ow”.
In Bailey G & Thomas E (1998, p.88), his ea u e is conside ed o be p esen in many
English a ie ies, no only in AAVE.
7. Dele ion o ocaliza ion o / / a e a owel: sis uh o S anda d English “sis e ” o
ouh o S anda d English “ ou ” a e some o he examples ha Rick o d (1999)
p o ides o his ea u e. In his same sec ion he also a i ms ha :
This ule applies mo e o en when he / / comes a he end o a wo d
and is ollowed by a wo d beginning wi h a consonan ( ou pos s)
a he han a wo d beginning wi h a owel ( ou apples), bu i can also
apply when a owel ollows wi hin he same wo d, as in Ca’ol o SE
“Ca ol” o s o’y o SE “s o y”. (p.5)
Mo eo e , he dele ion o / / a e a owel can ha e he g amma ical e ec o he use
o “ hey” o he S anda d English possessi e “ hei ”.
Finally, Bailey G & Thomas E (1998, p.88), classi y his ea u e as p esen also in
o he non-s anda d a ie ies, no only in AAVE, e en hough i is a ea u e ha ends
o be mo e common in he Sou h.
8. Dele ion o uns essed syllables: his occu s bo h wi h ini ial and medial syllables.
Rick o d (1999, p.5) and Bailey G & Thomas E (1998, p.88) p o ide ypical examples
o his ea u e as: ‘ aid o “a aid”, sec’ ’ y o “sec e a y”, ‘bou o “abou ”, o
go ’men o “go e nmen ”.
Ce ain linguis s ind his ea u e o be s ongly age-g aded, as Rick o d (1999)
e lec s:
Acco ding o Vaughn-Cooke (1987, p.22), he uns essed syllable
dele ion a e o speake s o e 60 yea s old in he Mississippi sample
was 85 pe cen , o speake s aged 40-59 i was 70 pe cen , and o
speake s 8-20 yea s old, i was 52 pe cen . (p.5)
The dele ion o uns essed syllables is p esen in he majo i y o English a ie ies,
e en hough i is mo e equen in AAVE (see Bailey G & Thomas E (1998, p.88)).
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9. Me a hesis o inal /s/+s op: me a hesis is a phenomenon ha consis s in he
ansposi ion o adjacen consonan s, as in he example ha Rick o d (1999, p.5)
p o ides: aks o S anda d English “ask”. This example is one o he mos
ep esen a i e o AAVE; “One o he bigges shibbole hs o AAVE, o en e e ed o
by eache s, pe sonnel o ice s, and o he ga ekeepe s in he cou se o pu ing down
he a ie y” (Rick o d, 1999, p.5).
O he ypical examples o me a hesis a e waps o “wasp” o g aps o g asp.
10. Monoph hongal p onuncia ions o ay and oy, as in ah o S anda d English “I” and
boah o S anda d English “boy” (see Rick o d (1999, p.5)).
11. Me ge o /ɪ/ and /ɜ/ be o e nasals: Bailey G & Thomas E (1998, p.89) p o ide wo
clea examples o his phenomenon, which a e, [pɪn] o S anda d English “pen”, and
[wɪnzdi] o S anda d English Wednesday.
12. S ess on i s a he han second syllable: his ea u e is e y dis inc i e o AAVE,
some ypical examples o i a e he ones men ioned by Rick o d (1999, p.5) as, pólice
ins ead o S anda d English políce, o hó el ins ead o S anda d English ho él.
Acco ding o many linguis s, his ea u e only a ec s o a small g oup o wo ds.
13. Loss o /j/ a e consonan s: his ea u e is commonly called yod-d opping and i is
e y likely o occu in Ame ican English especially a e den al and al eola
consonan s, as in “news” ha is p onounced /nuːz/ in Ame ican English in con as
wi h /njuːz/ in B i ish English. Despi e his, in A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English
we can ind di e en cases o he ones ha we ha e al eady men ioned abou
Ame ican English and which, as a esul , a e appa en ly unique o AAVE. Bailey G &
Thomas E (1998, p.89) p o ide some ypical examples as [kəmpu ə] o S anda d
English “compu e ”, o [hus n] o S anda d English “Hous on”.
3.2 G amma ical ea u es
14. Absence o copula is and a e o p esen ense s a es and ac ions: an example o his
ea u e could be “She Ø happy” o S anda d English “She is happy”, o “We Ø
swimming” o S anda d English “We a e swimming”.
15. Use o in a ian be:
a. To indica e habi ual aspec o habi ual ac ions, as he examples ha Rick o d
(1999, p.6) p o ides which is he use o “He be walking” o S anda d English “He
is usually walking/usually walks”.
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The auxilia y do is used in non-a i ma i e sen ences: “Used wi h auxilia y do in
ques ions, nega i es, and ag ques ions, as in “Do he be walking e e y day?” o
“She don’ be sick, do she?”” (Rick o d, 1999, p.6).
b. To indica e he u u e o m “will be”, as in “We be i ed omo ow” o S anda d
English “We will be i ed omo ow”. This ea u e is a consequence o he
phonological ule ha consis s on dele ing he “ll” o he con ac ed o m o “will”
(see numbe 5 abo e).
16. Use o s eady: i is used as an in ensi ied p e- e bal ma ke , usually a e in a ian
habi ual be (see numbe 14.b abo e), and be o e a p og essi e e b. This used o
s eady gi es he seman ic meaning o an ac ion ha occu s epea edly. Rick o d (1999,
p.6) p o ides a clea example o his: “Ricky Bell be s eady s eppin in hem numbe
nines”.
17. Use o uns essed been o bin: his ea u e consis s in he use o been o bin o
S anda d English’s p esen pe ec o m (“has/ha e been”) as in, o ins ance, “We
been occupied his las summe ” o S anda d English “We ha e been occupied his
las summe ”. As we can see in his example, uns essed been can co-occu wi h
ad e bs o ime (“las week”).
18. Use o done o emphasize ha an ac ion is al eady comple ed: Rick o d (1999, p.6)
gi es a p o o ypical example o his ea u e which is he use o done in “He done did
i ” o S anda d English “He’s al eady done i ”.
Rick o d (1999, p.6), also p o ides examples o he cases in which done co-occu wi h
been (see numbe 16 abo e), o ins ance: “By he ime I go he e, he been done
gone” o S anda d English “He has been gone”, o , i is also possible o ind i in he
e e se o de , “They done been si ing he e an hou ” o S anda d English “They ha e
been si ing he e an hou ”.
19. Use o double modals: his ea u e is e y cha ac e is ic o AAVE as well as in he
majo i y o Sou he n Whi e e nacula s. The use o may can, migh can, and migh
could, a e some examples ha Rick o d (1999, p.6) p o ides, hey a e used o
S anda d English “migh be able o”.
Rick o d (1999, p.6) also p o ides ano he example ha , in his case, is unique o
AAVE, ha is he use o mus don’ o S anda d English “mus no ”.
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20. Gene aliza ion o is and was: his ea u e consis s on he gene alize use o is and was
wi h plu al and second pe son subjec s, ha is, he use o is ins ead o “a e” o he
second pe son singula , and he use o was ins ead o “we e” o he plu al subjec s.
Some example o his could be: “You was he e yes e day” o S anda d English “You
we e he e yes e day” o “They was he e” o S anda d English “They we e he e”.
21. Absence o hi d pe son singula p esen ense –s: his ea u e is e y cha ac e is ic o
AAVE, an example o i could be he use o “She singØ” ins ead o S anda d English
“She sings”. Rela ed o his ule is also he use o don’ ins ead o “doesn’ ” o ha e
ins ead o “has” since “does/doesn’ ” and “has/hasn’ ” include he hi d pe son
singula –s. Some examples o his a e: “He don’ know” ins ead o S anda d English
“He doesn’ know” o “She ha e one” ins ead o S anda d English “She has one”.
22. Absence o possessi e –s: his happens when, o ins ance, “Ma yØ ca ” is used
ins ead o S anda d English “Ma y’s ca ”.
23. Use o and ( h)em o nem: hey a e usually used a e a p ope name o a e a e b,
and hey a e used o make e e ence o a plu al pe son. In mos cases i has an
associa i e unc ion, as in, “Ma y an’ em” meaning “Ma y and he iends o amily
o some people ela ed o he . In o he cases, i is used simply o make e e ence o
o he g oup o people as in “Kill ‘em all” ins ead o S anda d English “Kill all o
hem” o “Kill hem”.
Rick o d (1999, p.7) commen s on his ea u e and s a es ha his ea u e is e y
simila o English C eoles han o o he a ie ies o English. He also men ions ha
o he sou he n whi e a ie ies ha e his ea u e oo.
24. Use o apposi i e p onouns: hey a e also called pleonas ic p onouns and hey a e
p onouns ha suppo ano he wo d, ph ase, o clause and desc ibing o modi ying i .
Thei use is e y equen in AAVE, an ins ance o i is he example ha Rick o d
(1999, p.7) p o ides: “Tha eache , she yell a he kids” o S anda d English “Tha
eache Ø yells a he kids”.
25. Use o y’all and hey as possessi es: in AAVE i is equen o ind y’all o ma k
second pe son plu al possessi e, and hey o ma k hi d pe son plu al possessi e. As a
consequence, hey a e used ins ead o “you ” and “ hei ” espec i ely, as in “This is
y’all ca ” o S anda d English “This is you ca ”, o “I ’s hey dog” o S anda d
English “I ’s hei dog”.
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26. Absence o ela i e p onouns: in many a ie ies o English i is possible he omission
o objec ela i e p onouns (e.g. “Tha ’s he gi l (who) I saw”), bu his ea u e makes
e e ence also o he omission o subjec ela i e p onouns, which is a e and e y
cha ac e is ic o AAVE. An example o his could be he ollowing sen ence: “Tha ’s
he man Ø come he e” o S anda d English “Tha ’s he man who came he e”.
27. Use o ain’( ) as nega o : in AAVE i is common he use o ain’( ) ins ead o S anda d
English “am no ”, “isn’ ”, “a en’ ”, “hasn’ ”, “ha en’ ”, and “didn’ ”, as in “She ain’
my mo he ” ins ead o S anda d English “She isn’ my mo he ”, o “I ain’ go
any hing” ins ead o S anda d English “I ha en’ go any hing”.
28. Mul iple nega ion o nega i e conco d: his ea u e consis s on “nega ing he auxilia y
e b and all inde ini e p onouns in he sen ence, as in “He don’ do no hing” o
S anda d English “He doesn’ do any hing” (Rick o d, 1999, p.8).
This ea u e is e y ep esen a i e o AAVE.
29. Nega i e in e sion: his ea u e consis s on he in e sion o he auxilia y and he
inde ini e p onoun subjec . This ule is ela ed wi h he p e ious one (see numbe 27
abo e), since nega i e in e sion usually in ol es he mul iple nega ion o he auxilia y
and o he inde ini e p onoun. Rick o d (1999, p.8) p o ides se e al p o o ypical
examples o his ea u e: “Can’ nobody say no hing” (in e ed om “Nobody can’
say no hing”) o S anda d English “Nobody can say any hing”, o “Ain’ nobody
home” ( om “Nobody ain’ home”) o S anda d English “Nobody is home”.
30. Use o ain’ bu and don’ bu o “only”: his ea u e is e y ep esen a i e o AAVE.
Some examples o i a e, o ins ance, “She ain’ bu a eenage ” ins ead o S anda d
English “She is only a eenage ” o “They don’ wan bu you money” ins ead o
S anda d English “They only wan you money”.
31. Di ec ques ions wi hou he in e sion o he subjec and auxilia y e b: he o ma ion
o di ec ques ion wi hou in e sion o he subjec and he auxilia y e b is e y
common in AAVE.
Rick o d (1999, p.8) p o ides clea examples o his: “Why I can’ play?” o
S anda d English “Why can’ I play?” and “They didn’ ake i ” o S anda d English
“Didn’ hey ake i ?”
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3.3 Lexicon
A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English’s lexicon is ull o unique wo ds and exp essions ha
u n i in o a e y colou ul, dynamic and ep esen a i e one. This lexicon is common o all
A ican-Ame ican people, which means ha , ins ead o inding a ia ion among di e en
social classes, di e en ages o di e en sexes as i happens o ins ance wi h A ican
Ame ican Ve nacula English’s g amma o phonology, in he case o he lexicon we ind
a ia ion among di e en sub-communi ies, as Mu wene e al. (1998) highligh in:
The lexicon o he Black speech communi y c osses bounda ies – sex,
age, eligion, social class, egion. Tha is, he Black lexicon is
comp ised o idioms, ph ases, e ms, and o he linguis ic con ibu ions
om a ious sub-communi ies wi hin he la ge A ican-Ame ican
communi y. (p.205)
In o de o unde s and he meaning o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English’s lexicon, one
mus pay a en ion o A ican Ame ican’s his o y and y o unde s and why and how he
A ican-Ame ican communi y c ea es i s own way o using he English language. Rega ding
his, one mus ake in o accoun ace as he main connec ion among A ican-Ame icans and as
he main mo i a ion hey ound o c ea e hei own a ie y.
The main ea u e o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English’s lexicon is ha i was de eloped
by gi ing a di e en meaning o English wo ds, wha is called he “seman ic in e sion” ha
consis s on u ning he meaning o wo ds in o hei opposi es. Some examples o his a e: he
use o bad meaning “good”, s upid meaning “excellen ”, o dope meaning “ e y good o
supe b” (Mu wene e al., 1998, p.216).
This p ac ice o u ning wo ds in o hei opposi es has i s oo s in sla e y, when sla es ied o
c ea e hei own sys em o communica ion ha only hey could unde s and. This is e y
simila o wha he A ican-Ame ican communi y ied o do c ea ing hei own way o using
he English language.
We can ind an ins ance o he impo ance o he pas in o de o unde s and he lexicon o
his a ie y in he name ha he amous ilm-make Spike Lee ga e o his p oduc ion
company: Fo y Ac es and a Mule. This is a Black exp ession ela ed o he nine een h
cen u y and o he concep o “ i e s a es” ha he Republic o New A ica c ea ed.
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This change in he si ua ion and he ac ha we a e analysing he same cha ac e will make
possible o conclude i he e is any kind o accommoda ion in his scene, i he A ican
Ame ican Ve nacula English’s ea u es ha we ha e ound in agmen 3 when he alks wi h
a young man om he ghe o emain in his scene in which he alks wi h a whi e policeman.
Cha ac e : De ec i e William Bunk.
4.3 Analysis o he agmen s
4.3.1 F agmen 1: season one, episode one (1x01, min. 37-39).
In his dialogue, one can ind se e al dis inc i e ea u es o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula
English. The ollowing ones a e some examples o he phonological ea u es:
1. Realiza ion o oiceless h [ϴ] as o (see sec ion 3.1, numbe 5): we can ind
one examples o his ea u e in he selec ed dialogue, which is, he p onuncia ion
o he wo d “ hing” in he sen ence “Somebody snapping pic u es, hey go he
whole damn hing”, whe e he h [ϴ] is p onounced as [ ]. (1/1)
2. Realiza ion o inal ng as n in ge unds (see sec ion 3.1, numbe 4): we can ind his
ea u e in se e al examples h oughou his dialogue, o ins ance: “Somebody
snapping pic u es” in which he ng o he e b “snapping” is p onounced as [n], o
“See wha I’m saying” in which he ng o he e b “saying” is p onounced as [n],
o “I’m ying o gi e you a li le game” in which he ng o he e b “ ying” is
p onounced as [n] also. (5/7)
3. Dele ion o ocaliza ion o pos ocalic /l/ (see sec ion 3.1, numbe 6): we can ind
his ea u e in he ques ion “All igh ?” I we pay a en ion o he p onuncia ion o
hese wo wo ds one migh ealize ha he inal “ll” o “all” is dele ed. (1/1)
4. Dele ion o ocaliza ion o / / a e a owel (see sec ion 3.1, numbe 7): his
ea u e can be also iden i ied in he p e ious example, he ques ion “All igh ?” As
a consequence o he dele ion o “ll” (see numbe 2 o his sec ion), he / / o he
wo d “ igh ” comes a e a owel and because o his i is also dele ed.
Mo eo e , as i has been p e iously explained (see sec ion 3.1, numbe 7), he
dele ion o / / a e a owel my ca y he g amma ical e ec o he use o hey o
he S anda d English possessi e “ hei ” as i happens in he ollowing example o
his dialogue: “You can' se e you cus ome s s aigh up a e aking hey
money”. (3/5)
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5. Monoph hongal p onuncia ions o ay and oy (see sec ion 3.1, numbe 10): we can
ind se e al examples o his ea u e in he dialogue, o ins ance, in he
p onuncia ion o ah o S anda d English “I” as in “I mean, I don' know how you
do shi up in he owe s” o in he p onuncia ion o boah o S anda d English
“boy” as in “You gonna all ou slamming ha shi like ha one o hese days,
boy”. (3/4)
In his dialogue, one can also easily iden i y se e al g amma ical ea u es e y cha ac e is ic
o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English; he ollowing ones a e all he examples ha we can
ind in his dialogue:
6. Absence o copula is and a e o p esen ense s a es and ac ions (see sec ion 3.2,
numbe 14): in his agmen we can ind clea examples o his ea u e as in he
sen ence “You Ø o he money” in which he copula a e is dele ed, o he
ques ion “Tha Ø i ?” in which he copula is is also dele ed. (3/4)
7. Use o in a ian be:
a. To indica e habi ual aspec o habi ual ac ions (see sec ion 3.2, numbe 15a):
we can ind an example o his in he sen ence “Money be g een”. The use o
habi ual “be” in his se ies is some hing p edic able since his ea u e “is mo e
common in u ban han in u al a eas” (see Rick o d 1999: 325). (2/2)
b. To indica e he u u e o m “will be” (see sec ion 3.2, numbe 15b): as in he
sen ence “You ass be ou on he bo om end o Vine s ee ”. (1/1)
8. Use o uns essed been o bin o S anda d English’s p esen pe ec o m (see
sec ion 3.2, numbe 17): we can ind one example o his ea u e in his dialogue,
which is, “Y'all nigge s been bu n ”. (1/1)
9. Absence o hi d pe son singula p esen ense –s (see sec ion 3.2, numbe 21): we
can ind a e y clea example o his ea u e in he selec ed dialogue since his
ea u e is one o he mos ep esen a i e o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English:
“This shi happenØ again”. (4/4)
10. Gene aliza ion o is and was wi h plu al and second pe son subjec s (see sec ion
2.2, numbe 20): as in he example ha we can ind in his agmen “Nigge , is
you c azy?” (1/1)
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11. Use o y’all and hey as possessi es (see sec ion 3.2, numbe 25): in he dialogue
ha we a e analysing we can ind se e al examples o his ea u e, as “You can'
se e you cus ome s s aigh up a e aking hey money” in which hey is used
ins ead o “ hei ”. (2/3)
12. Use o ain’( ) as nega o ins ead o S anda d English “am no ”, “isn’ ”, “a en’ ”,
“hasn’ ”, “ha en’ ”, and “didn’ ” (see sec ion 3.2, numbe 27): his ea u e is e y
common in A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English, and, as a consequence, we ha e
se e al examples o i in his dialogue as, “Tha shi ain' money” whe e ain’ is
used ins ead o S anda d English “isn’ ”, o “He ain' no p esiden ” whe e he
same happens. (5/7)
13. Mul iple nega ion o nega i e conco d (see sec ion 3.2, numbe 28): his is ano he
ep esen a i e ea u e o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English. In he dialogue
ha we a e analysing we can ind se e al examples o his as, “He ain' no
p esiden ”, o “Ain' no ugly-ass whi e man ge his ace on no legal mo he ucking
ende excep he p esiden ”. (4/5)
14. In his dialogue ha we a e analysing, he e a e also non-s anda d g amma ical
ea u es ha ha e no been p e iously explained in sec ion 3.2, as he e a e no
p esen in he main desc ip i e sou ces analysed o his pape . One example o
his ype o ea u e is he o ma ion o ques ions wi hou any kind o auxilia y, as
in “Ø You hea me?” whe e he auxilia y “do” is elided, o in “Wha Ø you
mean?” whe e he same happens. These ea u es a e common o se e al a ie ies
and e y equen in colloquial spoken language. (8/8)
4.3.2 F agmen 2: season one, episode h ee (1x03, min. 4-7).
Th oughou he analysis o his agmen , I ha e ound ha mos o he ele an ea u es o
A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English a e no p esen .
Rega ding phonology, he only ea u e ha can be clea ly app ecia ed is he educ ion o
wo d- inal consonan clus e s (see sec ion 3.1, numbe 1). Bu his ea u e, as has been
al eady explained in ha sec ion, occu s in he majo i y o a ie ies o English, so, e en
hough i is mo e equen in A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English han in o he a ie ies, i
is no a dis inc i e ea u e o i .
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An example o educ ion o wo d- inal consonan clus e s in his agmen could be he
sen ence: “Th ee wi nesses' s a emen s all o hem saying he o ice 's assaul on he you h
was unp o oked” in which a educ ion o he wo d- inal consonan clus e s o he wo d
“assaul ” and o he e b “unp o oked” is p oduced. (5/18)
In he case o he g amma , i is impo an o commen on he ollowing sen ence: “Si , I
would eques ha pending he g and ju y e iew O ice P yzbylewski be placed on
adminis a i e lea e”, in which he use o be may look like habi ual be (see sec ion 3.2,
numbe 15a), bu i is in ac , an ins ance o so-called “manda o y subjunc i e”, a ypical
ea u e o S anda d Ame ican English.
4.3.3 F agmen 3: season one, episode wo (1x02, min. 26-28).
4.3.3.1 Policeman’s dialogue: in his pa o he agmen we can ind se e al
phonological A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English’s ea u es:
1. Reduc ion o wo d- inal consonan clus e s (see sec ion 3.1, numbe 1): we can
ind examples o his ea u e in he p onuncia ion o e bs like “killed” o
“wo ked”. (3/4)
2. Realiza ion o inal ng as [n] in ge unds (see sec ion 3.1, numbe 4): examples
o his ea u e in his pa o he dialogue a e ge unds like “d i ing”, “going”,
“c ying”, and “ligh ing”. (4/4)
3. Dele ion o uns essed ini ial and medial syllables (see sec ion 3.1, numbe 8):
we can see an example o his when he policeman p onounces ‘cause ins ead
o S anda d English “because”. This ea u e is e y equen in spoken
language and, as a esul , i is impo an o highligh ha i is conside ed o be
p esen in many English a ie ies, no only in AAVE. (1/1)
4. Monoph hongal p onuncia ions o ay and oy (see sec ion 3.1, numbe 10): he
sen ence “I know he don' belie e i ”, in which “I” is p onounced as [ah] is an
example o his ea u e. (1/1)
In hose pa s o he dialogue whe e he policeman speaks one can also easily iden i y he
ollowing g amma ical A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English’s ea u es:
5. Absence o copula is and a e o p esen ense s a es and ac ions (see sec ion
3.2, numbe 14): we can see an example o his ea u e in he ques ions “You
Ø so y? You Ø so y o him?” in which he copula “a e” is elided. (2/2)
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6. Absence o hi d pe son singula p esen ense –s (see sec ion 3.2, numbe 21):
in hose pa s o his dialogue spoken by he policemen we can ind a clea
example o his ea u e: “I know he don' belie e i ”, whe e don’ is used
ins ead o S anda d English “doesn’ ”. (1/2)
7. Use o ain’( ) as nega o (see sec ion 3.2, numbe 27): he sen ence “i you
we en' so busy ligh ing olks up in high- ise lobby he ain' coming ou o he
ele a o and see i happen” ha he policemen p onounce and in which ain’ is
used ins ead o S anda d English “hasn’ ”, is clea example o his ea u e.
(1/2)
4.3.3.2 Young man’s dialogue: in his pa o he dialogue we can only ind he ollowing
phonological ea u e as he young A ican-Ame ican man does no speak so much
in his dialogue:
8. Monoph hongal p onuncia ions o ay and oy (see sec ion 3.1, numbe 10): we
can ind se e al examples o his ea u e in he agmen s whe e he young
man speaks, as in he sen ence “I go no hing o say” o in “I mean, I'm so y
o he man, bu I ain' go no hing o say” in which “I” is p onounced as [ah].
(4/4)
Mo eo e , we can ind he ollowing g amma ical ea u es:
9. Absence o copula is and a e o p esen ense s a es and ac ions (see sec ion
3.2, numbe 14): he ques ion “Whe e Ø my lawye a ?” in which he copula
“is” is elided, is clea example his ea u e. (1/1)
10. Use o ain’( ) as nega o (see sec ion 3.2, numbe 27): as in he sen ence “I
ain' go no hing o say” in which ain’ is used o S anda d English “ha en’ ”.
(1/2)
11. Mul iple nega ion o nega i e conco d (see sec ion 3.2, numbe 28): an
example o his ea u e in he dialogue ha we a e analysing could be he
sen ence ““I ain' go no hing o say”, in which bo h he auxilia y e b and he
inde ini e p onoun a e p esen in hei nega i e o ms. (2/2)
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4.3.4 F agmen 4: season one, episode ou (1x04, min. 12-15).
Th oughou he analysis o his agmen , I ha e ound ha mos o he A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English ea u es a e no p esen .
Rega ding phonological ea u es, one can only pe cei e he ealiza ion o inal ng as [n] in
ge unds (see sec ion 3.1, numbe 4), as i is he case o he sen ence “He's supposed o be
down he e helping us, anyway” in which he inal ng o he e b “helping” is p onounced as
[n].
Conce ning g amma , he e is no p esence o any g amma ical ea u e cha ac e is ic o
A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English.
4.4 Discussion o he agmen s
In pa 4.3 we ha e analysed ou di e en agmen s o scenes which belong o he i s
season o he popula TV se ies en i led The Wi e. The main pu pose o his analysis is o
compa e he use o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English mainly in people who belong o
di e en social classes and o conclude i , as a esul o his, he e is any kind o
accommoda ion among hem. The ollowing ables will help us o o ganize he main esul s o
his analysis:
Cha ac e
Voiceless
h [ϴ] as
o
Final ng
as n in
ge unds
Dele ion o
ocaliza ion
o pos
ocalic /l/
Dele ion o
ocaliza ion
o / / a e
a owel
Monoph hongal
p onuncia ions
o ay and oy
Reduc ion
o wo d-
inal
consonan
clus e s
Dele ion o
uns essed
ini ial and
medial
syllables
D’Angelo
F1
1/1
5/7
1/1
3/5
3/4
Ø
Ø
F3
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
4/4
Ø
Ø
Bunk
F3
Ø
4/4
Ø
Ø
1/1
3/4
1/1
F4
Ø
1/1
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Daniels F2
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
2/4
Ø
Bu el F2
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
3/14
Ø
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Table 2. Enume a ion o he di e en phonological ea u es ound in he dialogues, classi ied
by he numbe o imes ha each ea u e is epea ed in he dialogue, in con as wi h he o al
numbe o cases in which we could ind ha ea u e in he agmen and also, by he name o
he di e en cha ac e s whose dialec s con ain hose ea u es.
Cha ac e
Absence
o
copula
is and
a e
Use o
in a ian
be
Use o
uns essed
been o
bin
Absence
o hi d
pe son
singula
p esen
ense –s
Gene aliza ion
o is and was
Use o y’all
and hey as
possessi es
Use o
ain’( )
as
nega o
Mul iple
nega ion
D’Angelo
F1
3/4
3/3
1/1
4/4
1/1
2/3
5/7
4/5
F3
1/1
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
1/2
2/2
Bunk
F3
2/2
Ø
Ø
1/2
Ø
Ø
1/2
Ø
F4
0/2
Ø
0/1
0/2
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Daniels F2
Ø
1/1
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Bu el F2
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Ø
Table 3. Enume a ion o he di e en g amma ical ea u es ound in he dialogues, classi ied
by he numbe o imes ha each ea u e is epea ed in he dialogue, in con as wi h he o al
numbe o cases in which we could ind ha ea u e in he agmen and also, by he name o
he di e en cha ac e s whose dialec s con ain hose ea u es
*No e 1: he “F” o he abb e ia ions FI, F3 and F4 means “ agmen ” and he numbe makes
e e ence o he numbe o he agmen analysed in o de o iden i y i , so, o ins ance, F1
s ances o “ agmen one”.
*No e 2: he symbol “Ø”, indica es ha in he dialogue spoken by ha cha ac e , he e is no
possible con ex in which ha ea u e could be ealized.
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The obse a ion o he esul s classi ied in ables 2 and 3 enables us o conclude he ollowing
s a emen s abou he way in which hese cha ac e s speak:
1. The i s cha ac e who appea s in he ables is D’Angelo Ba ksdale who, as i is
al eady explained in pa 4.2, is a young A ican-Ame ican man om he ghe o. He is
p esen in wo di e en dialogues ( agmen 1 and agmen 3), as a consequence o
his and looking o he esul s ob ained, we a e going o conclude i he e is any kind
o accommoda ion o change om one agmen o he o he in he way he speaks.
In agmen 1, he is in he ghe o aking o o he iends who also li e he e; mo eo e ,
hey a e all A ican Ame ican so i is expec ed o ind, as he wo ables (2 and 3)
show, a lo o ins ances o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English’s ea u es, bo h
phonological and g amma ical.
In he second agmen in which D’Angelo appea s ( agmen 3), he si ua ion changes
a lo . He is now speaking wi h ano he A ican-Ame ican man bu who in his case, is
a policeman. The policeman is someone who belongs o a highe social class han him
and, mo eo e , is a ep esen a i e o he law, so maybe we would expec ha , in his
case, D’Angelo would y o mode a e his use o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula
English since, as we ha e al eady explained in his pape , i is a s igma ized a ie y
(see sec ion 2.4.1). Despi e o his, i we look ables 2 and 3, we ealise ha , we ind
A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English’s ea u es in all con ex s in which an A ican
Ame ican Ve nacula English’s ea u e is possible o be p oduce. This leads us o he
conclusion ha , ins ead o ying o accommoda e o he way in which a policeman is
supposed o speak, he cha ac e o D’Angelo decides no o mode a e his use o
A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English a all.
2. The second cha ac e ha appea s in ables 2 and 3 is he A ican-Ame ican policeman
called Bunk. This cha ac e also appea s in wo o he ou analysed agmen s
( agmen 3 and agmen 4), so i will be also possible in his case o conclude is he e
is any kind o accommoda ion o change in he way he speaks om one agmen o
he o he . In agmen 3, he is alking o D’Angelo, in e oga ing him in o de o ob ain
in o ma ion. Fo his eason, and as a ep esen a i e o he law, we may hink ha his
A ican-Ame ican policeman would mode a e he way in which he speaks A ican
Ame ican Ve nacula English in o de o di e ge om he way in which D’Angelo
speaks and o show, as a esul , his supe io i y and his au ho i y.
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Mo eo e , we would also expec o ind, in no mal ci cums ances, less ea u es o
A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English in someone who belongs o a highe social class
(as is he case o Bunk) han in someone who belongs o a lowe social class (as is he
case o D’Angelo). Despi e o his, i we pay a en ion o ables 2 and 3, we ealise
ha , we ind A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English’s ea u es in all con ex s in which
an A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English’s ea u e is possible o be p oduce.
Taking his in o ma ion in o accoun , we can conclude ha his policeman ied o
con e ge owa ds he way in which D’Angelo speaks, maybe in o de o elimina e he
social dis ance and o show p oximi y.
In he second agmen in which Bunk appea s ( agmen 4), he is alking o a whi e
policeman. Th ough he esul s ob ained we can see how mos o he ea u es ha he
shows when he speaks wi h D’Angelo in agmen 3, now ha e disappea ed (Absence
o copula is and a e, absence o hi d pe son singula p esen ense –s, e c). This
ein o ces he abo e explained idea ha , in agmen 3, he con e ges owa ds he
speech o D’Angelo, showing as a esul , mo e ins ances o A ican Ame ican
e nacula English ea u es.
3. Finally, we a e going o analyse he esul s o he las wo cha ac e s (Daniels and
Bu el) oge he , since hey a e bo h A ican-Ame ican policemen who appea in he
same agmen alking o each o he (see sec ion 4.2). In bo h cases, we ind e y ew
ins ances o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English’s ea u es, o example, in he case
o he educ ion o wo d- inal consonan clus e s, we only ind 2 o he 4 possible
cases in Daniels, and 3 o he 14 possible cases in Bu el. This is somehow expec ed
since, when you see he se ies, you ealise ha hese wo policemen, in con as wi h
Bunk, a e no in con ac a all wi h people om he ghe o, and ins ead, hey a e mo e
in con ac wi h whi e commissione s and lawye s who belong o uppe classes. This is
because, ins ead o being me e policemen as is he case o Bunk, Daniels is a
lieu enan and Bu el is a commissione .
Taking in o accoun he in o ma ion we ge om he analysis o he di e en agmen s o
he TV se ies The Wi e ha ha e been commen ed below, we can each he conclusion
ha he e a e mo e ins ances o A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English’s ea u es among
people om he lowe classes han among people om he middle and uppe classes.
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This may ha e o do wi h he ac ha , o people o he lowe classes who, in his case,
li e in he ghe o, A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English unc ions as a ma k o iden i y, as
a symbol o who hey a e, and as a consequence, hey do no mode a e a all hei use o i
and, in mos cases hey delibe a ely di e ge om he way o he people speak in o de o
ma k e en mo e ha Black iden i y hey deeply eel.
Rega ding A ican-Ame ican cha ac e s ha belong o middle classes, as is he case o he
policemen, we can see how, as a consequence o being cons an ly in con ac wi h people
om he ghe o, hey ind i e y easy o con e ge owa ds he speech o hem, e en
hough in hei daily li e o alking o o he policemen hey show ew ins ances o A ican
Ame ican Ve nacula English’s ea u es.
Finally, he e a e hose policemen and lawye s who belong o uppe classes and who,
despi e he ac o being A ican-Ame icans oo, do no show A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English’s ea u es. This could be explained o he ac ha hey a e no in
con ac a all wi h he lowe classes which is he social g oup ha shows mo e ea u es o
his a ie y, and, in addi ion, hey a e daily in con ac wi h whi e people om he middle
and uppe classes, which emphasize e en mo e his si ua ion.
5. Conclusion
Th ough he analysis o he di e en bibliog aphical and desc ip i e sou ces and a e he
e lexions and he analysis showed in his pape , I can clea ly conclude ha A ican Ame ican
Ve nacula English shows a e y o ganized in e nal logic and ha , as a consequence o his, i
is a sys ema ic a ie y wi h i s own ules and no ms as any o he language a ie y. As
Rick o d (1999) says: “In sho , he manne in which Ebonics di e s om S anda d English is
highly o de ed; i is no mo e lazy English han I alian is lazy La in” (p. 323).
Mo eo e , he s udy and analysis o he way in which di e en A ican-Ame ican cha ac e s
o he TV se ies The Wi e speak, has enabled us o obse e he use o his a ie y wi hin a
de e mined social con ex . The esul s ob ained lead us o he conclusion ha , e en hough all
he selec ed cha ac e s o he se ies speak A ican Ame ican Ve nacula English, hey do no
do i in he same manne o wi h he same equency. Va ia ion is some hing p esen in his
a ie y and i esponds o se e al causes.
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Bunk: We called him. When he comes, we'll le you know.
D’Angelo: I go no hing o say.I mean, I'm so y o he man, bu I ain' go no hing o say.
Bunk: You so y? You so y o him? You ucking killed he man.
D’Angelo: No.
Bunk: Yes, you did.We don' hink ha you sho him, bu i you we en' so busy Iigh ing
olks up in high- ise lobby he ain' coming ou o he ele a o and see i happen.
McNul y: He don' see any hing, he doesn' es i y. He doesn' es i y, hose kids s ill go a
daddy o lean on.
D’Angelo: Why'd he es i y?
McNul y: How would we know?
D’Angelo: He didn' ha e o es i y.
Bunk: No, he didn' , bu he did.
F agmen 4: season one, episode ou (1x04, min. 12-15).
Bunk: Righ ? So, om all hem hand- o-hands, nobody lipped?
Bunk: How does his ma ch wi h he es o he Wes side mopes?
Bunk: He's go you, Jimmy.
Bunk: Why don' you jus dump his lose on San angelo? He's supposed o be down he e
helping us, anyway.
Bunk: Wha does Daniels ha e o say abou ha ? Man, Keeley eally dogged his one.
Bunk: The e's a callback numbe , hough.
Bunk: All igh , mo he ucke , he go me, oo. So, I'm gonna call Ve izon, see i hey go a
esh lis ing.