Black English
Black English
1/7/02
Seminer1 Judy Yoneoka
I want to research to Black English.
I compare African American
Black Vernacular English (AABE) with Standard American English (SAE). I
think that these compare and contrast the two in terms of pronunciation
and grammar. And I want to look into the Ebonics debate.
[1] Introduction
It had been thought for a long time that the origin of black language
was local English dialects, but that changed through research
carried out after the 1960’s. It was insisted that Black English
originated from other dialects and that African American language
was from Creole English, based on Pidgin English spoken by slaves.
It is now clear that the Creole language came from the African West
Coast, and not from England.
It was thought that Black English was caused by the low education
of slave’s time. In fact, however, Black English has its own grammatical
system and on culture side, a lot of changes arose to society due to African
slaves who brought different system. Many Black people’s customs certainly
are left in today’s American society, with great influences. White people and
Black people were influenced each other for a long time, but much of Black
people’s language and culture are still different.
This
research
paper
will
study
Black
English,
especially
African-American Vernacular English grammar and pronunciation, why and
how is it different from Standard English? And we will compare African
American Vernacular English with American Standard English. How is it
different? At the last, I’m going to explain for Black discrimination named
“Ebonics”. It seems that we want to know about Black English by this
research!
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Black English
[2] Grammar and Structure ～ BE vs. SAE～
Many of the verb forms used in Standard American English are
different or completely missing from Black English. Black English verbs
seem to accent aspect rather than tense. That is not the case in other
dialects of Standard American English. Black English takes this feature
perhaps from the original African languages.
< Verbs >
For examples
1. Linking verb (copula) missing
The Standard American English sentence He is going can be in Black
English heard He goin’.
2. Third person singular
In SAE verb agrees with the subject: He lives in New York, but in BE
the same meaning is passed on with He live in New York.
3. Past marker
The sentence is Yesterday he walked home according to the grammar
rules of SAE. In BE the sentence can be Yesterday he walk home.
4. Adding –ed to make a past tense verb
Continuing with the past forms, in SAE I told him is what you almost
always expect to hear. But in BE I telled him is not unusual.
5. Different past tense forms
The following is four basic past forms of BE.
She is singing.
SAE
BE
She just started to sing.
She do sing.
She just finished singing.
She did sing.
She sang recently.
She done sing.
She sang a long time ago.
She been sung.
It is free for speakers to express the tense, but it is necessary to make
sure whether their actions are continuous or momentary.
6. Use of be
In SAE, He is here all the time. In BE all the time is expressed by He
be here. The usage of be here means general or repeated action or
habitual action.
7. Future form
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Black English
In BE, the standard form I will go home is replaced by I’ *ma go home.
8. Use of do
In SAE No, he isn’t
is the correct way express contradictions. But in
BE the same sentence is No, he don’t.
9. Remove all form of the verb to be
In SAE, He is to be sick today. But in BE, He sick today.
< Others >
1. Plural marker
The SAE sentence I have five cents turn into I *got five cent in BE.
2. Addition of –s to a plural word
In BE –s can be added to form a plural word, but in an already plural
word this lead to double plurals: SAE feet, BE feets.
3. Double negative/ Triple negative
In SAE is I don’t have any, and the BE is I don’t got none.
In addition to the double negative, in SAE I never had a job, in BE
*Ain’t never got no job* nohow.
According to BE grammatical rules,
when we make negative sentence, we have to exchange all words into
negative word.
4.. Indefinite article
SAE: I want an apple, BE: I want a apple.
5. Pronoun form
In SAE We have to do it is quite right, but BE uses an inflectional form
from the word “we”: Us *got to do it.
6. Possessive pronoun
In SAE his book, but in BE the possessive pronoun is he book.
7. Preposition
SAE He is over at john’s house, but BE He over to John house or SAE
He teaches at high school, BE He teach high school.
8. Subject expression
Also the subject is expressed differently in BE. In SAE: John moved, in
BE: John, he move. In BE, this like sentence is repeat noun subjects
with a pronoun. And use the same verb form for all subjects.
[3] Pronunciation
1. The elimination of consonants /b/, /d/, /g/, /k/, /p/, /t/
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Black English
“hard” and “heart” are same pronounce. “Just” → “Jus”
2. Use few long vowels or diphthongs
“right” → “rat” or “raht”, “time” → “tahm”
3. Omit the /r/ sound
“More” → “Mo”, “father” → “fatha”
4. Replace /z/ for /s/ at the end of a word
“wheels” → “wheelz”, “apples” → “applez”
5. /th/ is pronounced as a /f/ at the end of word and /d/ when at the
beginning of a word, /d/ or /v/ when the middle of a word
“this”, “that”, “the” etc. are pronounced “dis”, “dat”, “da”.
“brother” etc. are pronounced “broder” or “brover”.
“dough” and “door” are same pronunciation.
[4] What is Ebonics?
I did not know this word that “Ebonics”. The term “Ebonics” is a
combination of “ebony” and “phonics”, the center of pronunciation in
language education. And In fact, it means “Black English” or “Black
pronunciation”.
Why had this word make the talk in 1997, recently, in
spite of this word had exist since 1970’s?
December 18th, 1996, it was decided to use Ebonics as the second
language in California Oakland Board education. This new language means
to teaching different from English at American Schools. So, why had this
decision in California Oakland? In the Oakland Board of Education said
“ We admitted Ebonics that the second language, because we want to try to
make correct English understood for Black students by they converse with
Ebonics”. And this decision’s background has following things:
・53 % of the Afro-American students are entered school
At Oakland area has 51,706 schools
・64% of they were repeat the same year
・67% of they were cut school
・19% of they in 12 grades were not graduate it
・80% of they were suspension from school
In short, Ebonics from these backgrounds, this is attempted to
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Black English
reform by their language used, they have Standard English spoken, and for
students has very low education level.
But this decision’s fundamental reason is for the money. In 1960’s,
American government had decided to huge money invest in educational
expenses because public school students were getting low marks in
examination. So, the decision that the second language was only for gets
huge money.
Ebonics is not A.A spoken language in American, what is call; it
was becoming “ daily language”, young people used in conversation. I’m
thinking from these things, Oakland decision had strange. Because it is
likely to taught for English dialects.
[5] Conclusion
We found it this research paper, Black English had not been came
from the laziness and low-level education of black people. In addition, the
Black English, exist original forms. It is certainly know that Black English
verbs structure is far and away different of the Standard American English.
And, if something “time” sign expressed into before and behind the sentence
or paragraph, it could have completed in Black English grammar.
We can say that one thing is about the slang. White people used
Black English by the aim of tease the Black people without being found of
slave’s slang, but their slang had a great effect on the Modern American
English.
Moreover, this language has much to do with these historical and
cultural backgrounds.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
<@TAK 英語情報局> Find Date: Oct 1, 2001 http://homepage1.nifty.com/etak/
<Psychology of Black Language> Find Date: Oct 1,2001
http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~roses/topics/paper/paper.html#第一章
エボニクスの水際 Find Date: Oct1,2001http://www.cafecreole.net/library/coyote7.html
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Black English
<Black English> Find Date: Nov 16,2001
http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~jlandrum/BlkEng.html
<The Ebonics.page> Find Date: Nov 16,2001
http://www.msu.edu/user/sherid16/ebonics.html
< U.S news> Find Date: Nov16, 2001http://www.cnn.com/US/9612/22/black.english/
<British Black English>Find Date: Dce6, 2001
http://www.eng.umu.se/city/weronica/linguistic_paper/British_Black_English.htm
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