Language and ethnicity

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Language and ethnicity

• Laura W. McGarrity
• Dept. of Linguistics, UW
• LING 200, Spring 2006, Prof. Hargus

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Overview

• African American English (AAE)
• Misconceptions
• Facts
• Linguistic characteristics
• The Ebonics Controversy

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African American English (AAE)

• A continuum of language varieties that are spoken
  primarily by and among African-Americans
• But
• Not all African-Americans speak AAE
• Not only African-Americans speak AAE

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Misconceptions about AAE

• It is black slang
• It is a product of lazy speech
• It is an inferior, simplified form of English
• It is grammatically incorrect, illogical

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Fact

• AAE is systematic and rule-governed, just like
  Standard American English (SAE)

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AAE Phonology

• Deletion of r, l
• mo(re) mow a(ll) awe
• gua(r)d god he(l)p hep
• Pa(r)is pass
• except when followed by vowel in next word
• four oclock
• all or nothin

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AAE Phonology

• Simplification of consonant clusters
• han(d), las(t), chil(d)
• except when consonants differ in voicing
• pant, belt, false, part
• or when it carries meaning
• I got cats.

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AAE Syntax

• Multiple negation
• AAE He don know nothin.
• Russian O? ?????? ?? ?????.
• (He nothing not know)
• Middle English
• He never yet no villainy not said
• In all his life to no kind of
  creature. (Chaucer, 1400)

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AAE Syntax

• Deletion of to be
• AAE He __ my brother.
• Russian O? ??? ?????.
• (He my brother)

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AAE Syntax

• Habitual be Refers to habitual, repeated
  action
• AAE The coffee be cold (every day).
• The coffee cold (right now).
• They be late (all the time).
• They late (today).

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AAE Syntax

• Absence of 3rd person sg. s
• AAE He eat_ five times a day.
• She want_ us to go.

I want you want he/she want they want
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AAE and society

• Many African-Americans code-switch between AAE
  and SAE since AAE often is subject to much
  prejudicial stigma and ignorance
• https//depts.washington.edu/llc/olr/linguistics/
  clips/CodeSwitching_ref.mov

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Ebonics controversy

• Background
• 1996 In Oakland, CA schools, blacks make up 53
  of students, but
• 80 of suspensions
• 64 of students held back each year
• 71 of students in special needs classes (for
  language deficiency)

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Ebonics controversy

• Dec. 1996 Oakland School Board passes Ebonics
  resolution
• Goals
• to formally recognize AAE
• to change teachers attitudes about AAE
• to implement usage of AAE as tool in teaching
  black students to read, write SAE

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Negative public reaction

• Ebonics is
• black street slang -- NY Times
• just bad English -- Chicago Sun-Times
• gibberish -- Boston Globe
• a cruel joke -- NY Daily News
• ridiculous -- CA Gov. Pete Wilson

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Negative public reaction

• Due largely to wording of resolution (see online
  supplement)
• instructionto studentsin Ebonics
• Ebonics is genetically based
• Ebonics is not a dialect of English

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Instruction in Ebonics

• Use of Ebonics as tool in teaching, not as object
  of lessons
• http//www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/standardamerican
  /

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Genetically based

• Popular interpretation
• African Americans are biologically predisposed
  to speak AAE
• Intended meaning
• Genetic refers to linguistic origins (or
  genesis) in African languages

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Not a dialect

• Popular interpretation
• Ebonics is a separate language.
• Intended meaning
• Counters popular (but inaccurate) conception
  of dialect as inferior/ substandard form of a
  language.
• Also addresses AAEs non-English roots

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Summary

• AAE is systematic, rule-governed
• Has structures common to many other
  languages/dialects
• Misunderstanding of AAE contributes to continued
  prejudice, stigma
• Debate over use of AAE vs. SAE is ongoing
• Understanding is the key to tolerance.