Sociolinguistics and Language Education.pdf

Language and Ethnicity 405
Table 15.1 Some linguistic features of African American English
Phonology and pronunciation AAE example MAE gloss
Simplifi cation of word-fi nal
consonant clusters
Lef Left
Des Desk
Realization of fi nal ng as n in gerunds
and participles
Talkin Talking
Realization of voiceless th as t or f Tin Thin
Baf Bath
Realization of voiced th as d or v Den Then
Bruvver Brother
Stress on fi rst rather than second
syllable
Pólice Políce
Syntax and grammar
Absence of third person present
tense -s
Use of invariant be to express habitual
aspect
Absence of copula/auxiliary is and
are for present tense states and
actions
Use of done to emphasize the
completed nature of an action
Use of stressed BIN to express remote
phase
Multiple negation or negative
concord
Source: Adapted from Rickford (1996: 175–176).
He walk He walks
He don’t sing He doesn’t sing
She be late She is usually late
She late She is late (today)
She done did it She has already done it
He BIN married He has been married for a
long time (and still is)
He don’t do
nothing
He doesn’t do anything
class stratifi cation among AAE speakers in Detroit, and Labov (1972) illustrates
how formality of context and familiarity with interlocutor infl uence
the frequency of AAE features in the speech of African American boys in
New York City. Females and middle-class speakers have largely been
absent from much early work, as noted and corrected by several scholars
(e.g. Morgan, 1991).
Oakland Ebonics controversy
It perhaps goes without saying that attitudes toward AAE have not
been particularly kind. The general public rarely views AAE as a legitimate,