African-American English

[Mantchi7]

I would consider AAE as a dialect of English. just like Viennese is part of the Austro-Bavarian dialect group of the German language.

In the video they were shortly talking about wether to use AAE in a job interview or not. Reminds me on using to question to use Viennese in a job interview or not. I would use Standard German in a job interview because Viennese will be most likely considered as inappropriate because you don't use dialect/vernacular in official occations.

[mdelsaz]

@Rufusdos It's non-rhotic

[Newbpwng]

Ax

[Warsie]

Who still uses "fo shizzle"!!!

[kubakozub]

It's a lower-class social dialect

[WillExposeYou]

lol my brother does have a black friend that says skreet and scrawberries , but we've never asked him where he's from.

[MaximusRelaximus]

Next up, "African American" math...

[raynard7]

@MaximusRelaximus lol "we do say "Qwentey" and "Quelve"

[nihimti]

is he, the guy in yellow shirt, speaking English? LOL

[darrell180]

Memphis ACCENT LOL

[darrell180]

Mane yall crazy tryna talk black talk lik yoself u feel me ?

[gute138]

I'm learning English.. but I really have hard times understanding the African-American accents... it's soo difficult LOL

[Warsie]

@gute138

Well its a different language lol. We do speak more 'standard' when foreigners speak to us lolol

[MegaBless777]

the way we talk is unique and the best jargon in the world we have different styles we bring color and fun to the language...

[BILLBKLYN]

Lets clear up the origin of the word "Yo". It comes from New York City. The word was used by the youth gangs and lower class and working class whites, especially the Italians. When the Great Migration after WW2 happened, the poor southern blacks relocated to the poor neighborhoods in the city and the kids who were born there adopted the northern speech habits as well as retaining southern speech of their parents. That is how the AA community started saying "yo". The word "cool" is African 100%.

[williameva]

@nikrok1 english has no dialects

[bellbeeB]

i vaguely remember reading somewhere that "yo" the way it is commonly used in african american vernacular, to get someone's attention, has african roots. as well as the world/idea of everything being ok/well being "cool" also has african roots.

[0Fear]

People are simply demonizing the dialect because it's spoken chiefly by blacks. Look up Estuary English, Cockney, Australian English, and you'll realize, if that is possible, that humans in general break languages to simplify them. It's natural selection. English is a bastard of Anglo Saxon, Latin, Danish Languages, and French, and didn't have a standard until recently in it's history. "Proper" English is an elitist lie.

[EnglishEthnicPride2]

I have a question for African Americans:

Do you feel a little alienated speaking English (a European, "White", language)?

[germanblume]

@EnglishEthnicPride2 no

[darrell180]

@EnglishEthnicPride2 Think about it all the time but our dialect and slang makes it more suitable to fit me its call code switchin and besides my native language and my native culture were stolen so AA are almost like wolverine from XMEN a lost in identify so our souls make a new one for us.

[nigelholland3]

@EnglishEthnicPride2 I use what they say AAE or what ever they call it alot. Then again I got a southern accent. All I do when im talking to someone that aint black is just cut out the words I do use to talk to my friends. -___-

[Warsie]

@EnglishEthnicPride2

Yes. Actually, that was a knee-jerk nationalist reaction and actually no. Ive spent enough time speaking both that I dont notice switching., Also, speaking to foreigners.

[MrFremdsprache]

People as a WHITE German-American I'm ashamed at your linguistic ignorance. The Black-Americans ARE NOT using poor grammar, they have simply developed a dialect of English (other dialects of English: Jamaican, Australian, and American). This has developed from isolation (like all English dialects) created by discrimination against their integration into mainland White society. Not conjugating a verb in the standard American format is not a sign of ignorance necessarily, but it is perhaps...

[dannyb0y02]

Language is fluid. If you don't understand that, then you should stop speaking, typing, and thinking (I'm assuming you don't participate in reading).

[Tisuoi]

I'm not sure I fully understand. Is this just a way to justify the incorrect speech of Blacks? Not just pronunciation, such as axe for ask, but the usage of words? Such as "hair did?"

[mdelsaz]

I'm now writing my dissertation, which involves AAE. I'm bilingual (Spanish-English) and I understand AAE perfectly, I love it. I find it straight to the point, economical, functional. I' d never label it as "bad English", it has a history and a background you can't ignore.

[SeeProfileForDetails]

@mdelsaz we hadded thays blacks ain'ts they is wacks

[Rufusdos]

@mdelsaz Hey. I'm from the UK, doing a linguistics MA right now and I have a question: Can you tell me if AAVE is rhotic or non-rhotic? Thank you!

[dustyportland]

HOLD ON !! We say "skreet", "skrate", and "her" instead of "hair" in Memphis. When I say "we", I mean "they". I'm from Memphis, but I'm white. I feel like I speak two languages sometims.

[tony1cn]

well, I kinda disagree with that perception (Black English is improper English), in fact, we can still find it in almost every parts of the world nowadays. The way people speak reflects their cultures and we should not perceive one kind of language as the 'correct' or 'proper' to be compared with another language. perhaps it will be more appropriate to say that the Black English or AAVE is just another variant of world Englishes just like the SAE or British RP.

[jflegionario]

@tony1cn Yo yo cut that shit mah niggah what you mean black english and all this shit be proper english? Get of yo pedestal boi you talkin bout all this big words like SAE and British RP and all this shit tryin to sound all smart and shit but you aint shit ya hear? there be a reason why it hurts most niggas ears to hear ebonics ya hear? Tryin to sound all smart and educated sayin all this shit be the same and all this culture bullshit but we all know thats a lie my niggah. Ebonics=Improper nig!

[nigelholland3]

@jflegionario Its culture mane so you can stop dat. All dat aint even called foe bruh. Ebonics aint improper cuz even Africans an da folk from da islands use broken English. Dis aint even called foe bruh. So you can stop all da bullshit foe real doe.

[Johnno3D]

I could only understand the guy in a yellow shirt saying: We goin to this house...murder...shoot

:P

[Suolperos]

@Plato86 Please don't get me wrong - I'm not arguing that educated people speak Black English in professional settings, obviously they don't. You're absolutely right that more educated people do not speak it - except maybe at home with the family (code switching, it's called). The only point I have is that it isn't an deviation on "proper English", which is arbitrarily defined anyway. It's a fully robust dialect and has newly emerging sub-dialects, hence the slight regional variation.

[mykole84]

@Suolperos. i would go even further to say that ebonics is superficially english and has a grammatical structure which is west african based mix with english germanic based grammar. its phonology is influenced by english as well. its probably best describe as a camoflauged creole as it is the most english based creole under the most direct assault of english along with scot as in the form of white supremacy education and constant contact. ebonics is also influencin english only thru slang tho'.

[Plato86]

Black English is not robust at all as it reduces much of the grammar and vocab of standard English to a very basic level. In truth Black English is not a dialect but a pidgin, a simplified verison of a language designed by non-native speakers. An example of how AA English is less versatile than SAE is found with the "be" form. AAVE speakers use the word "be" to express action in the habitual past, simply past and present. The fact that one word is used to describe three different tense speaks..

[0Fear]

@Plato86 Actually use of one word to represent many forms IS versatility; it means that you don't need to invent a new word for each context. Look up the definition of the word versatile. First defintion: many uses.

[Suolperos]

@Plato86 Besides, other dialects that have much more restricted boundaries than any Black English dialect, such as NYC English, are still considered dialects. My reasoning is based on scientific merit, which shows that Black English DOES have regular grammar rules and structure, and that these have relatively little regional variation, and IS A DIALECT. For that matter, there's really no such thing as a variety of English that ISN'T a dialect. If it has a native speaker, it's a dialect.

[Plato86]

( continued from before)... to how limited the vocabulary of AAVE is.

[Suolperos]

@Plator86 Well, I know you won't agree with this, since you seem to have already made up your mind, but in fact you're just plain incorrect about Black English across the US. Black English as a whole has far more uniformity across the US than other dialects spoken mainly by whites. This is due to long-term socio-ethnic separation.

My point with Spanish and Italian was that, while they're languages now, they didn't begin that way. They were once Latin dialects, JUST like today's English dialects.

[Plato86]

Do you have any proof that AA English is spoken uniformly throught the U.S? In the video it is clear that AAVE speakers from one region have difficulty understanding speakers from other regions so there must be strong differences. On top of this there are no codified rules of Black English grammar, spelling or a dictionary to keep track of the vocab. The end result is that you can speak English in any incorrect manner you want and call it Black English. No rules = not a language.

[Ryooken]

@Plato86 That doesn't change the dialectual nature of the language. African American English like all languages changes from region based on the influences of the region. American standard English is the same way. In fact, if you get someone from North Easter part of the USA and the South Western part not only do they have a hard time communicating but some of the speech patterns are difficult to discern if both were speaking standard venacular based solely on pronounciation.

[tigera10030]

@Plato86 Because when the direct descendants of the Khoisan (all of humanity) developed language they came up with some rules. Get over yourself.

[ani1616]

American English is also improper english go to England where it originally started and you will find that out.Gullah is from Sierra leone we call it krio.Love from Sierra leone

[deidrapowell2]

African American Dialect

[MRMAGIC305X]

Oh shit! 9th Wonder! Best there ever was!

[ericjungleboy]

Good freestylers at the end of this vid.

[Plato86]

Does anyone else notice that none of the black professors use black english? Hmmm I wonder if there is a connection between speaking black english and education level?

[PolynesianGirl13]

@Plato86 A suggestion: look at the context in which they're speaking. People sometimes change how they speak dependent on situation. Also, because of the prejudice against the African-American dialect of English those professors probably had to change to "standard" English. The same thing goes for those speaking AAVE. To be accepted they need to speak the way they do. It depends on what the purpose of what you're saying is.

[ericjungleboy]

@Plato86 some black profs do speak in black english, on purpose, to make a point. but formal education in this country has always happened in the context of the white standard of english, so it's just habit to conform to that. but most educated black people can speak both ways. you don't lose your black english when you learn more formal english; you just use it in other situations.

[Plato86]

My point was that most people who exclusively speak black English have a lower level of education than those we can speak formal American English. Black English is improper English.

[ericjungleboy]

@Plato86 It's only "improper" if the goal is to speak formal English, but it isn't improper in its own setting. There are many dialects of English around the world and all of them have their social/cultural context in which they are "proper" or "correct". The reality is that no dialect or language is superior to any other.

[TheYoungTurds1]

@Plato86 yep.

[GullahGritsGal]

@Plato86

So is American English. It is NOT the Queen's English. "The both of yous"..."whaddya want"...."that looks priddy"..."that's so rad/cool/sweet"...."this sucks"..."don't tawk to me"..."get outta my way". You sound like hicks to those who do speak the Queen's English.

You speak a dialect of English, just like the people in this documentary. GET OVER IT.

[Plato86]

Excuse me but your quotes are not "American English", they are simply incorrect. American English may be a dialect but it still follows most of the grammar of BE. In contrast gullag speak and other AAVE dialects break all the rules of any widespread English language, be it British, American, Canadian or Austrialian English. AAVE is simply slang and other colloquial language dressed up as a distinct dialect in order to justify its use.

[Ryooken]

@Plato86 Actually you are wrong. I see white people using variations on southern northern accents and dialects. What is wrong is that black dialects like our culture is automatically incorrect when white speech is automatically correct. Since I speak several Enghlish dialects both white and black I see the issues therein. Prime example, I speak cogney English, that's common English used by the people not the elite but regulat folks. So language is more then just education.

[Plato86]

It is not cogney, it is cock-ney, mr illiterate, and it is not spoken by the "common English", it is spoken by the uneducated if spoken at all. I hear cockney is being replaced by Jamaican patois in London. Speaking proper English does not have to do with race, it has to do with using correct grammar, pronouncation etc. Gullag breaks all the rules of English and thus should not be considered a dialect of English.

[Ryooken]

@Plato86 LOL! Are you really trying to correct my grammar? How quaint. Actually it's spoken by common people, doctors lawyers, and many policemen use this dialect. They aren't all uneducated. Let me tell you what is. To state that language progression isn't natural but a total by product of education. It's inherently childish to even percieve it as such especially since the English language is a hodgpodge of 5 different languages from Europe. LOL!

[mykole84]

@Plato86. ebonics is not improper english. learn its history. learn the history of english. white supremacy of our culture leads to people making dumb statements like that. ebonics is superficially english as in vocabulay but its structure is very different form english. anyone who study how languages are formed who know that there is no such thing as improper language as its speakers wouldnt be able to communicate with each other.

[goddedme]

@Plato86 The above comments are based on prejudice; they have no grounds in linguistic terms.

[nigelholland3]

@Plato86 Black English is improper English. This is the prime example on why I say the White Man thinks everything he does is right. I am no where near having a low level of education, and you say that people that use AAE are dumb. Not only do I use AAE , but im also from the south.Thats the kind of stuff that piss people off saying they are dumb just because of how they speak. Its a Dialect -___-.I use AAE with my friends and family, but when it comes to having to speak to people of another

[nigelholland3]

@Plato86 color. I stop using it. I can switch back and forth if I want to. It has nothing to do with being dumb or ignorant just like how yall say all people in the south dumb because of how we talk. Its samething when we use AAE.

[TheYoungTurds1]

@Plato86 naw, that crazy ;)

[Ryooken]

@Plato86 Yes, and No. Language changes as it naturally does. It's no different than white language dialects. The problem is that white people have turned natural speaking into inferior education. However, college professors use diction as part of their mainstream education especially when teaching.

[Suolperos]

@Plato86 yes, there is a connection - the connection is that the template for standard

American just happens to NOT be based on any Southern dialect, from which Black English stems. Black English is not improper English, it's a different dialect with its own grammar rules and structure. You can make asinine comparisons to correctness with any language group. Are Italian and Spanish just improper Latin? Are the 30+ dialects of England all just derailed RP? Learn WHY dialects are the way they are

[Plato86]

The problem with your reasoning is that Black English does not have any unified grammar rules or structures of its own. As you see in the clip AA English is spoken differently among Blacks from different regions. AA English in New York is not the same in the South and so on, thus you can not call it a dialect.Italian and Spanish are completely different languages from Latin. They are descendants of Latin, not dialects.

[mykole84]

@Plato86. as an native ebonics speaker that also speak english and has learned spanish. i can tell u spanish, portugese and italian are not really that different and if u speak one u can usually understand the other. the grammar of portugese and spanish are pretty much the same. however spanish speakers can usually understand italian better due to sounds. the grammar of ebonics and english are not as related. the vocab is nearly identical. white supremacy is the reason its look down on.

[Suolperos]

@Plato86 oh and Cockney isn't being replaced by Jamaican patois (I dunno who told you that bullshit, but I'd sock him one). Cockney is alive and well in many parts of central London, but has actually been merging with more RP-sounding dialects to become what's been called Estuary English. And yes, even the educated use it.

[tigera10030]

@Plato86 You are using correlation as causation.

[bcreative08]

@Plato86

Hmm, I wonder if there's a connection between European-American English and linguistic prejudice in society?

[Plato86]

"European- American English"? What does that phrase even mean? If you mean Standard American English, then just say that.

[bcreative08]

@Plato86 I used "European-American" because it's a form of English that has the strongest ties with the European-American community. Also using the term "Standard" is iffy because no one speaks any true "Standard"; no one sounds like a grammar, and they would sound weird if they did.

[PooPoo2U]

@bcreative08: You know, I couldn't help but read your comment and think "Hmm, a white guy commenting on black culture. He must be racist."

Also, it's rather hilarious how you essentially call him racist for saying this is justification for blacks to use poor grammar, only to throw in a random question mark at the end of a statement.

Hmm, I wonder if there's a connection between being African-American and not being able to put that race card down...

[bcreative08]

@PooPoo2U In the academic linguistic community, of which I am a part of, this (AAVE, Black English, Ebonics) is a perfectly legitimate dialect. It does everything a language needs to do, has internal rules that govern how one uses it, and is part of a group of people's identity. It's perfectly legit; it's just different from European-American/Standard American, but since Europeans have power, they get to say that their version is the right one. And btw, that race card comment was ignorant. :)

[nigelholland3]

@PooPoo2U Poor grammar? No....Its just that its a different way of English. I talk like that with my friends.

[PooPoo2U]

@nigelholland3: Oh, so you're saying it's a dialect? Well that's funny, I don't recall dialects being granted immunity to the rules of grammar. I myself have an Appalachian dialect but am not going to act like that exempts me from the common rules of the language.

[nigelholland3]

@PooPoo2U Thats nice to know. Then again it isnt right to say someone has poor grammar because they talk. Its basically a way for only us to understand unless you grew up around people that talk like that you really wont know what their saying.

[PooPoo2U]

@nigelholland3: It's a dialect, not a code. You don't have to be from that area to understand it. No one uses a dialect specifically so that no one will understand them.

[nigelholland3]

@PooPoo2U I see what your saying.

[mattdogg65]

just like that lady said it all depends on your environment I mean all my friends are black so I guess that's how I got started talking like that but it's just so ignorant to say you talk like a race....that's stereotyping at it's finest

[mattdogg65]

yea here in Raleigh we say "say word" it's hard to explain what it means it's kind of like "for real" like "say word" "word" idk I'm white but I grew up in a black neighborhood so it pisses me off when people say "you talk like a black person" I'm like what does a black person sound like

[ericjungleboy]

@mattdogg65 Because they sound like they're accusing you of trying to be someone you're not, but you're just being you. You're just being what you grew up around, but they don't understand that. They just don't know. Go ahead and educate them and make them know.

[mattdogg65]

@ericjungleboy yea but alot of people just don't get it alot of ignorant people in this world

[4Quasmusic]

ancient people - i appreciate u

[TheGrandHiDutchess]

Very nice! I am a Deaf and Hard of Hearing teacher and would love to show this to my Phonetics class... this was very well done!

[rmbb10]

Good video.

[aab089]

Intelligent video.

[nichmars]

Neat. Thanks for posting!