AAE is currently the term among linguists for African American English. It is believed to be spoken by eighty to ninety percent of African Americans, not to mention small populaces of other ethnicities, and yet most people do not consider it a language of its own.
AAE has a negative connotation surrounding it. Most think of the term as slang, or broken and lazy English. This stemming from the rules of Standard Written English inciting that AAE misuses verbs, has poor sentence structure, and verbs and subjects disagree. Refuting this, linguist John Rockford states that AAE does follow rules, just not the rules that regulate Standard English. I think he makes a great point when he says, “AAE is no more lazy English than Italian is lazy Latin.”
Determining if AAE is its own language is debatable, but calling it slang doesn't seem to correctly define it. Slang consists of informal words used by a limited group of a particular region or class, whereas AAE retains words over decades of existence. To call AAE slang in African American communities where it is widely used and accepted can be seen as disrespectful to the people using it.
Separate languages can be derived from one another. English itself has taken many words from European influences. Although they are known to be different languages, Portuguese and Spanish have heavy common grounds, and though individuals speaking these languages might not fully understand all the nuances of the language not their own, there is still enough shared dialect that people can travel from Columbia to Brazil and still understand one another.
So the million dollar question lies within the politics and connotations of AAE. If AAE was considered its own language, would there be negative terms to badmouth it? If someone moved from Boston to the Los Angeles, would he or she ask why everyone is speaking west coast slang? Individuals from different regions are not going to speak the exact same way, so if people use AAE and understand one another, it should be considered a dialect.
20 comments:
I agree with AAE being considered dialect. There have been many African American writers who have written in AAE dialect. Mark Twain, who was Caucasian, also wrote some stories using AAE dialect. AAE should not be considered slang. Nor do I believe it should be considered a language. AAE has its good and bad qualities just like all languages, dialects, and slang languages. Pig Latin may not be a language but many people know how to speak it and many children use it regularly amongst their peers. However, we are not making it a language either. AAE is English with a dialect, its own rules, and its own meaning. I do not find it useful in the schools. I do not mind if the students speak in AAE when speaking with one another but I would not be willing to grade a paper that is written in AAE. In order for me to grade the paper, the student would need to explain why they wrote in AAE and how it is relevant to the point they are making within the paper.
I would agree AAE being called dialect is accepted. I don't believe it should be it's own language because people would be making up all kinda of languages then. As long as people use it correctly and know what it means then it should be called AAE dialect. AAE has it's own place and time. I agree with Dana about speaking it to one another, but not accepting it in written papers. I will someday teach English and hope my students learn the correct rules and ways to use dialect.
I don’t agree that AAE should be defined as slang. I believe it’s part of a culture and helps define a people. Therefore, AAE should be defined as a dialect. I feel that it does not pose enough rules tot be considered a language. Just because AAE does not follow standard English does not make it “wrong” if spoken. I hardly know anybody that speaks “Proper English” all the time. However, I do feel that there is a time and place for AAE to be used. If writing a paper in English class it should not be used for the simple fact that it is an English class. And because of such, the paper should follow the rules of standard English.
I agree that AAE should be considered a dialect. Although, I do not think it should be considered a language. If I were a teacher I would have to insist on students using proper English, or English slang, so that there could be a open line of communication. If half of my class is speaking proper English, while the other is speaking in AAE, confusion is bound to happen. Students are going to be expected to complete proper English related work; the use of AAE will only keep them from excelling. It is not acceptable for students to write in AAE on any assignment, because their correct use of AAE is not being graded.
I do agree that AAE is considered a different dialect, but I do not think that it is a form of slang. In the classroom, students should be encouraged to use proper English on their assignments. I would correct a student that used in their personal conversations, but I also would not want to have a paper turned in to me written in AAE. I agree that the student would have to defend why they wrote this in the way that they did.
As an African American, I consdier it an insult that some people believe that AAE is "lazy" English. As a secondary English major, I believe it is important for students to learn standard English, but to retain their culture. The only reason this type of dialect is an issue is because it is spoken by a minority group, and there is a negative connotation associated with minorities in society in general.
I think that AAE is a dialect; however, students must understand that there are proper places for its usage. It is not accepted as a proper language in the workplace. It is perfectly acceptable to use AAE in a more casual situation, but students need to learn the correct way of speaking. If two equally qualified candidates apply for the same position, the candidate with the best communication skills will get hired. This is something that everyone must realize. This fact may politically incorrect, but educators who allow students to rely on AAE are putting them at a disadvantage in the workplace. I feel that educators must be practical. An education is useless if graduates cannot support themselves.
AAE is a dialect, just as Southern Illinoisans have a dialect that is quite different from people from other areas of the country. The AA community has a social enclave that allows this similar dialect to be spoken across the states and is more widely used. It is not lazy, it is the ever changing use of the English language. People 200 years ago would have problems understanding people who today consider themselves proper English speakers. If we spoke a dead language, then of course, AAE would be unacceptable. However, English is a living language, and we must accept that words, and the very meaning of words and phrases are in flux.
I never thought about AAE as anything but a bad form of English. I can see how people could consider it a dialect and have no problem with that classification. However, as an English major, it sometimes makes me cringe hearing people speaking AAE. We all must realize that AAE, while it may be considered acceptable in social situations, has no place in academia. Teachers have the responsibility to teach students when using AAE is and is not considered an acceptable form of speech.
I think that whoever wrote this blog summary missed the point of the article. In the response prompt, he says, "If someone moved from Boston to the Los Angeles, would he or she ask why everyone is speaking west coast slang? Individuals from different regions are not going to speak the exact same way, so if people use AAE and understand one another, it should be considered a dialect." In my reading of the lesson, I gathered that the author wanted to prove that we shouldn't see AAE as slang, and that its character extends far beyond its ever-changing vocabulary of new (or slang) words.
I never knew, for example, the distinctions between the meanings of sentences such as "He working," "He be working," and "He be steady working." While SWE condemns all of these phrases as erroneous, and recognizes only negligible differences between them, AAE contains a firm grammatical structure that defines the same statements as correct assertions of the differing times and ways in which the subject is working. This structure encompasses all verbs and is apparently recognizable and correctly used by virtually all AAE speakers.
As the article says, the degrees between a "language" and a "dialect" run the gamut depending upon the political associations of speakers and their neighbors. Furthermore, I am no linguist; so, I cannot say which category this appellation falls into. I can say that this author convinced me that everyone, especially professionals, teachers, and administrators, should treat AAE and its speakers with the respect due to those who can use their own brains to translate writing and utterances in real time. We should offer those having difficulty with this complex process the full extent of our resources meant for "foreign" learners of SWE.
Since this is a blog...I have to voice my disappointment at the lack of an anthropological approach to culture used by members of this class. In my view, no system exists to evaluate "good and bad qualities" of another culture's language, relationships, etc. Unless human rights are being violated, we should evaluate the differences between "our" way of life and others in as unbiased a fashion as possible, and then use a positive, problem-solving approach to finding ways to help the most students in the best way possible. The only way to produce a literate, intelligent, compassionate, truth-seeking population (this, in my view, should be the ONLY goal of public education) is to practice compassion and aletheia-philia ourselves.
I don't believe that if AAE was considered a language it would be considered slang. I think that it would be better taken in as a dialect. To be honest I believe it is a dialect. African Americans have been speaking AAE for years and decades even. This language has been around since the 19th century. I don't believe it's going any where. We as speakers of standard English need to accept it as a dialect of it's own and understand the history from which it came.
I've always strongly believed that AAE was a distinct dialect of English. It would bother me when others mocked AAE as "slang" or even considered it a lazy way of speaking. As it said in the article, AAE has a certain set of rules that set it apart from other dialects. This also gives AAE the means of defending itself as a dialect.
I do agree with the other comments that AAE shouldn't be brought into classrooms or any sort of setting where it would be appropriate to use the standard form of English. I think that dialects are specifically designed to help those among a culture to interact with one another. And although this is great and beneficial to those speaking it, that can become complicated among others who don't.
AAE, like any form of language, should be considered a dialect. What are diverse dialects and/or language? They all pertain to mediums in which people can communicate to one another. In spite of the fact that most African Americans utilize this diction, doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't serve its purpose. Since when did one language become more superior or inferior to another. It's the twenty-first century. Meaning, that all dimensions whether it ranges from technology to language are all at the cross-roads of "change." I feel that if AAE, or any other language for that matter, serves its purpose, then that's what matters.
I do not believe AAE should be incorporated into the classroom. I believe it has its place outside of the classroom, but it would be very confusing to students who do not use this dialect. I do not believe people who speak in AAE are lazy and it offends me when I hear people say this. Some of the countries best authors have written in this “broken and lazy English” and have created powerful work. I believe in its place AAE can be good. However, I do believe all students should use proper grammar and learn how to enunciate. The only way students will make it in the real world and be able to get jobs is to be able to speak properly.
I must ponder a bit longer in my deciding whether or not AAE is an official language. I will say that it is an unofficial language, and I will give it more credit than to call it simply a dialect. I am thinking of the Haitian language, comprised of broken french. Do the French call it slang? Would they have a right? My answer is no, because it is a language understood and belonging to a people. Well then, I now pose the question; is AAE not considered a language just because an "educated" person has "great" difficulty in understanding it,spoken or written? The masses of decendents of the "Original" Kings and Queens who speak, write, and understand AAE beg to differ. Hence, I now give AAE its well deserved credit - it is a language. Holla Back! (Now that's some dialect for ya.):-)
I was completely unaware that people had bothered to study the AAE to find out that it has complex grammar and pronunciation rules. It's really fascinating that there are words in the AAE that have been around for decades, which makes it more than just the slang I've always thought it to be.
I think that AAE is becoming more and more acceptable to be written on things like Myspace and Facebook, but I really just don't see it ever making it into SWE.
I agree that the world is full of different dialects. People are constantly judging things that are different from them, especially language. Some people feel intimidated when they do not understand what someone is saying. I believe that every language in the world has at least a little in common with one another. Once people begin to understand that they will feel more comfortable around foreigners. I do understand the fact that there is a certain dialect for Ebonics. I learned a good amount from reading this.I always thought it was a lazy type of language as well.
I think AAE should be considered a dialect. I don't think it's enough to become it's own language, but it qualifies as a dialect. It's most certainly okay to speak in the AAE dialect, but not to write in AAE dialect, just as one would not write in a foreign dialect. It's definitely okay to speak in any dialect you please, but I think everyone should use proper English when writing in the appropriate situations like papers or professional documents or a resume.
I feel that AAE is more of a spoken language than it is a written one. When AAE is written, I read it in a way that only makes the accent of the language different and doesn't change the entire language. I always put a Southern tongue to the way that AAE is written when not all African American's speak with a southern accent. Whether I believe is should be distinguished as its own language or not...? I think that if we can tell the different between Standard written English and AAE, than there's no problem at all and we don't have to categorize it as its own language.
I think that AAE can be considered dialect, however one must use it very carefully. AAE can be troublesome when being used because grammatical errors are almost present in every form, including written and spoken forms. With that being said, people who use AAE in their daily life should avoid the use of slang with AAE. Also, AAE does not sound professional; and will hinder the speakers image in the workplace if it is used in conversation. Proper english with an appropriate diction should be practiced and incorporated in daily life.
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