Some linguistic consequences of slavery in the United States by Dr. John Baugh

This presentation is devoted to sociolinguistic analyses of African American vernacular English (AAVE), including studies of morphophonemic variation and analyses of copula variability among black speakers across the United States.

Tense and Aspect in AAVE will also be discussed, especially regarding the usage of “steady” as in “They be steady runnin’.” A combination of synchronic and diachronic evidence confirms that the history of AAVE differs greatly from that of United States citizens and residents whose ancestors immigrated to that country of their own volition, especially if they spoke languages other than English. John Ogbu’s studies of caste-like minorities have been integrated into quantitative analyses of AAVE.

Some misconceptions about AAVE will be introduced, along with a review of the Oakland Ebonics controversy and its relevance to the linguistic behavior of black youth in South Africa, Brazil, and France; that is, along with the global influence of Hip Hop culture. The discussion concludes with relevance to educational and legal policies that are derived from sociolinguistic findings.

Event Sponsor
Charlene J. Sato Center for Pidgin, Creole, and Dialect Studies, Manoa Campus

More Information
Christina Higgins, 956-2785, cmhiggin@hawaii.edu

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