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. John Baugh is a Professor of Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, whose books include Beyond Ebonics; Black Street Speech; and Out of the Mouths of Slaves: African American Language and Educational Malpractice. His research uses interdisciplinary techniques to examine the ways in which language is linked with social information, focusing especially on ethnicity, race, and culture. His work has practical implications. For example, his research investigating linguistic profiling over the telephone has exposed the ways in which people who are seeking housing face discrimination due to stereotypes about their speech. The results from his research have legal implications, and Professor Baugh regularly serves as an expert witness in court in order to protect the rights of those who have undergone this kind of discrimination.
John Baugh is a Professor of Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, whose books include Beyond Ebonics; Black Street Speech; and Out of the Mouths of Slaves: African American Language and Educational Malpractice. His research uses interdisciplinary techniques to examine the ways in which language is linked with social information, focusing especially on ethnicity, race, and culture. His work has practical implications. For example, his research investigating linguistic profiling over the telephone has exposed the ways in which people who are seeking housing face discrimination due to stereotypes about their speech. The results from his research have legal implications, and Professor Baugh regularly serves as an expert witness in court in order to protect the rights of those who have undergone this kind of discrimination.
