My article basically answered the question “What is AAE (African American English)?” It opened explaining what AAE was in general, who speaks AAE—most think only African Americans do but that is not true—and how AAE is classified. Is AAE “Broken” English? The answer to that question is no definitely not. According to some linguist, “Linguist research has established that three rule-governed components identify a system of speech as a language: phonology, semantics, and syntax. As we have seen, however, so-called dialects like AAE also possess rules for pronunciation, meaning, and grammar.” (p12) The article goes on to discuss AAE and if it is slang, but again the answer is no. “Unquestionably AAE, like other varieties of English, encompasses a wealth of slang.” (p7) The article discusses AAE as a dialect and as a language. There are linguist that argue both cases. Both arguments offer valid evidence for each case.
As a reader it was a bit difficult for me to accept some of the research. I am sure my being Black had everything to do with that but some of the so-called facts about the rules of AAE were so far fetched to me. I feel as if some of the examples listed as things AAE speakers say were very extreme. There was no balance to me. Some of the examples were just ignorant and things I have never heard spoken before. I myself speak AAE, but there are just some things you do not say. I feel as if some oft eh examples in the research were just from places where AAE is spoken at its worst possibly. Do not misunderstand what I am saying though; there were many things that I did agree with in the article. The article was helpful in some instances, but some things it listed were foolish to me. I think the research/studies were not well rounded yet carefully conducted and documented.
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3 comments:
Good comment, Tiffany! I think researchers always look for the worst cases possible, in order to make their findings more striking.
I've never had a (high school) student who made all the typical mistakes; mostly, I encountered the missing "s" in the third person singular.
Memo to all: you don't need to agree with the texts we are reading! (That would be ENGFISH). We are critical human beings. The class readings are there for discussion, and of course you are invited to write negative (although well-founded, as in Tiffany's case) reviews about them.
My grandparents (with the exception of my grandmother who was born in Denmark)spoke a dialect of English that I've always termed "Loretta Lynn-English." In reality, it is representative of a segment of early settlers coming from Ireland, Scotland, and Northern England and better known as "hillbilly." Both my adoptive mother and my step-mother were English teachers. They drilled that "ignorant talk" right out of me! Or at least tried to do so. I always admired the way my grandparents spoke. It had a life and a creativity that standard English lacks. I felt vindicated when I started reading linguistics materials and found others who agreed with me. I think that sometimes tolerance and appreciation skips a generation because the down-side is so emotionally close. How do we "better ourselves" and still have a sense of our heritage? That question is a common refrain in my household.
The article gave the impression that AAE users were uneducated and did not know how to speak properly. I disagree with this. AAE is just a variation of English that a distinct ethnic group uses. It is not altogether a different language. There are words that are pronounced differently but even those people not familiar with AAE could probably understand what was meant. I agree that some of the usages are incorrect but that happens in people speaking "regular" English. Mistakes are made daily in language usage and rules by speakers of "regular" English so this should not be narrowed to just AAE. Groups have always come up with their own ways of communicating, and especially slang words. I think as long as the people they are talking to understand them and they can write with the rules intact and speak properly for the situation, it is a unique difference we should all embrace.
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