African American Vernacular English

Linguistics English 1125

Daniel Kies

Some Notes on the Linguistic Features of AAVE (African American Vernacular English)

PHONOLOGY 1.

Word-final consonant cluster deletion/reduction: /C2-3#/ --> /C1-2#/

Some examples,

Phonetic cluster [st] [sp] [sk] [st] [zd] [zd] [ft] [vd] [nd] [md] [ld] [pt] [kt]

--> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> -->

[s] [s] [s] [s] [z] [z] [f] [v] [n] [m] [l] [p] [k]

Type I (phonology) test, list, post wasp, clasp, grasp desk, risk, mask

left, craft, cleft mind, find, mound cold, wild, old apt, adept, inept act, contact, expect

Type II (inflectional morphology) missed, messed, dressed

finished, latched, cashed raised, composed, amazed judged, charged, forged laughed, stuffed, roughed loved, lived, moved rained, fanned, canned named, foamed, rammed called, smelled. killed mapped, stopped, clapped looked, cooked, cracked

Note also the effect that word-final consonant cluster deletion will have on grammar -- many past tense inflections will be deleted because of this phonological difference between the dialects. See the words under Type II above.

Linguistics Daniel Kies

Note that this applies as well to word-final consonant clusters with three segments, cents --> cent. Note also that other consonant clusters do not appear on the list: for example [mp] lump, ramp; [nt] count, don't; [lt] colt, belt. Word-final consonant cluster deletion operates only when both consonants are identical in voice. The clusters [mp], [nt], and [lt] have one voiced and one voiceless consonant; therefore, they do not delete.

African American Vernacular English

2.

Plural formation:

Note another grammatical difference between the dialects due to a phonological change. Because of word-final consonant cluster deletion and because no English dialect allows for geminate consonants or vowels (two identical consonant or vowel segments in sequence), words like desk, ghost, wasp, and test make plurals by adding [Is] instead of [s]: desses, ghosses, wasses, and tesses.

3.

The th-Sounds, theta /T/ and eth /D/: 3.1

Word-initial consonant alternations

/T/ --> /t/

thought, think, thin

/D/ --> /d/

this, that, the

/Tr/ --> /fr/

three --> free,

3.2

throat --> froat

Word-medial consonant alternations

/θ/ --> /f/

nothing either

--> -->

nuf'n, eefuh

/D/ --> /v/

brother

-->

bruvah,

/TN/ --> /tN/

arithmetic --> 'ritmatic,

3.3

author

-->

rather

ahfuh,

-->

nothing -->

ravah nut'n

Word-final consonant alternations

/T/

--> /f/

Ruth

--> Ruf, tooth

--> toof,south --> souf

/D/

--> /v/

width --> wiv',

breathe --> breav

/NT/ --> /Nt/

month --> mont',

tenth

--> tent'

/NT/ --> /N/

month --> mon',

tenth

--> ten'

Linguistics Daniel Kies

African American Vernacular English

4.

/r/ and /l/ sounds:

Word-initially, /r/ and /l/ are always pronounced. positions, /r/ and /l/ often reduce to /{/, schwa.

4.1

Post-vocalic schwa

/r/ or /l/ --> /{/

4.2

nickel --> nickuh,

sister --> sistuh

Post-vocalic deletion of /r/

/r/ --> 

4.3

In other

door --> do'

Intervocalic deletion

/r/ or /l/ --> 

story --> sto'y,

Carol --> Ca'ol

Note that the loss of /r/ and /l/ sounds will have a profound effect on grammar in AAVE because of the "loss" of inflections. They and their will sound identical, and the contractions of will can no longer appear in the verb phrase. For example, because of /r/ and /l/ reduction or deletion the following sentences seem ungrammatical, but if we understand the phonology of AAVE, we understand that they are really perfectly grammatical:

(a)

Dan borrowed the' book'. [dæn barod de bUk] (Dan borrowed their books.)

(b)

Dan be they tomorrow. [dæn be de t@maro] (Dan'll be there tomorrow.)

(c)

Tim work den too. [tIm wUrk dEn tu] (Tim'll work then too.)

The reduction of Dan'll and Tim'll will also occur because of consonant cluster deletion.

/Cr/ --> /C/

protect --> p'otect,

Linguistics Daniel Kies

Word-initial consonant cluster deletion with /r/

African American Vernacular English

5.

Word-final /b/, /d/, and /g/: 5.1 Devoicing word-final stops (devoicing is generally true for all word-final consonants in AAVE) C [+plosive] [+voice ]

-->

mud good

--> -->

C [+plosive] [-voice ] mut, goot

Note again the grammatical consequences of this phonological change: past tense endings [d] will be pronounced as [t], played --> playt.

5.2

/d/ Deletion word-finally /d/ --> 

played --> play

Some speakers don't just devoice /d/; for them it is completely deleted (devoiced to the point of being inaudible). Note here too the grammatical consequences, Yesterday, he play it becomes a perfectly grammatical sentence.

6.

Nasalization: 6.1

Nasal consonant alternation

/4/ --> /n/

6.2

singing --> singin'

Nasalized vowels

/VN/ --> /V~/

ru',

man --> ma' [mæ~]

Vowel Glide Deletion:

Semivowel deletion (Monothongization) /Vy/ --> /V/

for example,

boy toy time kite

--> --> --> -->

bo', to', tahm, kaht

Linguistics Daniel Kies

7.

run -->

African American Vernacular English

8.

Indefinite Articles a and an:

Because of nasalization (6 above), a is used extensively in AAVE where other dialects use an, for example I had a apple. In some cases, the indefinite article may "merge" completely with the following word, for example He has eraser.

9.

Stress:

Stress patterns are largely the same as other dialects with some notable exceptions. Some words stress the first syllable in AAVE whereas other dialects stress the second syllable: police, July, hotel. Deletion of unstressed syllables is common in all dialects of English but more frequent in AAVE: 'rithmetic, 'bout, 'cept, 'member.

10.

Metathesis:

Reversal of sound segments (most often consonant clusters) /sk/ --> /ks/ /pri/ --> /pr/

ask prescription

--> -->

[@ks] "axe" "perscription"

Linguistics Daniel Kies

African American Vernacular English

GRAMMAR

11.

Irregular verbs:

Because of /d/ Deletion (5 above), many more verbs in AAVE behave like the irregular verbs hit and put in most dialects. Notice that hit and put are irregular verbs in that they do not change form when used in either present or past tense, they put up jam every day and they put up jam yesterday. Similarly, say in AAVE has become the same kind of irregular verb, He say that every day and He say that yesterday. Again, this is because of /d/ Deletion.

12.

Past participles:

have + past participle --> have + past tense form He's seen it before --> He's saw it before. I could've written that --> I could've wrote that.

13.

Completive aspect with done:

 --> done I [] walked -->

I done walked.

Most dialects of English need an adverb or an entire adverbial phrase to express this meaning. AAVE has a grammatical morpheme done to capture this aspect of the verb.

Ain't:

Although found in many dialects, ain't is a high frequency lexical item expressing negation in AAVE.

Linguistics Daniel Kies

14.

African American Vernacular English

15.

Question Formation

15.1

Word order inversion

AAVE uses word order inversion in both direct and indirect questions: Direct question Where did he go?

15.2

Indirect question I want to know where he went. I want to know where did he go.( AAVE)

Optional question auxiliaries

AAVE speakers use auxiliaries in questions optionally and omit them more frequently than many other dialects: Where have you been? (all dialects) Where you been? (AAVE primarily) You understand? (many dialects)

16.

Existential it:

Existential there --> existential it Many AAVE speakers prefer it (rather than there) as an existential/"dummy" subject: It is a boy in my room named Robert. Is it a main street in this town?

17.

Invariant/habitual be:

John always works on Saturday --> John be workin' Saturday.

Linguistics Daniel Kies