African American Vernacular English (AAVE) developed from English-based pidgins and creoles spoken by African slaves in America. Certain grammatical and phonological features of AAVE, such as dropping final consonants and replacing /th/ with /f/ or /d/, can also be found in Southern white dialects due to the influence of black wet nurses. AAVE utilizes signifying, where expressions have hidden meanings understood only by slaves. Terms from AAVE such as "calling someone out of their name" and the n-word are examined, in addition to vocabulary from hip hop language like "izzle" words and terms referring to relationships.

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AAVE:
AFRICAN- AMERICAN VERNACULAR ENGLISH
SEE ALSO “AFRICAN-AMERICAN HUMOR”
by Don L. F. Nilsen
and Alleen Pace Nilsen

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AAVE: AFRICAN AMERICAN
VERNACULAR ENGLISH
• During the slave trade, shippers were careful toDuring the slave trade, shippers were careful to
separate African slaves who spoke the sameseparate African slaves who spoke the same
language as they loaded them onto ships, so that thelanguage as they loaded them onto ships, so that the
language they developed was an English basedlanguage they developed was an English based
pidgin which became a creole language.pidgin which became a creole language.
• Ironically, black wet nurses did much of the raisingIronically, black wet nurses did much of the raising
of aristocratic white babies, so many Black featuresof aristocratic white babies, so many Black features
can be seen also in “white” Southern dialects.can be seen also in “white” Southern dialects.
• African-American Vernacular English (and much ofAfrican-American Vernacular English (and much of
Southern “white” English) has the followingSouthern “white” English) has the following
features:features:

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• this, that, these, those, them, there /d/this, that, these, those, them, there /d/
• south, mouth /f/south, mouth /f/
• during, more, Paris, star /r-less/during, more, Paris, star /r-less/
• help, will /l-less/help, will /l-less/
• hood, bed, test, wasp (loss of finalhood, bed, test, wasp (loss of final
consonant)consonant)

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• thing, ring, sing /ey/thing, ring, sing /ey/
• r-less so that such pairs as guard-God, nor-gnaw, sore-saw,r-less so that such pairs as guard-God, nor-gnaw, sore-saw,
poor-Poe fort-fought, and court-caught are not distinguished.poor-Poe fort-fought, and court-caught are not distinguished.
• police, Detroit (front-shifted stress)police, Detroit (front-shifted stress)
• nice, boy (simplified vowels)nice, boy (simplified vowels)
• invariable “be” (durative)invariable “be” (durative)
• zero copula (non-durative, compare Spanish “ser” and “estar”)zero copula (non-durative, compare Spanish “ser” and “estar”)

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Signifying in Black English
Black slaves often used expressions that had a
special meaning.
To the slave owners the expressions had one
meaning, but to the slaves they had two
meanings.
Canaan was often a euphemism for Canada,
with Egypt representing the southern states

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CALLING SOMEONE OUT OF THEIR NAME
• In her I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,
Maya Angelou tells about Mrs. Cullinan
“calling her out of her name.”
• Rather than calling her “Margaret,” she
called her “Mary.”
• Miss Glory says that she too had been
“called out of her name.” Her name used to
be Hallelujia, but her mistress called her
“Glory,” and it stuck.

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THE N-WORD
• According to Randall Kennedy, The n-word is
perhaps the most volatile, derogatory, powerful and
hurtful ethnic slur in the English language.
• However, the use of nigger by black rappers and
comedians has given the term a new currency and
enhanced cachet such that many young whites
yearn to use the term like the blacks whom they see
as heroes and trendsetters.”

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HIP HOP LANGUAGE
What is it?
What’s happenin?
What’s up?
Snoop Dog’s “-izzle” words as in “televizzle,” “Americizzle,” and “in a
minitizzle”
bro
chillin
gangsta rap (or G-rap), and
Hood (for neighborhood)
One line in Lupe Fiasco has a line in his hip-hop rap that goes, “I had to
turn my back on what got you paid. I couldn’t see, had the hodod on
me like Abu Ghraib.”

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MORE HIP HOP LANGUAGE
• to school (teach) someone
• a trick (sexually manipulative female)
• to spit (talk to a female)
• props (proper respects), the opposite of “to
dis(respect)” someone
• Sweet!
• One = One Love = Good Bye!
• I gotta bounce (leave the premises)

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MORE HIP HOP LANGUAGE
• to school (teach) someone
• a trick (sexually manipulative female)
• to spit (talk to a female)
• props (proper respects), the opposite of “to
dis(respect)” someone
• Sweet!
• One = One Love = Good Bye!
• I gotta bounce (leave the premises)