African American English
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African American English
The form of English that will be discussed in this paper is African American English. It is also called Black English. It is a dialect of American English and it is used by the majority of African Americans in some conditions or situations. This paper will discuss the evolution of African American English, its features, the domains in which the language is used, and the users of the language (Hawaii.edu, 2014, p. 1).
Evolution of African American English
It is also known as African American Vernacular English. There is still no agreement to explain the evolution of African American English. Although there are so many theories, the two most famous theories that are used to explain evolution of AEE are discussed below:
One theory indicated that when slaves of varied language backgrounds migrated from Africa to America, they created pidgin. It simply refers to a version of language that is used to pass information between individuals who do not speak a common language. This later on developed fledged language referred to as Creole that was learned by children in their homes. It is argued that there was a close relationship between the Gullah spoken in Georgia and South Carolina and that spoken by slaves on farms (Pbs.org, 2014, p. 1). Since slaves in the plantations did not learn English and had restricted interactions with English speakers, some characteristics of this Creole were transmitted from one generation to the other.
These characteristics endured after slavery because the African American English developed and it changed into more than just a way of passing information from one person to the other.
A second theory that explains the evolution of African American English indicates that southern slaves worked together with indentured servants who spoke different kinds of English. Individuals who advocate for this theory in explaining evolution of...