Black Vernacular English
The expression of vernacular tradition is eminent in African American literature. It is a cultural expression through dialect, tonnage, and language. Vernacular tradition is what intrinsically connects African American literature—connected by means of shared speech.
The dialect is a form of alternative vernacular, It is not wrong English. There is no one way English can be ciphered. Black vernacular English is just an alternate dialect. I emphasize this because I myself made this mistake when viewing it. English is more open than bound rigid corners. The expression of black vernacular English differs it from standard American English.
Specifically, what makes black vernacular English different from mainstream English? In writing different spelling such as but not limited to the replacement of "th" to "d" sounds changes how you read it. Words from mainstream English such as "that" change to more African American sounding tonnage like "dat." Why does this happen change happen at all?
In 1916 slaves were first starting to be traded. People from all different regions speaking different languages we're all gathered and sold. The language barrier between people limited their communication. They were forced to learn the language of their masters for instruction but we're not allowed to read and write. This greatly Disturbed their learning process. This led to a whole new learning of the English language. Cultural understanding of English such as grammar and slang we're interpreted by new minds. I find this so interesting because it is not wrong; it is still the same English, it is just different.
I encourage you to look for black vernacular English through this new lens. Think of the Brilliant Minds that had to reinvent the English language. The many languages the interfered with the dialect. Finally, I want you to not make the mistake of calling black vernacular English, Wrong English.
Thank you, to Andrew Matthews & Katie Graham and their Youtube video; What People Get Wrong About African-American English. Their research is a big part of my understanding and Is a very interesting watch.
Hey Max, your analysis of the vernacular tradition is unique and you made compelling arguments. I agree that vernacular English is different and should not be seen as wrong, due to the circumstances African Americans were facing with the slave trades. Additionally, your paragraph highlighting the differences in dialect was strong. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteHey Max,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to start off by saying that I was very impressed by the way you introduces and explained Black vernacular English. You set it up as a medium which is not "wrong", but rather different and used to express ideas. I also liked how you connect historical roots of language barriers during slavery. Overall, this blog is very strong and your point about rethinking Black vernacular English really is an interesting approach. Great work Max!
Hi Max, Your appreciation for the uniqueness of African American Vernacular English really comes through in this blog post. I would be curious to know how your new understanding of it has impacted how you read African American literature? What other aspects of African American culture should we take a second look at, that might allow us to appreciate it more fully?
ReplyDeleteHi Max! As someone who's interested in linguistics, I really appreciate your sentiments about the "validity" of vernacular English. In American society I feel that all of us are taught to internalize the perception that AAVE is "wrong" or "informal," and it's very difficult to successfully remove those internalized perceptions. Good on you for questioning your own beliefs and being open to learning more about the history of AAVE!
ReplyDeleteHi Max, I think you did a great job in explaining vernacular English and recognizing it as an alternative, but still absolutely correct dialect. There are a lot of misconceptions about vernacular speech, so I agree that it is important to acknowledge and validate this culturally significant tradition. I also appreciate that you explained some of the history behind how the tradition arose from forced oral communication, because it makes a lot of sense to me. For some of our readings, when there was a lot of vernacular speech (for example, in "The Wife of His Youth"), I had trouble understanding by just looking at the letters on the page, but if I sounded it out loud, it was always much easier to understand.
ReplyDeleteHi Max! We've come across Black vernacular English in nearly every reading packet; I completely agree that it connects African American literature. Your insightful interpretation on the cultural factors that founded Black vernacular English shows that their dialect is unique, not wrong. Learning about its history through your post helped appreciate Black vernacular English at a deeper level. Good job!
ReplyDelete