African American Vernacular English PhonologyGrammar

Phonological Differences from SAE In order of frequency Reduction of similarly voiced final consonant clusters [hæn] for [hænd]: /n/ and /d/ are voiced [hæn] for [hænd]: /n/ and /d/ are voiced [dεs] for [dεsk]: /s/ and /k/ are voiceless [dεs] for [dεsk]: /s/ and /k/ are voiceless except in high frequency negative constructions like can’t, won’t, didn’t except in high frequency negative constructions like can’t, won’t, didn’t Deletion of word-final consonants [mæ] for [mæn] [mæ] for [mæn]

Devoicing of final stop consonants [pɪk] for [pɪg], sometimes followed by a glottal stop [pɪkʔ] [pɪk] for [pɪg], sometimes followed by a glottal stop [pɪkʔ] -ing endings with alveolar [n] rather than velar [ŋ] ‘walkin’ Realization of voiceless interdental fricative [θ] with [t] or [f] ‘mouf’ Realization of voiced interdental fricative [ð] with [d] or [v] ‘den’ Simplification of interdental/retroflex combinations as interdental: [θo] for [θro] Deletion or vocalization of [l] after vowel: [hεp] or [hεəp] for [hεlp]

Deletion of retroflex after unstressed vowel: [fo] for [for] Deletion of voiced stops [d] and [g] in some tense-aspect markers: ‘I’m a do it’ for ‘I’m gonna do it.’ Ain’t for didn’t Deletion of unstressed initial and medial syllables: [sεktri] Metathesis of adjacent consonants: [aks] for [ask] Realization of SE [v] with [b] and [z] with [d] in medial position before nasals: [sεbn̩] for [sεvn̩] and [ɪdn̩t] for [ɪzn̩t]

Realization of syllable-initial [str] as [skr], especially before high front vowels [skrit] for [strit] Monophthongal pronunciation of [aɪ] as [a] ‘I’ and [ɔɪ] as [ɔ] ‘boy’ Merger of [ɪ] and [ε] before nasals: [pɪn] Lowering of [ɪ] to [æ] before velar nasal. Primary stress in many words borrowed with secondary stress: ['polis] for [pə'lis] More varied intonation than other American varieties

Grammatical Differences Pre-verbal tense, mood, aspect markers Absence of copula in present tense: He mad. Absence of copula in present tense: He mad. Invariant ‘be’ for habitual aspect: He be workin. Invariant ‘be’ for habitual aspect: He be workin. Invariant ‘be’ for future (due to loss of will through phonological processes): He be here tomorrow. Invariant ‘be’ for future (due to loss of will through phonological processes): He be here tomorrow. Use of steady as an intensified continuative marker: He be steady steppin in them nines. Use of steady as an intensified continuative marker: He be steady steppin in them nines. Unstressed been for present perfect: He been sick. Unstressed been for present perfect: He been sick. Stressed been [noted BIN in linguistic scholarship] to mark remote phase (suggesting continuation): She been married. Stressed been [noted BIN in linguistic scholarship] to mark remote phase (suggesting continuation): She been married. Done as completive aspect: He done did it. Done as completive aspect: He done did it. Be done for resultatives or future/conditional perfect: She be done had her baby. Be done for resultatives or future/conditional perfect: She be done had her baby. Fitna or fixin to to mark immediate future Fitna or fixin to to mark immediate future Come to express indignation about action or event: He come walkin in here like he owned the place. Come to express indignation about action or event: He come walkin in here like he owned the place. Had to mark simple past: then we had went outside. Had to mark simple past: then we had went outside. Double modals (might could, may can, might can) to indicate possibility Double modals (might could, may can, might can) to indicate possibility Quasi modals like likta and poseta. Quasi modals like likta and poseta. Last two common in southern vernaculars Last two common in southern vernaculars

Additional Verbal Tense Markers Absence of third person –s: He walk. Generalization of is and was to plural and second person subjects: They is crazy; We was there. Use of past tense or preterite form as past participle: He had bit; she has ran. Use of past participle form as past tense or preterite: She seen him yesterday. Use of verb stem as past tense: He come down here yesterday.

Nominal and Pronominal Grammar Absense of possessive –s: “John house” Absense of plural –s (less frequent) as in “two boy” Use of and them to mark associative plurals: Felicia and them…(Felicia and family and friends; Felicia and other faculty) Appositive or pleonastic pronounce: That teacher, she cool. Use of y’all and they to mark second person plural and third plural possessive (respectively): It’s y’all ball; It’s they house. Use of object pronouns after a verb as personal datives: Get me a gig. Absence of relative pronouns: That the man come here.

Negation Use of ain’t as a general preverbal negator. Multiple negation or negative concord: He don’t do nothing for nobody. Negative inversion in intensive statements: Ain’t nobody here. Use of ain’t but and don’t but for ‘only’.

Questions Direct questions without inversion of subject and auxiliary (maintaining rising intonation): Why I can’t play? Auxiliary verb inversion in embedded questions (without the whether or if found in SAE): I asked him could he go with me.