African American Dialects

African American Vernacular English also called African American English, Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular, Black Vernacular English and even Ebonics is a dialect of the American English language.  The impact that this dialect has had on linguistic research has led African American English to be referred to as a communal passageway for African Americans today. In other words, the social movement of the times is through language. Researchers believe that its grammar and structure are worthy enough to be studied and possibly be considered a full language system.  The social and educational impact of Black English has driven authors, academics, and legislators to look into the significance of the dialect as an influential or hindering facet of Black culture.  Its pronunciation in some respects is common to Southern American English, which is spoken by many African Americans in the United States and by many non-African Americans. Also, comparisons of Black speech to Creole English dialects and West African languages give reason to believe that African American English was one of the first, yet untitled, languages of the United States during colonization.  This site discusses the history of the African American language. It also explores the contributions of many individuals to the development of the dialect.  Sources and analysis are summarized discussing the social and cultural implications of the trendy speech.

This website contains the following information:

History: A collection of important dates and events that were critical to the development and study of African American English. The historical information draws parallels to slavery, post-colonial theories, and linguistic research.

Important Figures : Lists of influential contributors to the founding of the term "Ebonics" and the language of the African American dialect.

Criticism: Synopses of scholarly journals and books that discuss the research of Black English. These sources comment on topics ranging from the birth of African American Vernacular to the educational and social impacts it has today. Grammatical usage, phonological variation, lexicon, and speakers of the language are also topics that are used to justify African American language.

Bibliography: A list of all the sources that were referenced for information on this site.

Related links : Links to other significant sources and legislation that pertain to African American English becoming a defined, legal language.

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