sexta-feira, 27 de abril de 2012

Black English Vernacular - Watch the video

Have you ever heard of African American Vernacular English? If so, you might be familiar with this kind of speech. AAVE is also known as Black English or vulgarly Ebonics. The latter is a portmanteau of the words EBONY and PHONICS.

That's the most beautiful English I've ever heard in my life. I love African American Vernacular English and she speaks it fluently. She might not even know there is a science called Sociolinguistics and another called Dialectology in which people study Black English Vernacular and other kinds of English. So before you criticize her speaking skills, go get further information on language!

Click on Black English Vernacular and watch the video.
This is what she has said:
"Well, I woke up to get me a cold pop, and den I thought somebody wuz barbecuin'. I said: Oh Lord Jesus! It's a fire. Then I ran out, I didn't grab no shoes or nu'in' Jesus, I ran fo' ma life! And den a smoke got me, I got bronchitis, ain't nobody got time fa' dat."
Transcribed by BKA JAY and Evison Sarmento Thank you for the collaboration.
The comparison between Mainstream English and Black English.

"Ain't nobody got time" means "Nobody has time"
"I got bronchitis" means "I have bronchitis"

As you can see above, the word "got" is used to express possession and even though it is the past tense of "get", it is used in Simple Present sentences.

I got a car and it is blue. = I have a car and it is blue

The negative goes exactly like this:

I ain't got no. = I don't have a car.

Rodrigo P. Honorato

2 comentários:

  1. Brief yet back-of-the-net explanation on AAVE. Keep it up!

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  2. "got" in "I got bronchitis" and "I got a car and it is blue" is not the "get" verb impoperly used in past tense, but it's a contraction of "I have got" where "I have" is dropped.

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