linguistic appropriation
the appropriation of african-american vernacular english
Appropriation in our modern world is not uncommon: whether it’s wearing ethnic clothing, copying cultural practices, or wearing traditional hairstyles, there are various types of appropriation that can be seen throughout America.
However, a very common type of appropriation that is usually overlooked is linguistic appropriation, where various features of a minority dialect or language are taken into the mainstream media, often taken out of context and used incorrectly.
In American culture and slang, this is particularly seen in the usage of African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), which has been appropriated time and time again for years now.
Let’s break down AAVE and it’s influence on American culture.
A Summary of AAVE
The History
African-American Vernacular English, or AAVE, is the dialect of English primarily spoken by the African-American community. With roots deep in American history, AAVE developed due to the conditions that arose with slavery. Under these oppressive conditions, a unique blend of English and various African linguistic features combined and evolved into what we know today.
Some Phonological Features
→ Final Consonant Cluster Reduction:
If the cluster has the same place of articulation and voicing, the cluster is reduced.
ME > AAVE
/tɛst/ > [tɛs]
/hænd/ > [hæn]
→ Realization of word final /ŋ/ as /n/
ME > AAVE
/trɪpɪŋ/ > [tɹɪpɨn]
/θɪŋkɪŋ/ > [θɪŋkɨn]
→ Metathesis of Final Consonants:
ME > AAVE
/æsk/ > [æks]
/gɹæsp/ > [gɹæps]
→ Reduction of some Diphthongs to Monophthongs:
ME > AAVE
/pɹaɪs/ > [pɹaːs]
/faɪnd/ > [fãː]
→ Lowering of /ɪ/ before /ŋ/
ME > AAVE
/θɪŋ/ > [θæŋ]
Some Grammatical Features
→ Increased Usage of “Be(en)” in Various Cases
In AAVE, “be(en)” serves many purposes and allows for a wide variety of semantic changes. For example, it can create emphasis, clarify a time frame, and act as an auxiliary verb.
ME > AAVE
She is running > She be running
She has been running > She been running
She has been running for long time > She *been* (stressed) running
→ Copula Dropping
The copula “be” is sometimes dropped in the present tense (“is” and “are”).
ME > AAVE
She is my sister > She my sister
Where are you at? > Where you at?
→ Double Negation and “ain’t”
In AAVE, “ain’t” is often used to show negation. Additionally, all negatable forms of words are often negated if the sentence itself is negative.
ME > AAVE
He is not doing anything > He ain’t doin’ nothing
That isn’t him > That ain’t him
AAVE to Mainstream Media
In many cases, AAVE is stigmatized and seen as an “improper” way of speaking, but many grammatical and mostly lexical features tend to flow outwards from this dialect.
Especially for AAVE vocabulary, once out the original community, it usually expands in meaning and is adopted by communities not just in America but across the English speaking world. Speakers often don’t know the source of these words, but through popularization through music, pop culture, and social media, they quickly gain traction for their versatility.
Here are some prominent examples:
Woke
In the current political climate of America, you may have heard the word “woke” being thrown around to either make fun of the left or to describe someone who is “politically-correct.” Although now it mostly holds a derogatory connotation against left-learning individuals, it was originally derived from AAVE, where it means “alert” or “aware of social injustices.”
Slay
“Slay” is another word that shows the widespread adoption of AAVE vocabulary. Retaining its original meaning, “to slay” means “to have done something amazing,” or “to excel.” It’s along the same lines of “you killed it!”
The word’s path into modern slang is also very typical of a wide variety of AAVE words. “Slay” entered LGBTQ+ slang in the 1970’s, and has since spread to various other communities in the digital age. However, it still maintains this LGBTQ+ connotation, almost completely being separated from its origins in AAVE slang.
Another word that took this same path is “tea,” meaning “gossip.”
Clap Back
In slang, “to clap back” means “to have a quick and witty response” to a comment. This meaning, however, is much different from the original AAVE meaning of “to clap,” which was slang for “to shoot someone.”
Undergoing semantic weakening, “to clap back” was soon changed from its original meaning to the less extreme definition it maintains today.
Jawn
Now associated with the Mid-Atlantic region (in places like Philadelphia), “jawn” is a word that can mean any person, place, or thing. Like the words above, this too has its roots in AAVE.
Controversy and Appropriation
When it comes to the appropriation of AAVE, it mostly describes the appropriation of certain grammatical structures due to the widespread adoption of AAVE vocabulary. These rules are often seen as chiefly AAVE, where many vocabulary words are transferred through multiple different groups until they lose an attachment to the original definition or speakers.
In 2022, famous White TikToker Tara Lynn was under fire for using the following phrase in a TikTok:
“I finna be in the pit.”
“Finna” is AAVE slang originating from “fixing it,” but the way this TikToker used it was seen as not only incorrect, but cringe and unnatural by the general community. Since then, many memes and recreations of this video have been made, but the underlying lesson still stands: many individuals see the usage of AAVE by a different community as appropriation or offensive in general.
In addition to grammar, the word “chile” was also heavily appropriated. Following the regular reduction of word-final consonant clusters as described above (/t͡ʃaɪld/ > [t͡ʃaɪl]), “chile” was first spread into “Gen-Z” slang during 2020, when much of the younger population was online due to the national quarantine. Additionally, during to the Black Lives Matter protests occurring across the country at the time, many prominent African-American social media influencers led the movement on various platforms, incorporating AAVE into their content. This led to even more words entering modern slang.
Since then, many influencers have spoken up about the appropriation of AAVE vocabulary like “chile”, which slowly reduced its presence outside the AAVE community.
In general, people are becoming more conscious of linguistic appropriation, especially from AAVE sources. It is not uncommon for language to spread past its original speakers, but it’s also important to remember and respect the context from which any new borrowings come from. Additionally, it’s also important to recognize the status of AAVE as an actual dialect of American English, not as an “incorrect” way of speaking.
For a much more in-depth explanation of AAVE phonology, grammar, vocabulary, and more, I definitely recommend visiting this page. See you next time!
