What is African American Vernacular English (AAVE)?
Q: What is African American Vernacular English (AAVE)?
A: African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is a name for the way that some African-American people talk in English. It has similar pronunciations and grammar to how people talk in West Africa.
Q: When did AAVE first come about?
A: AAVE first came about in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Q: How did AAVE become famous?
A: In 1996, educators in Oakland, California said they wanted to use AAVE to help teach black kids, which made it more famous. Hip hop music also helped make it more popular since the 1980s.
Q: What are some of the rules governing how sounds of AAVE differ from Standard English?
A: The rules have to do with pronunciation and vocabulary as well as grammar, including verb tenses and sentence structure.
Q: Is there a negative connotation associated with AAVE?
A: Yes, when educators in Oakland proposed using it to teach black kids they called it Ebonics which can have a negative connotation.
Q: Can non-black people learn or speak AAVE well?
A: Yes, some non-black people speak it well or try to learn it even if they are not really familiar with it.
