美国黑人英语及黑人文学 BLACK AMERICAN ENGLISH
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Black American Literature非裔美国人文学
The Bluest Eyes(1970) Sula(1973) Song of Solomon(1977) Beloved(1987)
The Negro Speaks of Rivers---Langston Hughes
I’ve known rivers: I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. I heart the singing of Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset. I’ve known rivers: Ancient, dusky rivers.
has acquired the status of a major classic in American literature.
James Baldwin(1924---1986)
Go Tell It on the Mountain(1954)
---It is remarkable in both thematic and technical terms.
The Negro Speaks of Rivers---Langston Hughes
I’ve known rivers: I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. I heart the singing of Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset. I’ve known rivers: Ancient, dusky rivers.
has acquired the status of a major classic in American literature.
James Baldwin(1924---1986)
Go Tell It on the Mountain(1954)
---It is remarkable in both thematic and technical terms.
美国黑人文学
The narrator is the “invisible man” of the title. A black man in 1930s America. The narrator considers himself invisible because people never see his true self beneath the roles that stereotype and racial prejudice compel him to play.
Toni Morrison
American author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Toni Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford in Lorain, Ohio. In her works Toni Morrison has explored the experience of black women in a racist culture. Morrison has actively used her influence to defend the role of the artist and encouraged the publication of other black writers.
Characteristics and themes
• Among the themes and issues explored in African American literature are the role of African Americans within the larger American society, African-American culture, and racism, religion, slavery, a sense of home, segregation, migration, feminism, equality and more. African American writing has also tended to incorporate within itself oral forms such as spirituals, sermons, gospel music, blues and rap.
Black_English
4.而有二文法已成为不只黑人使用，也要成为通行全 美的通则了，即如going to改成了gonna, want to改 成了wanna。此外，如out of改成了outta，kind of 改成了kinda，sort of改成了sorta，已成一新英文 文法。 5. re或e此种在快语速情况下几乎听不到的字，都被 省略了，如more成了mo（如黑人电影more money， 即缩写成mo money），for改成了fo，或 用数字"4" （音同）取代。 6."ing"之中"g"的省略，也成了全美通用的文法，如 nothing改成了nuthin', comming改成了commin'等， 只要是ing进行式就可以省略g。
(7) 一个句子可能会出现两个或更多的否定 词。Nothing 和no 分别用来代替anything 和any。 eg: Don’t know nothing about anybody. I don’t know anything about anybody. (8) 否定代词作主语,句子倒装。 eg: Didn’t nobody do it . Nobody did it . (9) 双重否定或多重否定普遍。 eg: No way no girl can’t wear no platform shoes to no amusement park .
(4)缺少主谓一致性。 eg: You is tall. You are tall. (5) 语言屈折变化的一些手段,如复数、所有 格、第三人称单数、过去式等都有不同程度 地省略。 eg: He got three cent . He got three cent s. (6) Ain’t 用来代替be + not , have + not , do + not , did + not 。 eg: He ain’t do it . He didn’t do it .
美国黑人英语的表现形式及发展因素研究
美国黑人英语的表现形式及发展因素研究作者：王啸琦刘雪丽来源：《科学大众·教师版》2021年第11期摘要：美国黑人英语作为诸多英语变体的组成部分之一，在诞生之初，其正当性和规范性就在使用标准英语的群体中激起广泛争议;然而随着美国黑人的社会地位和受教育水平提高，以及美国社会对多元文化越发包容，美国黑人英语的使用范围不断扩大，影响力也随之增强。
从最初仅由美国黑人群体使用，到如今在世界范围内广泛传播，黑人英语在漫长的发展过程中演化出了独具特色的语法特征和内涵丰富的词汇表达，并逐渐对标准英语施加其影响。
因此，了解美国黑人英语的表现形式及影响其发展的因素，已经成为英语习得及研究过程中的重要环节。
关键词：英语变体; 黑人英语; 词汇表达; 语法特征中图分类号：G112 文獻标识码：A 文章编号：1006-3315（2021）11-158-002一、引言黑人作为美国主要的少数族裔群体，其在美国的发展历史可以上溯至16世纪的三角贩奴贸易。
非洲黑人到达美国之初，只能以奴隶的身份在种植园和矿山等场所从事体力劳动。
在此过程中，来自不同地域的黑人，以及黑人与白人之间出于沟通的需要，黑人英语（Black American English，BAE）的雏形就此形成。
董启明（2009）将美国黑人英语称之为“a sort of pidgin English”（洋泾浜英语），即一种从标准英语中剥离出的简化表达。
黑人英语亦被称为Negro creole、Negro dialect以及如今的African American English等。
这种英语表达方式受到美国黑人在美国国内地位的演变，以及美国多元文化融合的影响而不断变化。
鉴于早期美国黑人的社会地位低下，能够拥有“自由人”身份的黑人寥寥无几，自然黑人的受教育权也无从谈及。
因此在一段时间内，黑人英语被主流白人社会认为是受到错误语法和下流俚语污染的“劣等英语”（郭智勇，2014）。
Black Americans美国黑人
. When Africans were brought to the American South in the early 1600s, they were initially treated as indentured servants rather than as permanent slaves.
By the 1970s, Blacks were registered as voters in South almost in the same proportion as whites, and many Blacks were elected important offices in Southern stas, however, hereditary slavery had become the rule and blacks were degraded to the status of property. Some slave-owners treated their slaves better than others, but all had ultimate power over what was theirs.
For blacks, slavery meant extremely hard work, miserable living conditions and indescribable humiliation. Towards 1800, the southern states stopped the slave trade. But by then, there were nearly a million slaves in the plantations .
At this time, there emerged a black clergyman, Martin Luther King ,who is the leader of the Civil Rights Movement.
美国黑人文学的发展和成就
4
Trouble, trouble, I've had it all my days, Trouble, trouble, I've had it all my days; It seems like trouble going to follow me to my grave. I ain't never loved but three mens in my life; I ain't never loved but three men in my life: My father, my brother, the man that wrecked my life. It may be a week, it may be a month or two, It may be a week, it may be a month or two, But the day you quit me, honey, it's comin' home to you. I got the world in a jug, the stopper's in my hand, I got the world in a jug, the stopper's in my hand, I'm gonna hold it until you meet some of my demands.
抗議小說、憤怒文學 Native Son
11
Ralph Ellison Invisible Man
“I remember that I am invisible and walk softly so as not to awaken the sleeping ones.”
Trouble, trouble, I've had it all my days, Trouble, trouble, I've had it all my days; It seems like trouble going to follow me to my grave. I ain't never loved but three mens in my life; I ain't never loved but three men in my life: My father, my brother, the man that wrecked my life. It may be a week, it may be a month or two, It may be a week, it may be a month or two, But the day you quit me, honey, it's comin' home to you. I got the world in a jug, the stopper's in my hand, I got the world in a jug, the stopper's in my hand, I'm gonna hold it until you meet some of my demands.
抗議小說、憤怒文學 Native Son
11
Ralph Ellison Invisible Man
“I remember that I am invisible and walk softly so as not to awaken the sleeping ones.”
African-American Literature
美国黑人文学
第 16-18 周：六、七十年代以来的美国 黑人文化（重建身份和重建历史的努 力 ） ， 阅 读 莫 里 森 的 代 表 作 (Toni Morrison(1931-): The Bluest Eye, 1970; Song of Solomon, 1977; Beloved, 1987)
美国黑人文学
第 7-9 周：吟游文学（黑人与白人的文化互动过程中的 模仿、戏仿、曲仿），阅读第一部反映黑人生活的小说 《汤姆叔叔的小屋》(Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe) 第 10-12 周：社会动荡与文化耻辱（芝加哥爵士乐的兴 起、流行和影响），阅读休斯和赖特的代表作 (Langston Hughes: Dreams; Richard Right: Native Son) 第 13-15 周：口头文学传统与争取教育权利的斗争（从 惠特利到埃里森的黑人作家危机）阅读拉尔夫·埃里森 的 代 表 作 (Ralph Waldo Ellison: Invisible Man, 1952; Phillis Wheatley(1753-1784) : the first American black poet; James Baldwin(1924-1987): Go Tell It on the Mountain, 1953) （《向苍天呼吁》）
美国黑人文学
具体安排 第1周：介绍课程性质、内容，了解学生相关 文学背景，简要概括黑人文学历史 第2-3周：再现黑人文化（黑人文化长期被掩 盖的事实和原因，重新被发现的原因和过程）
美国黑人文学
第4-6周：双重意识（语言、吟唱文学、民俗民谣、宗 教的边缘化），阅读黑人种族意识三代伟大启蒙家道 格 拉 斯 、 华 盛 顿 、 杜 波 伊 斯 的 代 表 作 (Frederick Douglass,1817-1895: 他的三部自传是美国黑人文学的 开山之作， 1840 年的《弗雷德里克·道格拉斯：一个 美国奴隶的叙述》(Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass) ； 1855 年的《我的奴隶生涯和我的自由》 (My Bondage and My Freedom) ；以及1881年的《弗雷 德里克·道格拉斯的生平和时代》(Life and Time of Frederick Douglass). Booker Washington, 1856-1915) : 自传《超越奴役》（ Up From Slavery）(1901); Du Bois,1868-1963: The Souls of the Black Folk)
黑人文学
• Paul Laurence Dunbar, 保尔· 劳伦斯· 邓巴 who often wrote in the rural, black dialect of the day, was the first African American poet to gain national prominence. His first book of poetry, Oak and Ivy, was published in 1893. Much of Dunbar's work, such as When Malindy Sings (1906), which includes photographs taken by the Hampton Institute Camera Club, and Joggin' Erlong (1906) provide revealing glimpses into the lives of rural African-Americans of the day.
• The Harlem Renaissance marked a turning point for African American literature. Prior to this time, books by African Americans were primarily read by other Black people. With the renaissance, though, African American literature—as well as black fine art and performance art—began to be absorbed into mainstream American culture.
研究美国黑人文学的重要参考书——评吉尔亚德、沃迪的《美国黑人文学》
准，虽然洋洋洒洒几百页，却未能对不同时期的作家、作品进行纵深比较，因而对于文学研究 的起步者而言，可借鉴之处实在是乏善可陈。
第三，对于作品的选取不拘一格，题材与体式多样化，全面展示了黑人文学的独特性。 在传统的文学史教材中，往往只“精选”所谓的名家名篇供学生阅读、分析，而《美国黑人文 学》选取的作家多达１５０余位、作品２３６篇，这还不包括作者在“延伸阅读（Ｆｕｒｔｈｅｒ Ｒｅａｄ—
ＵｎｉＶｅｒｓ毋ｏｆ
Ｔｅｃｈｎｏｌｏｇｙ（Ｗｕｈａｎ ４３００７０，Ｃｈｉｎａ）．Ｈｅｒ
ｍａｉｎｌｙ‰ｕｓｅｓ
ｏｎ
Ｂｒｉｔｉｓｈ ａｎｄ
Ａｍｅｒｉｃ卸ｐｏｅｔ－
ｒｙ．Ｅｍａｉｌ：ｃ舾６７６＠ｓｉｎａ．ｃｏｍ
随着２０世纪５０、６０年代美国民权运动的高涨，美国黑人反对种族歧视、争取民族平等
的黑色权利运动也开展得如火如荼，而反映这一美国现实的美国黑人文学，也随之进入美国
ｃ口ｎ
Ａｍｅ砌ｎ厅“￡ｅｍ￡ｕ陀），是一部关于美国黑人文学的大学教材，可以说它是迄今为止有关美
国黑人文学最为全面和系统的一部教材。由吉尔亚德与沃迪合著的这部高校文科教材《美 国黑人文学》，囊括了美国历史上几乎所有知名与不知名的黑人作家的不同体裁作品，包括 小说、诗歌、戏剧、演讲、歌词等等，以及关于这些作家的介绍和名篇的选读章节。此书已经 成为美国高校黑人文学教学的“百科全书”，为进一步研究美国黑人文学提供了详实的背景
三个世纪，主题涉及１２种不同类型，但实际上贯穿始终关注的却是同一个内容：作为少数民
族的黑人在美国社会中的生活和地位。所以，美国黑人文学史其实就是一部关于美国黑人 争取民族自由与平等的政治史。 第四，“百科全书”式的附录。本书的三个附录尤其值得推崇，内容丰富、信息量大，便 于读者迅速查到相关信息。第一个附录“美国黑人文学年表”非常具有参考价值：凡是关于 黑人文学史或政治史上的“第一”，无论是人物还是政治、历史事件，读者都可以在这里找到 线索。第二个附录列出了本书的所有参考书目，详细介绍了教材中引用的所有作品的出处， 以方便读者追查进一步的信息。第三个附录是“索引”，简要注明了作品引用的页码，也能
第三，对于作品的选取不拘一格，题材与体式多样化，全面展示了黑人文学的独特性。 在传统的文学史教材中，往往只“精选”所谓的名家名篇供学生阅读、分析，而《美国黑人文 学》选取的作家多达１５０余位、作品２３６篇，这还不包括作者在“延伸阅读（Ｆｕｒｔｈｅｒ Ｒｅａｄ—
ＵｎｉＶｅｒｓ毋ｏｆ
Ｔｅｃｈｎｏｌｏｇｙ（Ｗｕｈａｎ ４３００７０，Ｃｈｉｎａ）．Ｈｅｒ
ｍａｉｎｌｙ‰ｕｓｅｓ
ｏｎ
Ｂｒｉｔｉｓｈ ａｎｄ
Ａｍｅｒｉｃ卸ｐｏｅｔ－
ｒｙ．Ｅｍａｉｌ：ｃ舾６７６＠ｓｉｎａ．ｃｏｍ
随着２０世纪５０、６０年代美国民权运动的高涨，美国黑人反对种族歧视、争取民族平等
的黑色权利运动也开展得如火如荼，而反映这一美国现实的美国黑人文学，也随之进入美国
ｃ口ｎ
Ａｍｅ砌ｎ厅“￡ｅｍ￡ｕ陀），是一部关于美国黑人文学的大学教材，可以说它是迄今为止有关美
国黑人文学最为全面和系统的一部教材。由吉尔亚德与沃迪合著的这部高校文科教材《美 国黑人文学》，囊括了美国历史上几乎所有知名与不知名的黑人作家的不同体裁作品，包括 小说、诗歌、戏剧、演讲、歌词等等，以及关于这些作家的介绍和名篇的选读章节。此书已经 成为美国高校黑人文学教学的“百科全书”，为进一步研究美国黑人文学提供了详实的背景
三个世纪，主题涉及１２种不同类型，但实际上贯穿始终关注的却是同一个内容：作为少数民
族的黑人在美国社会中的生活和地位。所以，美国黑人文学史其实就是一部关于美国黑人 争取民族自由与平等的政治史。 第四，“百科全书”式的附录。本书的三个附录尤其值得推崇，内容丰富、信息量大，便 于读者迅速查到相关信息。第一个附录“美国黑人文学年表”非常具有参考价值：凡是关于 黑人文学史或政治史上的“第一”，无论是人物还是政治、历史事件，读者都可以在这里找到 线索。第二个附录列出了本书的所有参考书目，详细介绍了教材中引用的所有作品的出处， 以方便读者追查进一步的信息。第三个附录是“索引”，简要注明了作品引用的页码，也能
black English
[mʌnt] for month); /ð/ as either [v] or [d] (so [smuːv] for smooth).
Realization of final ng /ŋ/, the velar nasal, as the alveolar nasal [n] in function morphemes
• Recently, Shana Poplack has provided corpus-based evidence from isolated enclaves(领土) in Samanáand Nova Scotia peopled by descendants of migrations of early AAVE-speaking groups (see SamanáEnglish), that suggests that the grammar of early AAVE was closer to that of contemporary British dialects than modern urban AAVE is to current American dialects, suggesting that the modern language is a result of divergence（分支） from mainstream varieties（主流语言变体）, rather than the result of evolution from a widespread American Creole.
Introduction
African American Vernacular English (AAVE)—also called African American English ; less precisely Black English , Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular (BEV), or Black Vernacular English (BVE)—is an African American variety (dialect , ethnolectand sociolect) of American English. Non-linguists sometimes call it Ebonics (a term that also has other meanings or strong connotations) or jive or jive-talk. There are many literary works using of this variety of English, particularly in African-American literature
Realization of final ng /ŋ/, the velar nasal, as the alveolar nasal [n] in function morphemes
• Recently, Shana Poplack has provided corpus-based evidence from isolated enclaves(领土) in Samanáand Nova Scotia peopled by descendants of migrations of early AAVE-speaking groups (see SamanáEnglish), that suggests that the grammar of early AAVE was closer to that of contemporary British dialects than modern urban AAVE is to current American dialects, suggesting that the modern language is a result of divergence（分支） from mainstream varieties（主流语言变体）, rather than the result of evolution from a widespread American Creole.
Introduction
African American Vernacular English (AAVE)—also called African American English ; less precisely Black English , Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular (BEV), or Black Vernacular English (BVE)—is an African American variety (dialect , ethnolectand sociolect) of American English. Non-linguists sometimes call it Ebonics (a term that also has other meanings or strong connotations) or jive or jive-talk. There are many literary works using of this variety of English, particularly in African-American literature
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BLACK AMERICA2003
MAURICE M. MARTINEZ, Ph.D. WATSON SCHOOL OF EDUCATION UNC WILMINGTON
martinezm@ (910)962-4279
TO SUCCEED IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD
BLACK AMERICAN ENGLISH
MANY AFRICAN AMERICANS SPEAK AND USE A
FORM OF ENGLISH THAT IS SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT FROM STANDARD ENGLISH. EVERY LANGUAGE SYSTEM CONTAINS RULES. THE RULES OF BLACK AMERICAN ENGLISH [BE] ARE FUNCTIONAL TO THOSE WHO USE THEM. THESE RULES ARE SYSTEMATIC AND ARE APPLIED OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. MORE RECENTLY, BLACK ENGLISH HAS BEEN REFERRED TO AS ENGLISH USED IN A ―CASUAL REGISTER.‖ (Payne)
UNAWARENESS OF THE RULES
OFTEN, THE STUDENT WHO SPEAKS BLACK
AMERICAN ENGLISH IS UNAWARE OF THE RULES OF STANDARD ENGLISH LIKEWISE, MANY TEACHERS ARE UNAWARE OF THE RULES OF BLACK AMERICAN ENGLISH THE ―BLAME‖ SHOULD NOT BE PLACED UPON THE STUDENT OR THE TEACHER, BUT UPON ―UNAWARENESS.‖
THERE ARE TWO SETS OF NORMS IN [SE]:
INFORMAL STANDARD [USUALLY SPOKEN, SOMETIMES IN A REGIONAL DIALECT, WITH DISTINCTIVE PRONUNCIATION PATTERNS PREFERRED BY A GROUP OF SPEAKERS WHO ARE SET OFF FROM OTHERS GEOGRAPHICALLY, SOCIALLY, AND CULTURALLY] (Wolfram, et al, 1999) THE FORMAL STANDARD [WRITTEN LANGUAGE TAUGHT IN SCHOOL ACCORDING TO NORMS IN GRAMMAR BOOKS AND EVALUATED IN STANDARDIZED TESTS], MORE RECENTLY REFERRED TO AS ENGLISH USED IN A ―FORMAL REGISTER.‖ (Ruby Payne, 2001)
IN MAINSTREAM AMERICA, TO BE UNDERSTOOD IS
TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK AND TO USE STANDARD ENGLISH.
WHAT IS STANDARD ENGLISH [SE]?
STANDARD ENGLISH IS THE ENGLISH SPOKEN ON THE MAJOR NATIONAL TV NETWORKS: NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, etc. IN A MIDWESTERN (MINNESOTA TO MICHIGAN) DIALECT KNOWN AS ―AMERICAN STANDARD ENGLISH‖ [ASE]. STANDARD ENGLISH IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE ―LANGUAGE OF WIDER COMMUNICATION‖ [LWC] BECAUSE OF ITS WIDESPREAD USE IN THE MEDIA.
WE CAN BEGIN BY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN
WHY MUST WE UNDERSTAND BLACK ENGLISH?
ALL STUDENTS ARE TESTED ON THEIR
KNOWLEDGE AND USE OF STANDARD ENGLISH [SE] [LWC]. THESE TESTS DO NOT VALUE OR REWARD OTHER STRUCTURES OR FEATURES OF ENGLISH, AS FOUND IN BLACK ENGLISH. SUCCESS IN SCHOOL IS MEASURED BY HOW WELL THE STUDENT USES STANDARD ENGLISH. MANY AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS ARE ―LEFT BEHIND‖ BECAUSE OF THEIR LOW SCORES ON STANDARDIZED TESTS IN READING AND WRITING.
BECOMING AWARE
THE PURPOSE OF THIS PRESENTATION IS TO PROVIDE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT SOME OF THE RULES AND FEATURES OF BLACK ENGLISH AS SPOKEN IN AMERICA. HOW CAN WE, AS TEACHERS, BEST SUCCEED IN OUR ―NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND‖ EFFORTS?
MAURICE M. MARTINEZ, Ph.D. WATSON SCHOOL OF EDUCATION UNC WILMINGTON
martinezm@ (910)962-4279
TO SUCCEED IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD
BLACK AMERICAN ENGLISH
MANY AFRICAN AMERICANS SPEAK AND USE A
FORM OF ENGLISH THAT IS SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT FROM STANDARD ENGLISH. EVERY LANGUAGE SYSTEM CONTAINS RULES. THE RULES OF BLACK AMERICAN ENGLISH [BE] ARE FUNCTIONAL TO THOSE WHO USE THEM. THESE RULES ARE SYSTEMATIC AND ARE APPLIED OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. MORE RECENTLY, BLACK ENGLISH HAS BEEN REFERRED TO AS ENGLISH USED IN A ―CASUAL REGISTER.‖ (Payne)
UNAWARENESS OF THE RULES
OFTEN, THE STUDENT WHO SPEAKS BLACK
AMERICAN ENGLISH IS UNAWARE OF THE RULES OF STANDARD ENGLISH LIKEWISE, MANY TEACHERS ARE UNAWARE OF THE RULES OF BLACK AMERICAN ENGLISH THE ―BLAME‖ SHOULD NOT BE PLACED UPON THE STUDENT OR THE TEACHER, BUT UPON ―UNAWARENESS.‖
THERE ARE TWO SETS OF NORMS IN [SE]:
INFORMAL STANDARD [USUALLY SPOKEN, SOMETIMES IN A REGIONAL DIALECT, WITH DISTINCTIVE PRONUNCIATION PATTERNS PREFERRED BY A GROUP OF SPEAKERS WHO ARE SET OFF FROM OTHERS GEOGRAPHICALLY, SOCIALLY, AND CULTURALLY] (Wolfram, et al, 1999) THE FORMAL STANDARD [WRITTEN LANGUAGE TAUGHT IN SCHOOL ACCORDING TO NORMS IN GRAMMAR BOOKS AND EVALUATED IN STANDARDIZED TESTS], MORE RECENTLY REFERRED TO AS ENGLISH USED IN A ―FORMAL REGISTER.‖ (Ruby Payne, 2001)
IN MAINSTREAM AMERICA, TO BE UNDERSTOOD IS
TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK AND TO USE STANDARD ENGLISH.
WHAT IS STANDARD ENGLISH [SE]?
STANDARD ENGLISH IS THE ENGLISH SPOKEN ON THE MAJOR NATIONAL TV NETWORKS: NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, etc. IN A MIDWESTERN (MINNESOTA TO MICHIGAN) DIALECT KNOWN AS ―AMERICAN STANDARD ENGLISH‖ [ASE]. STANDARD ENGLISH IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE ―LANGUAGE OF WIDER COMMUNICATION‖ [LWC] BECAUSE OF ITS WIDESPREAD USE IN THE MEDIA.
WE CAN BEGIN BY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN
WHY MUST WE UNDERSTAND BLACK ENGLISH?
ALL STUDENTS ARE TESTED ON THEIR
KNOWLEDGE AND USE OF STANDARD ENGLISH [SE] [LWC]. THESE TESTS DO NOT VALUE OR REWARD OTHER STRUCTURES OR FEATURES OF ENGLISH, AS FOUND IN BLACK ENGLISH. SUCCESS IN SCHOOL IS MEASURED BY HOW WELL THE STUDENT USES STANDARD ENGLISH. MANY AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS ARE ―LEFT BEHIND‖ BECAUSE OF THEIR LOW SCORES ON STANDARDIZED TESTS IN READING AND WRITING.
BECOMING AWARE
THE PURPOSE OF THIS PRESENTATION IS TO PROVIDE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT SOME OF THE RULES AND FEATURES OF BLACK ENGLISH AS SPOKEN IN AMERICA. HOW CAN WE, AS TEACHERS, BEST SUCCEED IN OUR ―NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND‖ EFFORTS?