HELP!

[conuly]

I have this project due tomorrow. I had been planning to do a tape of people speaking and come up with results (it's for sociolinguistics) but the tape is impossible to hear for most of it. So I'm doing the OTHER project, which I had originally decided not to do because I didn't have enough people. Basically, I'm going to get a few results and extrapolate from them, instead of doing what I was supposed to do which is give the survey to two groups of 10 people each, which are alike in all respects except one. PLEASE help!

[Poll #360503]

Edit: Unless this affected your answers, don't worry about it. Just a clarification: AAVE is *not* supposed to be taken to mean slang. I lost the explanation we were supposed to give, which is just as well as I really thought that explanation was biased towards AAVE anyway. I mean, so am I, but that didn't seem fair. Anyway, AAVE is supposed to be considered as a dialect such as RP english or Brooklyn english, not as slang.

Non-americans, unless you know a lot about the subject (or think you can guess based on your knowledge of nonprestigious dialects where you are), don't answer. I'm locking this so that I can't be called out for rushing the assignment.

Comments

[deathchibi.livejournal.com]

We learned about this in Intro to Cultural Anthropology!

I voted on the poll, and I think AAVE is more of a creole/pigin(sic.) language more than a dialect, you know? It's not just localized to certain African-American groups, but that's just me.

I figure it might be worth a shot to use it in education. If you can't understand the language you're being taught in, how will you learn? And at this point in time, plenty of kids could use the help, I think.

On the flip side, most people tend to equate AAVE as poor english, so it might hurt them later on... Bleah, sorry, stuck in programming mode.

[conuly]

I voted on the poll, and I think AAVE is more of a creole/pigin(sic.) language more than a dialect, you know?

I disagree, simply because I know a bit about creoles and pidgins (which are NOT the same thing at all!). I can actually provide some examples of english-based creoles to show you what I mean... but probably not right now.

[deathchibi.livejournal.com]

Oh! I know, I shouldn't have used that slash, but LJ doesn't let you edit your comments.

[conuly]

Stupid LJ.

[deathchibi.livejournal.com]

...Sorry. I do know that a pigin is considered an 'incomplete' language, I think, and that a creole is more ... well, it's a blend, kinda, but a complete ... yeah.

I'm shushing now.

[conuly]

Don't be sorry! It's a mistake people make. And it's not your fault LJ wouldn't let you fix it.

I'll show some creole text, though, you'll see why I think AAVE could never be a creole. Wait a sec...

[deathchibi.livejournal.com]

It's kind of interesting. :> But okay!

Like so:

He runnin'. (He is running.)
He be runnin'. (He is usually running.)
He be steady runnin'. (He is usually running in an intensive, sustained manner.)
He bin runnin'. (He has been running.)
He BIN runnin'. (He has been running for a long time and still is.)

Credit for this goes to: Suite for Ebony and Phonics, by John R. Pickford.