This term paper will give a descriptive summary of the sound patterns used in African American vernacular English, but will also go further by discussing the linguistic environments in which such patterns occur. It is restricted to the phonological features of the consonant system of African American vernacular English (AAVE) and does not deal with the characteristics of the vowel system. Furthermore, this term paper should show that speakers of AAVE do not haphazardly insert and delete sound and that it is not fair to evaluate the sounds as “lazy speech” since the patterns used in the sound system of AAVE are completely regular and the way in which sound combinations occur, is very systematic and based on defined rules. This work also tries to make clear what AAVE is and in which ways it is different and similar to general American and Standard English.
The first chapter introduces two different theories about the question how African American English might have been developed. In some contexts, it has been suggested that the pattern of final consonant sounds in AAE has similarities with the pattern of final consonant sounds in West African languages.
Part two deals with the feature of consonant cluster reduction, which has received the most attention in the phonological studies of AAE. Speakers do not always say the same thing the same way all the time, of course, so the percentage rate of reduction may be greater for some speakers than others
Chapter 3 focuses on the fact that interdental fricatives, represented orthographically by th in Standard English, are often realized by labio- dental fricatives among some AAE speakers. It reveals that voicing value of consonant sounds plays a major role in the production of sounds. For example /f/ and /v/ occur in environments in which voiceless th and voiced th occur in Standard English.
Part 4 concentrates on the feature of devoicing and especially on the correlation of the variable /d/ with social class. Data adopted from Wolfram helps to study the speech of Negroes from several socio- economic levels and shows the relationship between the use of sound patterns and extralingusitic factors.
Chapter 5 continues the discussion of consonants, focusing on the liquids /r/ and /l/. It explains environments in which /r/ is not produced by speakers of AAE.
The last chapter lists some other phonological features of AAVE, but not in a detailed way, as there is not enough data available.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Theories about the development of AAE
3 The loss of final consonant sounds
4 Realization of /θ/ and /ð/ as [t,f] and [d,v]
4.1 General Procedure
4.2 Sex and Age
5 Devoicing and the correlation of d Variable with Social Class
5.1 General procedure
5.2 Percentage of t and /Ø/ Realization
5.3 Percentage of t and /Ø/ realization in vocalic and non- vocalic environment
5.4 Percentage of t and /Ø/ realization when followed by a voiceless consonant, voiced consonant and pause
6 R and l: liquid vocalization
6.1 General procedure
6.2 Percentage of r Absence
6.3 Environments where unconstructed /r/ can appear
7 Additional phonological features
8 Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper aims to provide a descriptive summary of specific sound patterns within African American Vernacular English (AAVE), demonstrating that these patterns are not arbitrary errors but systematic, rule-governed linguistic features. The central research objective is to analyze the phonological environment and sociolinguistic factors influencing these features, refuting the misconception that AAVE is merely "lazy speech."
- Phonological characteristics of the consonant system in AAVE.
- Mechanisms of consonant cluster reduction and final consonant deletion.
- Variations in the realization of interdental fricatives and the /d/ variable.
- Sociolinguistic correlations of phonological variables with social class, age, and sex.
- Liquid vocalization patterns, specifically focusing on /r/ and /l/ behavior.
Excerpt from the book
3 The loss of final consonant sounds
A common phenomenon in AAE is the reduction of word final consonant sounds and is the most important variable in the sound patterns of Negro speakers. There are explanations for cluster data, which discuss claims about the historical origin of AAE. One explanation is that the disappearing of consonants at the end of words is a result of consonant cluster reduction. A second explanation is that languages, from which AAE originated like Africa, also do not have consonant clusters and therefore speakers of AAE do not pronounce consonants at the end of words, but not because of the fact that they are deleted in certain environments.
Consonant clusters are reduced at the end of words when the following word begins with a consonant. The word “desk top” could be pronounced [destp]). When the cluster is followed by an obstruent with the same place of articulation, the final consonant almost always disappears in most varieties of spoken English, but in AAVE the loss of the second consonant is more frequent. Besides it is also common in many varieties to say firs’ girl instead of first girl showing that the reduction takes also place when the cluster is followed by an obstruent with a different place of articulation.
According to the voicing generalization, a final consonant is deleted if it agrees in voicing with the preceding consonant. In the word jump where /m/ and /p/ do not have the same voicing value, the cluster remains intact and is not pronounced without /p/. It can be generalized that the cluster does not remain intact when it precedes a suffix beginning with a consonant (e.g –ly in friendly) but when it precedes a suffix beginning with a vowel, the cluster often remains intact (eg. able in acceptable). Actually, in some cases a cluster can be reduced although it precedes a vowel initial suffix for example speakers of AAVE tend to say coler instead of colder or spening instead of spending.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides an overview of the research scope, focusing on consonant sound patterns and the systematic nature of AAVE.
2 Theories about the development of AAE: Discusses historical hypotheses regarding the origins of AAE, including the creolist and dialectologist perspectives.
3 The loss of final consonant sounds: Examines the linguistic conditions and rules governing consonant cluster reduction in AAVE.
4 Realization of /θ/ and /ð/ as [t,f] and [d,v]: Details how interdental fricatives are replaced by alveolar plosives or labiodental fricatives based on word position and sociolinguistic factors.
5 Devoicing and the correlation of d Variable with Social Class: Analyzes the realization of the /d/ variable and its frequency variations across different social groups in Detroit.
6 R and l: liquid vocalization: Explores the processes of r-lessness and l-lessness, explaining when and why these liquids are vocalized or deleted.
7 Additional phonological features: Briefly notes other phenomena like suffix realization and syllable deletion patterns.
8 Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, reinforcing that AAVE is a distinct dialect with its own internal logic and regular phonological rules.
Keywords
AAVE, Phonology, Consonant Cluster Reduction, Interdental Fricatives, Devoicing, Liquid Vocalization, Sociolinguistics, Dialectology, Sound Patterns, Linguistic Variation, Vernacular English, Consonant System, Detroit Negro Speech
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper provides a descriptive analysis of the phonological consonant system of African American Vernacular English (AAVE), focusing on the regular, rule-based nature of its sound patterns.
What are the primary linguistic topics covered?
Key topics include consonant cluster reduction, the realization of interdental fricatives, devoicing processes, and liquid vocalization of /r/ and /l/.
What is the central research question or goal?
The goal is to demonstrate that AAVE speakers do not use language haphazardly or incorrectly, but rather follow systematic linguistic rules influenced by specific environments.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The study utilizes descriptive linguistic analysis and draws upon established sociolinguistic data, particularly the "Detroit Negro Speech" studies by Wolfram, to support its findings.
What is treated in the main body of the work?
The main body breaks down specific phonological phenomena—such as the loss of final consonants and the shift in fricative production—and correlates them with social variables like age, sex, and class.
Which keywords define this work?
Essential keywords include AAVE, Phonology, Consonant Cluster Reduction, Sociolinguistics, and Liquid Vocalization.
How do AAVE speakers handle interdental fricatives?
AAVE speakers often substitute these with labiodental fricatives (/f/, /v/) or alveolar plosives (/t/, /d/), depending on the position of the sound within the word.
What is the significance of the "voicing generalization" in this study?
It explains that the deletion of a final consonant in AAVE is often conditioned by whether the consonant agrees in voicing with the sound that follows or precedes it.
How does social class influence the /d/ variable according to the text?
Data from Detroit indicates that the frequency of realization varies across socioeconomic levels, with working-class speakers showing different patterns compared to middle-class informants.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Hanna Krause (Autor:in), 2011, Phonological Features of the Consonant System of African American Vernacular English, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/300341
