Aave Midterm Spring 2016

Front 1

Why does Dr. Blake prefer the term absence rather than deletion?

Back 1

The word deletion has ethnocentric implications and assumes that African American English is doing something to Standard English.

Also, it assumes that something could not historically be there from the start. For example, r-absence is found in Caribbean languages.

Front 2

What are the following grammatical factor groups in which there is copula absence? Give examples.

Back 2

___Noun phrases

Ex. He () a man

___Adjectives

Ex. He () sick

___Locatives (think location/prepositions, e.g., in, on, at, by)

Ex. He () here

___V + ing

Ex. He () walking

___Gonna

Ex. He () gonna tell

Front 3

From least to most often, what following grammatical environments have copula absence?

Back 3

(LEAST) Noun phrases, Adjectives, Locatives, V + ing, Gonna (MOST)

Front 4

Study of copula absence with Jamaican, LA adults, and NYC Thunderbirds gang demonstrated...

Back 4

Copula absence in three African American dialects followed similar patterns in absence of copula/following grammatical environment. (NPs, Locatives, Adjectives, V+ing, Gonna)

Front 5

What even is the copula lol

What's the rule about the copula?

Back 5

Copula variants (full and contacted forms):

is

are

's

're

Rule 19a: Absence of copula/auxiliary is and are for present tense states and actions

*So make sure to only look for present tense copula. (e.g., don't look for "was")

Front 6

Quantitative behavior of copula (i.e., how often forms are absent)...besides following grammatical factors

Back 6

Speakers delete ARE more often than IS

IS and ARE deleted more often after a pronoun than a noun (Ex. He () a man > Marcus () a man)

Front 7

Present tense markers (show WHEN something happened)

Back 7

1. He () running (Standard: He is running) - COPULA ABSENCE

2. He be running (Standard: He is usually running) - HABITUAL BE (not found in SAE)

3. He be steady running (Standard: He is usually running in an intensive, sustained manner) - INTENSIFIED CONTINUATIVE MARKER

4. He been/bin runnin (Standard: He has been running) - UNSTRESSED BEEN/BIN FOR PRESENT PERFECTS

5. He BEEN/BIN runnin (Standard: He has been running for a long time, and still is) - STRESSED BEEN/BIN TO MARK REMOTE PHASE

Front 8

Aspect Markers (show HOW something happened)

Back 8

1. Use of DONE to emphasize completed nature of an action

Ex. I done had enough (SE: I have had enough). They done tore the school up (SE: They have already torn the school up)

2. Use of BE DONE for resultatives or the future/conditional perfect (i.e., would have, will have, usually have)

Ex. The kids be done ate by the time I get there (SE: The kids have usually eaten). She be done had her baby (SE: She will have had her baby).

3. Use of FINNA to mark immediate future

Ex. He finna go (SE: He's about to go)

4. Use of COME to express indignation about an action/event

Ex. He come walking in here like he owned the place.

Front 9

Other grammar rules: Absence of plural -s

Back 9

Rule 21b: Absence of plural -s

Ex. two boy (SE: two boys)

Front 10

Other grammar rules: Use of dem

Back 10

Rule 21c: mark associative plurals after the name of a person

Ex. Felicia an' dem (SE: Felicia and her friends)

Front 11

Other grammar rules: Generalization of is and was to use with singular and plural subjects

Back 11

Ex. They is some crazy folk (SE: They are crazy folk).

Front 12

Other grammar rules: Absence of 3rd person singular present tense -s

Back 12

Ex. It seem (SE: It seems)

He walk (SE: He walks)

He don't sing (SE: He doesn't sing)

Front 13

Other grammar rules: Absence of possessive -s

Back 13

Ex. John house (SE: John's house)

Front 14

Other grammar rules: Negative inversion

Back 14

Usually at beginning of sentence

Ex. Can't nobody say nothin (SE: Nobody can say anything.)

Front 15

Other grammar rules: Multiple negation

Back 15

In the sentence

Ex. He don' do nothin' (SE: He doesn't do anything)

Front 16

Other grammar rules: Use of existential is instead of there

Back 16

Ex. I's a lot of girls. (SE: There are a lot of girls.)

Front 17

What are the auxiliaries lol

Back 17

be

is

am

are

was

were

do

have

Front 18

Detroit example: fine stratification vs. sharp stratification

Class matters!

Back 18

Fine stratification: no clear cut divisions between social groups

Ex. consonant cluster reduction by social class

Sharp stratification: clear cut divisions between social groups

Ex. voiceless th --> f, t, or 0 by social class (Lower working class 70% incidence, upper middle class 11% incidence)

Class matters: In Detroit, Wolfram (1969) showed upper middle class blacks had less CC reduction and t pronunciation than lower working class blacks

Front 19

Phonological rules: Word-final consonant cluster reduction

Back 19

Consonant clusters are sequences of 2 or more consonants. Reduction occurs at the end of a word. ESPECIALLY those ending in "t" or "d".

Ex. han' (SE: hand)

Ex. res' (SE: rest)

Ex. pass' (SE: passed. The -ed suffix in passed in pronounced as [t])

Front 20

Phonological rules: realization of final "ng" as "n" in gerunds

Back 20

Ex. walkin' (SE: walking)

Front 21

Phonological rules: realization of voiceless "th" (theta) as "t" or "f"

Back 21

Ex. toof (SE: tooth)

Ex. tin (SE: thin)

Ex. baf (SE: bath)

Front 22

Phonological rules: realization of voiced "th" as "d" or "v"

Back 22

Ex. den (SE: then)

Ex. bruvver (SE: brother)

Ex. dis (SE: this)

Front 23

Phonological rules: vocalization/absence of "l" after a vowel

Back 23

Ex. he'p (SE: help)

Ex. yo'se'f (SE: yourself)

Front 24

Phonological rules: vocalization/absence of "r" after a vowel

When does this rule apply more often?

Back 24

Ex. so' (SE: sore)

Ex. sistuh (SE: sister)

Ex. fouh (SE: four)

This rule applies more often when the r comes at the end of the word and is followed by a word beginning with a consonant (Ex. four posts). But it can happen within the same word (Ex. so')

Front 25

Phonological rules: deletion initial "d" and "g" in certain tense-aspect auxiliaries

Back 25

Ex. ah 'on know (SE: I don't know)

Front 26

Phonological rules: Metathesis of adjacent consonants

Back 26

Ex. aks (SE: ask)

Front 27

Phonological rules: monopthongal pronunciations of ay and oy

Back 27

Ex. ah (SE: I)

Ex. boah (SE: boy)

Front 28

Phonological rules: neutralization/merger of [i] and [e]

Back 28

Ex. pin (SE: pen)

Front 29

Phonological rules: realization of "ing" as "ang"/"ink"/"ank"

Back 29

Ex. thang (SE: thing)

Ex. drank (SE: drink)

Front 30

Phonological rules: stress on first rather than second syllable

Back 30

Ex. PO-lice (SE: police)

Front 31

Phonological rules: more varied intonation, with higher pitch range and more rising and level final contours

Back 31

"Hey girl, what's upppppppp"

Front 32

Phonological rules: pluralization

Back 32

Ex. posiz (SE: posts)

Ex. desiz (SE: desks)

Underlying rep: post + z

CC reduction between two consonants: posz

Insertion of /i/ when it follows sibilant consonants: posiz

Surface rep: posiz

Front 33

Nommo (the magic power of word)

Back 33

During slavery and now, Black people place a high value on the spoken word such that there is a persistence of an African-based oral tradition.

Front 34

Signifyin

Back 34

Mode of discourse that is humorous and is done to a) make a point, or b) just for fun

Characterized by indirection, circumlocution, metaphors, irony, rhythmic, punning

Can be a witty one-liner, series of loosely related statements

Front 35

The dozens

Back 35

Competitive oral test of linguistic ingenuity and verbal fluency

Objective: to better your opponent with more caustic, humorous insults

Front 36

Sacred style

Back 36

Spontaneous preach-congregation calls and responses

Hollers and shouts

Intensely emotional singing

Spirit possession

Testimonials to the power of the Holy Spirit

Front 37

Tonal semantics

Back 37

Words and phrases carefully chosen for sound effects

Talk singing

Repetition and alliterative word play

Intonational contouring

Rhyme

Front 38

List the rhetorical features

Back 38

Exaggerated language

Mimicry

Proverbial statements

Punning

Spontaneity

Image-making

Braggadocio

Indirection: listener must decipher total meaning

Tonal semantics

Call and response