239600 African American Vernacular English: Structure, History, and Use (S) (WiSe 2012/2013)

This class is a comprehensive survey of linguistic research on African American Vernacular English (AAVE), the language of American Blacks and the best investigated non-standard variety of English. Before exploring historical, sociological, political, cultural and educational issues connected with AAVE, we will need to have a detailed look at the linguistic features of this language on all levels of linguistic description. This will help us to understand that AAVE is not a compilation of random deviations from Standard English but that it is a rule-governed language system in its own right. Subsequently, we will learn about the historical development of this language, its role in the educational system of the US and investigate in detail its present use, for instance, in literature, music, and the media.

Literaturangaben

A reader with the required reading assignments for each session will be made available before start of term.
Please make sure to get your personal copy before our first meeting.