Is "Black English" important in England?
Black people in the UK have not evolved a British equivalent to African-American Vernacular English or Ebonics because they arrived in the UK far more recently than black Americans did and were never forcibly segregated. The largest single contingent came from the West Indies in the years after the Second World War. If they speak with an accent or unusual vocabulary, it will be that of the West Indies. There are enough of them in London that they make up a significant minority, but a lot fewer elsewhere in the country.The UK also has a good many immigrants from other former colonies such as Nigeria. Obviously their language is entirely different from those of the West Indians.
Is african american vernacular language or ebonics allowed as a valid English dialect in this site?
It has to be understandable by most viewers and it cannot be profane. If it meets those standards, it's good.
Why can't most black people just use proper English instead of slang words?
As others have pointed out, “proper English” is very much in the eye (or possibly the ear) of the beholder. It’s at least “normal” in some parts of the USA to say “real quick” or “two hundred eighty seven”, but neither of those would sound “proper” to someone used to BBC English.Therefore, I think we can dispense with the idea of “just us[ing] proper English”, and replace it with the idea of “not using slang”, so let’s look into this one further.Slang is something which any group - however defined - will use. If I say to a friend that I went to a “mad gig” the other night, my friend will understand that it was a concert with a fantastic atmosphere. If the band “went off”, they’ll understand that they performed well. Mention of a “mosh pit” will give them a sense of the kind of music I was listening to. The same is true of the various students I hear talking to each other on my way to uni (a slang word there, too), who talk about their “feels” or that they “can’t even”. I assume that they’ll be able to write in recognisable English when writing any assignments, not least of which because I may have to mark them and I’d really rather not have to rely on a dictionary or a younger relative as translator.I’m almost positive that you would use slang, too, with friends or family. You may not necessarily realise that you’re doing so - particularly if the words you use are things like “cool”, “awesome” and the like, which have been around for so long in their slang meanings that you can find them in a dictionary - but I can’t imagine there would be many people except in the highest reaches of the British upper class who would sit around speaking perfect RP English all day.So why use slang at all? One reason is that it can mark an “in-group” and an “out-group”. It’s entirely possible that the black people you’ve interacted with didn’t actually want to include you in their conversations with each other, and slang can be a very effective way of doing that.Another reason is that it’s faster. We all take shortcuts when we’re doing something we’ve done a million times over, and speaking is no exception to that rule. Hence slang.So in essence we’re now left with the question of why a given collection of black people prefer to use what you consider to be non-standard words and phrases, rather than those you would yourself choose. To which I’d respond that there’s no reason they shouldn’t.
What are some slang terms used among police officers?
The most derogatory terms for the bad guys and citizens who are just pains in the rectum:A.H. = Adam Henry (A-dam H-enry) If you don’t get it…..sometimes you will hear it as “Jack Hole”…..now what starts with an “A” that ends with HOLE ?RICHARD CRANIUM= What starts with a “D” and is a nickname for Richard ? What is the non-medical layman’s term for the Cranium ? Do these clues HEAD you in the right direction ?
Isn't the way how rednecks speak called ebonics?
From all the history that I've read blacks learned their language and words from whites especially in the South. The whites who don't live in the south don't associate with the whites in the south because they think their better and have told me such. In fact all so called "bad behavior" that whites accuse blacks of is simply what they learned from whites. Like Tupac said " from the very ones who taught us how to curse".
Why do people think there is such thing as "proper English grammar?"?
I know there isn't, but people seem to get their panties in a bundle about using "proper grammar." I am well aware that languages like Spanish and French have proper grammar because they have academies dictating what proper grammar entails. English doesn't have that. That being said, why do you think people make such a big deal about English grammar?
I'm white and English is my second language and I can't understand black people, is this normal? How can I learn to understand them?
I will let you in on a secret. Most Black people speak English that non-Black people can understand. However, there are many different ways of speaking English that some Black people use to express themselves. I refuse to call it African American Vernacular English (African American Vernacular English - Wikipedia) because it isn’t just one way of speaking. There are many dialects that Black Americans use within the USA. I group it all under the umbrella called Black English.This language changes depending on where you are in the USA. The same goes if you meet Black people from the United Kingdom (BRITISH BLACK ENGLISH). Or if you meet Black people from all over the Caribbean (Caribbean English - Wikipedia). I also discovered the same thing when I visited the country of Ghana located in West Africa.I do not know where you are in the world. But the Black style of speaking English is mostly a spoken language. In the USA, it is not only 1 way of speaking. Depending on where you are in the USA, it changes and different words are used. I live in the Southern part of the USA in Atlanta. I am originally from Chicago. I have difficulty keeping up with the style of Black English used in Atlanta. I speak using standard English, but it is important for me to know Black English to have a connection to people and know what they are saying.The best way to understand is to be around people that speak that style of English. I know plenty of European people that learned to speak Black English this way. I also suggest listening to hip hop music. In addition, I use Urban Dictionary dot com to look up words.
Why do American blacks have similar accents no matter what part of the US they are from unlike Caucasians from different areas?
Because slavery was concentrated in one area of the US.Black Americans have only been able to spread out across the US for about 140 years after centuries of living in a relatively small region, there has not been enough time for dialects to seriously diverge.White Americans didn’t spread out from a central point, and their dialects didn’t diverge from each other recently. Some regions were settled by different groups of English-speakers who brought different dialect influences from their communities in Britain, and many, MANY others were non-english speakers who influenced the local English with the languages they brought with them.Also, just a pet peeve, but Caucasians are people from the Caucasus, between the Black and Caspian Sea. They (mostly) don’t speak Indo-European languages, and are not closely related to other eastern or western Europeans.
Needs to Get Rid of Ebonics!?
I am trying to locate some sort of speech coach/grammar tutor to help a friend correct her speech patterns. She uses an "urban" dialect and has issues with even the most basic subject-verb agreement. This is a grown woman, not a child. She also needs assistance in basic communication skills, especially how to effectively communicate without yelling or speaking in a nasty tone. This is a serious matter. Thanks in advance for any good answers.