Features

A. It is often thought that Black English refers only to slang, such as the colorful language well known from rap music. But this is only the surface. Black English is a distinct dialect of English on all levels.

B. Sounds. For example, what is sometimes referred to as a “black sound” is due to a different sound system from the standard dialect’s. This is often thought of as “leaving off sounds” because of how we spell English words but is often just a matter of using a different sound.

1. For example, Black English has wif instead of with, but if you think about it, th is two letters but one sound. Norman French has carbon while standard has charbon, but there is no h “left out” in Norman.

2. In other cases, Black English’s vowel is more complex than Standard English’s. Bill in Black English is more like “beal.”

C. Grammar. Black English has systematic grammatical differences from Standard English.

1. To be. In places, Black English is simpler: She my sister is good Black English.

2. Habitual “be.” Elsewhere, Black English comes out ahead. To say She be walkin’ to the store does not mean that she is doing it right now but that she does it on a regular basis. Standard English usually leaves this difference to context: to indicate regularity, Standard English uses the bare present—She walks to the store.