Is Black English an African language?

A. Some have argued that Black English is less English than an African, or African-derived, language with English words. However, these claims do not stand up to scrutiny.

B. Black English as African language.

1. For example, especially in the context of the Oakland controversy, some proposed that Black English is based on African grammar, just as such creoles as Sranan and Haitian are. This claim is partly based on traits of Black English, such as the ability to use the same verb form with any pronoun: he walk instead of he walks. Many West African languages pattern like Chinese and have no endings.

2. But Black English does not match up with any African grammar the way creoles do. For example, no African-American would say The hunter that been buy one house give his friend.

3. Black English also retains too much of English’s “mess” to qualify as a creole, such as irregular verbs (stood, went) and plurals (men, feet).

C. Black English as a creole continuum.

1. Others have argued that Black English began as a creole, namely Gullah, and that a continuum formed between Gullah and Standard English. Black English would now be in the middle of that continuum, while Gullah itself remains only in the Sea Islands and somewhat inland.

2. But there are many problems with this idea. There is no historical evidence of Gullah spoken anywhere far beyond where it is today. There were blacks who migrated to other countries in the 1800s when they supposedly would have been speaking Gullah, but the descendants of these blacks do not speak anything like Gullah even when English itself is not spoken in the country (such as the Dominican Republic).