American Varieties

African American English

Walt Wolfram tells us that while debate about language origins and evolution is common, the history of race relations in American society makes the case of African American English, popularly known as Ebonics, somewhat special. The broad path of historical development seems obvious, he explains. Africans speaking a rich assortment of West African languages such as Mandinka, Mende, and Gola-among many others-learned English subsequent to their shackled emigration from Africa to North America. But the process of this shift and the possibility of lingering linguistic effects centuries later from the ancestral languages of West Africa , remains a matter of controversy and intrigue.

Observations about African American speech have never been far removed from the politics of race in American society, so that it is hardly surprising that the status of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) has been-and continues to be-highly contentious and politically sensitive. Learn More

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National Endowment for the Humanities	William and Flora Hewlett Foundation	Ford Foundation	Rosalind P. Walter	Arthur Vining Davis Foundations	Carnegie Corporation of New York