The English History of African American English [Paperback]

Much scholarly work assumes that the structure of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) derives from an earlier plantation creole. This volume explores an alternative hypothesis: that the characteristic features were acquired from the varieties of English to which early speakers were exposed.List of Tables.

List of Maps.

List of Figures.

Series Editor's Preface.

Preface.

List of Abbreviations.

List of Contributors.

Introduction.

Part I. Morphophonological Variables:.

1. Rephrasing the Copula: Contraction and Zero in Early African American English: James A. Walker.

2. Reconstructing the Source of Early African American English Plural Marking: A Comparative Study of English and Creole: Shana Poplack, Sali Tagliamonte, and Ejike Eze.

Part II: Morphosyntactic Variables:.

3. Negation and the Creole-Origins Hypothesis: Evidence from Early African American English: Darin M. Howe and James A. Walker.

4. Old as; New Ecology: Viewing English through the Sociolinguistic Filter: Sali Tagliamonte and Jennifer Smith.

Part III. Syntactic Variables:.

5. The Question: Auxiliary Inversion in Early African American English: Gerard Van Herk.

6. It's All Relative: Relativization Strategies in Early African American English: Gunnel Tottie and Dawn Harvie.

Part IV: The Sociohistorical Context:.

7. Some Sociohistorical Inferences about the Development of African American English: Salikoko S. Mufwene.

Glossary.

Index.

These studies of the African American diaspora apply the most refined quantitative techniques to illuminate the history ofl“-