Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for Why We Do What We Do
Why We Do What We Do · June 17 · 48 min

AAVE pt. 1

AAVE is a dialect of English that is often derided by racists. However, linguists have shown that this is a fully realized dialect like any dialect of any language. We explain the history and current understanding of African American Vernacular English and some court cases that sparked controversy around it. This is only a part one as we will get into the mechanics of the dialect in the next episode. Recommendations (Part 1) Abraham: Hailey Williams “Ego Death at Bachelorette Party” (https://music.apple.com/us/album/ego-death-at-a-bachelorette-party/1850011909) Shane: David Sedaris “Holidays on Ice” (https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/david-sedaris/holidays-on-ice/9780316073639/?lens=little-brown) Holidays (6/17/2026): Bunker Hill Day Eat All Your Veggies Day Global Garbage Man Day LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day National Apple Strudel Day Stewarts Root Beer Day World Croc Day World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought Animal Rights Awareness Week Islamic New Year Learning Disabilities Week National Clay Week National Flag Week National Hermit Week National Water Safety Week Links and References: https://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/AAVE/hooked/ https://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/AAVE/timeline/ https://www.hawaii.edu/satocenter/langnet/definitions/aave.html https://commonwealthtimes.org/2021/02/18/aave-is-not-your-internet-slang-it-is-black-culture/ https://certifiedlanguages.com/blog/african-american-vernacular-english-is-a-legitimate-dialect/ https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00957984970233002 https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/61882/chapter-abstract/547712638?redirectedFrom=fulltext#547712638 https://www.garfieldmessenger.org/6418/articles/news/a-brief-history-of-aave/ https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/28056/chapter-abstract/212002865?redirectedFrom=fulltext https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/wls_fac/70/ https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/african-american-language-facts https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/language/article/abs/language-and-linguistics-on-trial-hearing-rachel-jeantel-and-other-vernacular-speakers-in-the-courtroom-and-beyond/7DCD0B43230E3D17A2C4B43936341A48 https://globalvoices.org/2019/06/25/language-is-also-a-form-of-resistance/ Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support. Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

0:00-48:48
Play in
Transcript file

transcript

No transcript — this publisher did not publish one.

show notes

AAVE is a dialect of English that is often derided by racists. However, linguists have shown that this is a fully realized dialect like any dialect of any language. We explain the history and current understanding of African American Vernacular English and some court cases that sparked controversy around it. This is only a part one as we will get into the mechanics of the dialect in the next episode. 

Recommendations (Part 1)
  • Abraham: Hailey Williams “Ego Death at Bachelorette Party” (https://music.apple.com/us/album/ego-death-at-a-bachelorette-party/1850011909)
  • Shane: David Sedaris “Holidays on Ice” (https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/david-sedaris/holidays-on-ice/9780316073639/?lens=little-brown)

Holidays (6/17/2026):
  • Bunker Hill Day
  • Eat All Your Veggies Day
  • Global Garbage Man Day
  • LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day
  • National Apple Strudel Day
  • Stewarts Root Beer Day
  • World Croc Day
  • World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
  • Animal Rights Awareness Week
  • Islamic New Year
  • Learning Disabilities Week
  • National Clay Week
  • National Flag Week
  • National Hermit Week
  • National Water Safety Week

Links and References: 
  1. https://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/AAVE/hooked/
  2. https://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/AAVE/timeline/
  3. https://www.hawaii.edu/satocenter/langnet/definitions/aave.html
  4. https://commonwealthtimes.org/2021/02/18/aave-is-not-your-internet-slang-it-is-black-culture/
  5. https://certifiedlanguages.com/blog/african-american-vernacular-english-is-a-legitimate-dialect/
  6. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00957984970233002
  7. https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/61882/chapter-abstract/547712638?redirectedFrom=fulltext#547712638
  8. https://www.garfieldmessenger.org/6418/articles/news/a-brief-history-of-aave/
  9. https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/28056/chapter-abstract/212002865?redirectedFrom=fulltext
  10. https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/wls_fac/70/
  11. https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/african-american-language-facts
  12. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/language/article/abs/language-and-linguistics-on-trial-hearing-rachel-jeantel-and-other-vernacular-speakers-in-the-courtroom-and-beyond/7DCD0B43230E3D17A2C4B43936341A48
  13. https://globalvoices.org/2019/06/25/language-is-also-a-form-of-resistance/




Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast
links14

more episodes

All episodes