TUTORING WRITING IN TURBULENT TIMES: THE PROMISE OF LINGUISTIC EQUIVALENCE�
Andreas Schramm, Ph.D.�Hamline University�Saint Paul, MN
MWCA Conference 2025, Minneapolis, MN
INTRODUCTION
THE SOCIAL DIMENSION
THE SOCIAL DIMENSION
TEACHING CHALLENGE
THE ARGUMENT
AAVE - called “deficient”, irregular, not rule-governed = social judgments | SAE - this is the standard accepted by most as regular, rule-governed, “superior” = social judgment |
If SAE is regular and AAVE behaves in a parallel fashion, then it is also regular�🡪 yoke the two language varieties together�🡪 work off of SAE as the supposedly “regular” language system | The rules of Standard English have been described thoroughly�🡪 if SAE is regular, then let’s describe AAVE in relationship to it�🡪 if we succeed, then AAVE must be regular, too
|
How do you make the argument that two language varieties are linguistically equivalent & complete, not deficient? (AAVE = African American Vernacular English)
HABITUAL ‘BE’
Where SAE varieties use adverbials such as “always” or “usually” to express habituality, AAVE can employ habitual ‘be’. “When he was young, he be sick.” Think-Pair-Share: Take feature rule and find example for it in shared AAVE text ‘The Logic of Nonstandard English’ Debrief:�AAVE: “and when they be sayin’” (This is the only example) NOT: “he’d be white” – because of the “would” that is contracted to “ ‘d”
| Relationship:�The adverb “always or often or usually” expresses the same meaning as habitual ‘be’ in AAVE. “When he was young, he was often sick.” SAE: “and when they are usually saying”- adverb “usually, normally, often” added
|
COPULA ‘BE’ ABSENCE
Where SAE varieties use forms of “be” such as “are” or “is” to express link, AAVE can delete “be”. “She tired.” Think-Pair-Share: Take feature rule and find example for it in shared AAVE text ‘The Logic of Nonstandard English’ Debrief:�AAVE: “Your spirit __ goin’ t’ heaven”�or “‘n’ if you __ bad”
| Relationship:�All forms of “be” deleted, except in first person singular: “am” is not deleted; “She is tired.” Note: Other languages (Russian) have this, too SAE: “Your spirit IS goin’ to hell“�or “‘n’ if you ARE bad” ‘copula’: links subject with the main verb = ‘linking verb’
|
MULTIPLE NEGATION
Where SAE varieties use only 1 negation per sentence, AAVE can use several:�SAE “doesn’t anybody” or “does nobody”�AAVE “doesn’t nobody”� Think-Pair-Share: Take feature rule and find example for it in shared AAVE text ‘The Logic of Nonstandard English’ Debrief:�AAVE: “you ain’t goin’ to no heaven”�or “it ain’t no heaven/hell”
| Relationship:�Same negations in SAE and AAVE, only used more than once, but in the same places as they are used in SAE (emphasis) Note: Other languages have this, too French: je ne sais pas (‘I don’t know’) Spanish: no se nada Rumanian: nu shtyu nimic SAE: “you aren’t going to heaven”�or “there is no heaven/hell” |
DISCUSSION
CONTACT