Saturday, February 4, 2012

Discovering the Work of Labov


(Continued from Thursday . . . )
In late August 1969, my dad drove me up to the University of Minnesota. Its sprawling campus straddles the east and west banks of the Mississippi. A vehicular and pedestrian bridge connects the two campuses. 
            For two years, I lived on the third floor of an old house located a few blocks from the East Bank Campus. It was there I took my first class in linguistics and learned about William Labov.
            By 1969, this now-famous linguist had already published several monographs on the  “Black English” spoken by the African American community in Washington, D.C. He had found there the same syntax and usage I had observed in Ohio.
            Explaining the intricacies of what is now called “African American Vernacular English” would take up too much space for this posting, but I’ve copied a few of the Wikipedia examples and pasted them here:

                        Phases/Tenses of AAVE
Phase
Example
Past
Pre-recent
I been flown it
Recent
I done fly it
Pre-present
I did fly it
Past Inceptive
I do fly it
Present
I be flying it
Future
Immediate
I'm a-fly it
Post-immediate
I'm a-gonna fly it


Indefinite future
I gonna fly it

He been done work means "he finished work a long time ago."
He done been work means "until recently, he worked over a long period of time."
I been bought her clothes means "I bought her clothes a long time ago."
I been buyin' her clothes means "I've been buying her clothes for a long time."

Some of you may be interested in dialects and the history of the study of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). If so, you will find a wealth of information in the following:



T
      The third link reflects the comment Susan, a teacher, made on Thursday’s posting. She wrote that “one black student I had was a fluent writer, and the syntax was very much as you described. I wrestled with the question: should I cover her writing with corrections? should I let her write in her own fluent way? No easy answer.” I needed to address that same question when I returned to Ohio. Another reader, “Broad” from Great Britain, wrote the following comment on Thursday:

One of my dearest friends is a professor of English language. He has travelled all over the world assessing PhD’s in his field and has written many books. He does not believe that there is a correct way of speaking English and is fascinated by the development of language in different cultures and believes fervently that they are all important and relevant to understanding better the English speaking world. The trouble is that there is too much snobbery in the world of English speakers—speaking the “kings English” has become yet another way of separating and segregating each other when it could be a way of reaching better understanding.

Up to the time of William Labov’s pioneering work, sociologists were using the words I used in my Thursday posting: nonstandard and substandard English to speak of AAVE. To see how far we’ve come—at least in our dictionaries—look below at the entry from my computer dictionary. It provided this information for dialect.
I’ll sign off today. That’s more than enough for you to read! On Tuesday I’ll share additional happenings at the University of Minnesota that reinforced my quiet activism.
                                                    (Continued on Tuesday . . . )

THE RIGHT WORD
1.     When a New York City cab driver calls out the window, “Hey, wassa madda wichoo?” he is using the vernacular, which is the authentic, natural pattern of speech among those belonging to a certain community.
2.     In some areas of London, on the other hand, one might hear the Cockney dialect, which is a form or variety of a language that is confined to a specific group or locality; it has its own pronunciation, usage, and vocabulary, and may persist for generations or even centuries (: he spoke in the dialect of the Appalachian backwoodsman).
3.     A teenager who tells his parents to “Chill out” is using slang, which is a very informal language that includes “substitute” vocabulary (“wheels” for car, “rug” for toupee), grammatical distortions, and other departures from formal or polite usage.
4.     Argot refers to the slang of a group that feels threatened by the hostility of society as a whole; it traditionally refers to the slang used by criminals and thieves, although it may refer to any peculiar language that a clique or other closely knit group uses to communicate with each other.
5.     At one time cant was a synonym for argot, but now it usually refers to pompous, inflated language or the hackneyed use of words and phrases by members of a particular class or profession (: the cant of the fashion industry).
6.     In contrast to cant, which can at least be understood, jargon is nearly impossible for the average person to decipher. This term refers to the technical or highly specialized language used by members of an occupational or professional group (medical jargon; the jargon of the theater).
7.     If you are frustrated because you can't understand the language used by a particular class or group, you're apt to refer to their way of talking as lingo, which is a term for any language that is not readily understood (: she tried to reason with the cab driver, but she couldn't understand his lingo).

Both photographs are from Wikipedia.


49 comments:

  1. Wow, Dee! Studying the intricacies of AAVE is a degree subject in itself. I shall come back to the Wikipedia article you cite in more detail later.

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  2. I loved your term, "quiet activism," and wish that thought had come through my angry mind all those years ago when I was a part of integrating the staff at the University of California San Diego campus, via the Public Employment Program. Your way is certainly more effective in the long run. Alas, you live and learn though.
    I love the Jamaican way of speaking English the best.

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    1. Dear Inger,
      Yes, a quiet, rather peaceful, activism. In a post next week, I'll relate how that played out once I got to the University of Minnesota.

      I've never heard Jamaicans speak--or at least I can't remember doing so. There's so much to learn and discover and I feel this tug at my heart as I get ready to celebrate my 76th birthday soon. Life is so fleeting as we age.

      Thank you for giving us a brief glimpse into your life at the University of California. I'd love to read a posting by you on this. Or even two or three!!!

      Peace.

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  3. Dear Perpetua,
    Yes! Much to learn. I took only a couple of classes in linguistics and concentrated on the American Studies Program into which I tired to fit the experiences I'd had. I do hope you will have time to return to the Wikipedia articles. They are worthwhile, but all bloggers struggle with time and living a life!

    Peace.

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  4. I cannot now remember the name of the book or its author -- however, I have always remembered something he wrote about communication and in particular the 'communicator': The communicator is not the person speaking, but the person who is listening... That sentence made an incredible impression on me and I try to remember it when tempted to pick apart someone's use of words, when I often know perfectly well what he or she is really trying to say. I can't help but think that if we would pay as much attention to how we listen as to what people say that maybe we would all get along a lot better...

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    1. Dear Broad,
      You have certainly hit the nail square on its head! If only all of us would listen without judgment and criticism and self-righteousness what a wonderful world this would be. Genius on your part!

      Peace.

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    2. Amen, and amen again. I struggle with this often. That feeling of anger or frustration before a person even finishes speaking. I do work at trying to really listen, but, it is sometimes a struggle. The idea of the listener being the communicator is so interesting and gives me much to ponder and to remember as I am listening.

      Delete
    3. "I can't help but think that if we would pay as much attention to how we listen as to what people say that maybe we would all get along a lot better..."

      Oh my yes. Something I am constantly working on (and too often fall short, alas).

      Delete
  5. I never realized there were so many ways to speak the English language!

    My son-in-law, who is now fluent in 4 languages, was just beginning to learn English when he came to ths US. He took an ESL course & got a job in a stockroom. One day he told me that he couldn't understand what an African American coworker was asking him. He said that before lunch he would ask, "Jeet yet?" & after, "Wajeet?". He couldn't find those words in his dictionary. I told him that he was being asked, "Did you eat yet?" & "What did you eat?". I'm not sure I could have translated if he hadn't told me when the questions were being asked.

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    1. Dear Fishducky,
      It is an enormous realization, isn't it! I have an auditory disability and all my life I've had trouble hearing certain sounds. So I say a lot of words incorrectly because I memorized how to say them when I first heard them and I missed some of the sounds!!!! So my speech often sounds somewhat amiss.

      Throughout my life, because I have trouble with the letters "r" and "l," people have asked me if I grew up in Boston. Or they've tried to correct my pronunciation. Unfortunately, once I've learned a word, it's rutted in my brain and I can't seem to pick up a new pronunciation. So strangers have thought and sometimes expressed, "She talks strangely!"

      Peace.

      Delete
  6. I'm so far behind on reading blogs due to my head injury, I don't know where to start. This is a wonderful post. Perhaps, I'll eventually catch up by reading backwards, but I doubt it. I hate that I missed all your wonderful post.

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    1. Dear Sally,
      Don't worry about it! Since mid-January I've been posting about how I've quietly tried to work for social justice ever since my mother taught me respect for all people. If you have any time to read any of those past postings, the one I'd most like you to read is the one about her. It's called "My First Lesson in Respect." I posted it in January 2012.

      I do so hope that you are feeling better.

      Peace.

      Delete
  7. I do believe some people find(or they think they find)safety behind the confines of a closed mind. ~Mary

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    1. Dear Mary,
      You have such an ability to say a great deal with few words. I struggle on each post trying to ruthlessly delete words and thoughts and sentences so as to keep the posting relatively short and readable. You seem to do this great craft and dexterity.

      Peace.

      Delete
  8. What an interesting post you've published today, Dee. I found it fascinating and was rather intrigued to read the viewpoint of the English professor. I do recall one of our professors of English stating that "English is ever an evolving language". At the time, he and his wife (both linguistics professors, were actively engaged in compiling an updated dictionary of South African English. That, well over 35 years ago now. I have enjoyed the comments left by your delightful followers, as well as your replies. Thank you for nudging my brain into gear this evening. It has become a bit of an idle slug these past couple of weeks. I trust you are keeping happy and well and enjoying a pleasantly relaxing weekend.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Desiree,
      I'm glad you've been "an idle slug" for the past couple of weeks. When I lost Dulcy, I simply spent days staring into space. The lost of Bonny has to be the same for you. Please be gracious to yourself as you grieve.

      Peace.

      Delete
  9. When I was a kid and we traveled quite a bit it was fascinating to me how slow they spoke down south and how fast out on the east coast. It was all English, but so different with so many colloquialisms. I had an easier time understanding strangers than my folks did. After spending time down south for a few weeks I would come back to Minnesota with a slight southern accent every time--LOL! I found the differences fascinating and always believed English was much more malleable and alive than people wished it to be. ;) I figure if the people you want to understand you do understand you then you are communicating. But if you want to be understood by a wide variety of people and to understand a wide variety of people you have to be willing to learn the rules of the language they use. There is medical jargon, lawyer-speak, political vagaries, literary conversation, commerce talk, street talk...you name it. We must be malleable, too.

    I am loving this conversation, Dee! Fascinating!! :)

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    1. Dear Rita,
      I so enjoyed learning about your ability to pick up dialects when you were young.
      And your words about English being "more malleable and alive than people wished it to be" strike me as being extremely wise.

      I'm thinking that when I'm listening to others communicate their thoughts, I become a communicator by the look on my face, the emotion in my eyes, the patience with which I keep my own mouth closed!

      Thanks for "loving this conversation."

      Peace.

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  10. This is all so interesting, Dee. I'll be back to read parts of your post again as it is a lot for me to absorb at the moment. I'm fascinated by the AAVE chart and the intricacies of speech. Just because you don't understand someone's speech doesn't mean it isn't intelligent language. Must run . . .

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    Replies
    1. Dear Penny,
      I hope you are running to something that fills you with glee and energy!

      Peace.

      Delete
  11. A few years ago I read the novel "Push" by Sapphire, which is written in vernacular, and then I read "The Help," which is also written in similar language. Both of them were at first hard to get into, because of the difficulty I had with the language, but neither of them would have been as powerful without having been written that way. Although I would not recommend the first book to everyone because the subject matter was brutal, they were both incredible books I'm glad to have read.

    How wonderful to realize that we have come far enough in our education to be able to incorporate English as a living, breathing language. I have truly enjoyed this conversation. Thank you, Dee.

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    1. Dear DJan,
      I so like your words "English as a living, breathing language." Yes.

      I, too, am enjoying this conversation.

      On Tuesday, I'm moving away from language and on to more incidents that helped me embrace the necessity for social justice. I hope those posts will start a conversation also.

      Peace.

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  12. I have been spellbound by your wonderfully penned blogs , again another good write. Thank you.

    Yvonne.

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    1. Dear Yvonne,
      Thank you for your kind words. They mean a lot to me because as a poet you so value words.

      Peace.

      Delete
  13. Dear Dee,
    Thanks for such a great post! While America is described as a melting pot, I told my students that the English language is like putting a bunch of languages in a blender, and pushing 'blend'. That made sense to them.
    Your post today hit on so many issues in education. You could write a thesis on each one!

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    1. Dear Susan,
      Having read your blog for several months and your comments here and elsewhere, I think you must be a fine teacher. Thoughtful, respectful, aware.

      As to writing a thesis. Long ago and far away I wrote three Plan B papers for my Master's. I don't think I could ever manage a thesis!

      Peace.

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  14. Thank you. I so look forward to your posts.

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    1. Dear EC,
      As I look forward to yours. I am always gladden when you stop by to visit and leave a comment. Thank you.

      Peace.

      Delete
  15. Wonderful subject.

    It's fascinating to learn where and how languages evolve, but it wreaks havoc on the business place to have someone who can't compose an understandable e-mail. I work for a large, global corporation; and a structurally understandable sentence is key to communication with our offices in other countries. People who cannot do this do not last long.

    Great topic.

    Pearl

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    Replies
    1. Dear Pearl,
      Welcome and thank you for stopping by. I went to your blog and saw that you are from Minneapolis. I lived there for two years while attending the University of Minnesota. Later, I returned to Minnesota and lived for thirty-six years in Stillwater. After three years being away, I miss it still.

      It's so true that "a structurally understandable sentence is key to communication." When I returned to Ohio and taught at a drop out center I stressed that with the students. Like you, I knew they wouldn't "last long" if they didn't learn to speak and compose fluently what might be a second language for them. The key was that they spoke a perfectly acceptable first language. But they needed a second one.

      Peace.

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  16. I love that you wrote your cat's story. I am writing up mine and have had several essays published in cat books and web-zines and in magazines...they are an endless delight to me and keep me happy and engaged even during the worst of times...

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    1. Hello!
      I need to come to your web site and learn aobut your writing. Like you, I find cats an "endless delight." They have seen me through many hard times.

      Peace.

      Delete
  17. I live in the multicultural capitol of the United States...I think we hold some kind of record for languages spoken in the Los Angeles School District. And the rhetoric and debate, and sometimes hostility that comes into coffee klatch and cocktail party talk about "non-standard English" is really polarizing. Sad, and troubling. I have been so impressed that you have gone to so much effort to understand the roots of the issues, and your posts are doing a service, Dee. We all need to be better listeners, and let go of labels in the process. Debra

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    Replies
    1. Dear Debra,
      Thank you for your kind words. Sometimes I wonder if my on-line memoir is maybe a little too serious. That is, I read so many wonderfully funny blogs that make me laugh out loud. Then I read blogs like yours that teach me a great deal. They introduce me to a world beyond my tiny space here.

      All this is to say that your encouragement to share my experiences means a lot to me. Thank you.

      Peace.

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  18. Myself having had to study English as a second language I do get what you are saying. There has been great deal done in the way kids talk and learn their native tongue. And it's documented that how one speaks is judged. Bernard Shaw gave us a marvellous play abut that topic.

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    1. Hello Again,
      Yes, Pygmalion is a delightful play as is the movie "My Fair Lady." We certainly do see Eliza Doolittle being judged for the way she speaks!

      Back in 1989, I brought home a small kitten from the animal shelter. The way she yowled helped me realize that her name was "Eliza Doolittle"! Her meow was indeed distinct. She complained a lot with that meow.

      We lived together for twenty and a half years. I miss her still. I like to be surrounded by many dialects--a world of wonder. And among these dialects I count the meows of the cats.

      Peace.

      Delete
    2. That cat, is it not the Dulce I've come to read about?
      I too like many dialects. In fact I am surrounded by so many each time I'm amongst people.

      Delete
  19. Very interesting post. I remember when Black Vernacular English was called Ebonics for a while. I don't know what happened to that term, or why it was used. Is there such a thing as standard English now? We need a standard in order to understand most writing, but students tend to write the way they speak. How can a "standard" be imposed on them? The issue confuses me.

    My dad went to the University of Minnesota, but long before you were there. He graduated in 1941. He played basketball and was on the debate team. After graduation he joined the Army Air Corps and became a flight instructor.

    Love,
    Janie

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  20. Dear Janie,
    Yes, AAVE was called Ebonics for a while. However, there was a backlash against the thinking of AAVE as a dialect of "standard English." To witness this backlash simply go to the following web page: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ebonics

    That page reveals the disdain some people have for the language of others.

    I think that for many of us the whole issue is confusing. The teaching of "standard English" becomes important when you are trying to help the students learn how to speak and write so as to impress a boss.

    Did you ever live in Minnesota?

    Peace.

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    Replies
    1. Dee, I find it fascinating to listen to the different dialects of London. Kinda like "My fair Lady" or Pygmalian (I don't know how to spell it.) NY offers the same ..... another city is New Orleans for dialects.

      Delete
    2. Dear Manzanita,
      I like to read different dialects, but have a heard time hearing them because of an auditory learning disability I have. So when there's an English movie on television and the actors speak Cockney or some other English dialect, I'm lost! I usually have to turn off the television and miss the movie.

      But I do like to listen to the music, the cadence, that's within a dialect. So sitting on a bench in New York or walking through New Orleans would be a concert for me. I'd understand few words, but I'd hear beauty.

      Peace.

      Delete
  21. This is so fascinating and it reminds me of why I love "My Fair Lady" so much ;)

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    1. Dear Elisa,
      The songs from that musical have been with me ever since I first saw the movie. So glad you like it too.

      Peace.

      Delete
  22. Interesting post! Dialects are so fascinating..almost like a mini language within a language!

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    1. Dear Sujana,
      Welcome and thank you for stopping by to read and comment. I've never thought of dialects as mini languages but that surely is one way to view them.

      You've made me think of another analogy. Dialects as beads or jewels in a necklace. The necklace is the whole range of a language--the dialects, whatever they may be are the beads. Does that work for you?

      Peace.

      Delete
  23. Great post! I love reading books written in dialects. Good writers get you right in there, and it's pure poetry. Zora Neale Hurston will always have my heart.

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    1. Dear Michelle,
      I'm so glad you liked this posting. I haven't read Zora Neale Hurston although I've heard a lot about her. Perhaps it's time to dip into her books. I think she wrote in the 1920s. Is that right? The book title "My Eye Is On the Sparrow" comes to mind as I type but that perhaps has nothing to do with Hurston. I'll have to look up her books in the library.

      I haven't done anything about Celery Tree yet, but because of your encouragement, I'm going to do so this week.

      Peace.

      Delete
  24. You've had quite an epic series of posts going here and all quite interesting.

    I can recall as I was going into high school my family moved from the Chicago area to East Tennessee. At first I thought everyone was so countrified--hillbillies if you will--but then as I started getting to know people and develop friendships I realized they were fine intelligent people who spoke differently than I did. As the years went by I found myself speaking in a similar manner--not completely--but if I was in another part of the country people noticed I had a somewhat Southern accent.

    Linguistics and origin of regional usage is fascinating.


    Lee
    Wrote By Rote
    Twitter: @AprilA2Z
    #atozchallenge

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    Replies
    1. Dear Arlee,
      I agree with you that "linguistics and origin of regional usage is fascinating."
      Thank you for sharing your own experience in discovering this.

      Peace.

      Delete