this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2024
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For anyone that, like me, was confused what the hell is this language: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_English
Seems to be proper name for the kind of language a stereotypical black character in a movie would use.
Can't say about real world, since I don't live in the USA.
I'd say this is exactly where the LLMs problems with it comes from. For most of us outside of the US and even a lot of people there, it's exactly that - a caricature of a lower class black person. However for many people it's a legit dialect of English they speak every day.
I don't live in America either, but I went on a cruise once and there were many Americans, including a black American couple who were very obviously urban. By which I mean, the wife wore high heels and a tight jeweled mini-skirt on a sea-kayaking excursion...clearly signalling that she hadn't spent much time outside of a city.
Anyway, I was shocked when they spoke exactly like The Jeffersons, with all the exaggerated whooping, non-stop vernacular, and stage-like mannerisms. It was so over-the-top that I honestly thought they were play acting, but after chatting with them for a while I realized that was just how they were. They were very nice people and clearly having a great time.
I was wondering where the V went...
Apparently African American Vernacular English (said AAVE, pronouncing each letter) is just a dialect and there's a couple other that fit under just AAE? I never knew about any of those beside AAVE.
AAVE is the "relaxed" English you're talking about. And with the interconnectedness of the Internet, AAVE is kind of displacing the rest.
But honestly from an etymological standpoint I think it makes sense to view AAVE as the base and then just having other flavors of it. From that link they're trying to break it down I to multiple distinct groups.
If I got this right the main difference between AAE and AAVE is scope: AAVE is strictly the vernacular varieties, used in everyday informal setting, while AAE includes all those AAVE varieties plus African-American Standard English and a few regional varieties.
Not to be confused with African-American Vernacular English.
Aave is what I'd say is more "the kind of language a stereotypical black character in a movie would use".
Well, "not to be confused", but the same page says AAVE is just a dialect of AAE, so mostly not much of a difference, I think.
The difference here is mostly scope: AAE includes stuff like African-American Standard English (English as used by black people in more formal settings) and the written language, while AAVE refers only to the vernaculars.
Note that some don't even make this distinction, but I think that it's important.