Lucrare de licență - black english în America

BLACK ENGLISH IN AMERICA

Introduction

Chapter 1: The origin of Black English

- definition of the term

- historical background

- evolution/development

Chapter 2: Present – Day Features of Black English

- vocabulary

- pronunciation

- grammar

- differences between Black English and Standard English

Chapter 3: Expressive language use of Black English

- expressive use of Black English in literature and music

Chapter 4: Educational issues connected with the use of Black English

- attitudes towards this variety

- controversies

Conclusions

References

Introduction

As a student majoring in English I am interested in finding out more about the English language, about its varieties and development.

Everywhere one goes in this world, one can meet people who can speak at least a few words in English. It is spoken as a first or native language on at least four continents of the world. English is without question the closest approach to a world language today.

I chose the subject of Black English in America for this paper, because I find it interesting, and I consider that Black English reflects a part of the American civilization.

Black English is a variety of English, spoken in America and it is the subject of many controversies, the problem being that of whether considering it a language, a dialect or simply a slang talk.

This language variety, also known as Ebonics, is nearly as old as Standard American English, but it has often been misinterpreted as defective, it has never been standardized and has always had lower status compared to Standard American English.

The four chapters of this paper are dealing with aspects of Black English regarding its history, its evolution, its features and controversies:

- the first chapter begins with a definition of the term Black English and the controversies which still exist about this term and then with some information about the history of the language and its early forms.

- the second chapter presents the features of this variety compared to those of Standard American English, in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.

- the expressive use of Black English in literature and music is illustrated with significant examples in the third chapter.

- and, finally, the last chapter deals with the controversial attitudes towards this variety.