Abstract:In the United States, many different ethnic groups and cultures mix up, and this is a significant social phenomenon. People from different ethnic backgrounds are more or less influenced by their ethnicity and characteristics of their national languages when they speak English. The term African American Vernacular English (AAVE) refers to the informal language spoken by a great number of lower-class black people in America. AAVE has distinct and systematic features and has become a unique variety of English. Over the past decades, AAVE has gradually been an important social dialect. The main reason is that African American community has taken up an important place in social class. AAVE is different from Standard American English，but there are lots of rules and regulations. That is to say, we can find certain rules in the variation of phonetics, vocabulary and grammar of AAVE. Language is considered as a carrier of culture and it can reflect the development and change of society. This thesis, based on relevant theories, origins and linguistic features of AAVE, analyzes its influence on American mainstream culture, including language, music and literature.

Keywords: African American Vernacular English; variety of English; cultural influence 

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Literature Review-1

2.1 Ethnic Varieties of English-1

2.2 The Term of AAVE-2

3. Origins of AAVE-2

3.1 The Anglicist Hypothesis-3

3.2 The Creolist Hypothesis-3

3.3 The Neo-Anglicist Hypothesis-3

4. Features of AAVE-4

4.1 Phonological Features-4

4.2 Syntactic Features-5

4.3 Lexical Features-7

5. Cultural Influence of AAVE-8

5.1 The Influence on Standard American English-8

5.2 The Influence on American Music-10

5.3 The Influence on American Literature-11

6. Conclusion-12

Works Cited-14