wtf:

Despite my descriptivist training/tendencies, I'm excited for AAVE to influence "Standard" English in each of its major regional forms, as AAVE includes several simplifications that I have long desired. Reducing pointless conjugations (e.g., habitual be), removing other irregularities (e.g., hisself, oxes), and many of the other changes from "proper" English seem to me to have no downsides save angering prescriptivists.

Then again, many non-native speakers struggle with forms such as "finna", and its more common cousin "gonna". Hell, even native speakers struggle to understand all of AAVE. I can typically understand it fine, but my mom would struggle quite a bit with most of the bigger differences.


posted 3115 days ago