grammar question?

Guest   Tue Jul 31, 2007 9:17 am GMT
It is very common for Blacks to use double negatives and "ain't".
Pos   Wed Aug 01, 2007 7:08 am GMT
What does that word mean (Blacks) and who uses it?
Guest   Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:09 am GMT
It means people of African descent.
Bever   Sat Aug 04, 2007 11:22 pm GMT
Would it not be better to clarify the phrase "people of African descent"? From my limited experience, Africans here in the USA don't use double negatives and "ain't" unless, being new to using English, they mimic the AAs who influence their speech.

I acknowledge the possibility that there may be Africans in the USA whose exposure has been restricted to blacks who speak AAVE.
furrykef   Sun Aug 05, 2007 1:55 am GMT
The statement is still true (in the United States), even though it doesn't apply to all black speakers: black people who don't speak AAVE are a minority in the USA compared to those who do. But not all of them speak it all the time. There are plenty of people who speak standard English at work and AAVE at home.

The phrase African descent is misleading for another reason, though: despite the common use of the term "African-American", not all black people in the United States are African. They probably ultimately descend from Africans in one way or another, but then, so do white/Asian/Middle Eastern people. :)

- Kef
M56   Sun Aug 05, 2007 2:34 am GMT
<Would it not be better to clarify the phrase "people of African descent"? >

Egytians? Libyans? Morrocans? white South Africans?

LOL!