Afro American Vernacular English in Afro American Literature

Abstract

This bachelor paper deals with the representation of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in African American Literature. Information about the origin, structure and speakers of the variety is presented. The paper provides with a list of phonetic and grammatical features of AAVE. The role of language in literature and American society is presented. Brief information about African American Literature is introduced. The representation of AAVE in selected works is analysed. The works analysed in this paper are My Southern Home by William Wells Brown, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin and The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Data provided by the analysis are compared in order to identify the differences and similarities in the use of the variety.