I was reading a piece by Tchudi & Lafer (1997) and got to the section where they say nonstandard English, particularly *Black English Vernacular (BEV), has its own rules and correctness, and simply thought, amen. Z and I have had this conversation before.
BEV “can, and does, make for effective communication in certain situations, situations in which ‘proper’ English would prove to be highly ineffectual. Ain’t is, at times, preferable to isn’t” (italics in original) (22).
*See almost any of Geneva Smitherman’s books for details
Tchudi, S. & Lafer, S. (November 1997). Interdisciplinary English and the Contributions of English to an Interdisciplinary Curriculum. English Journal,21-29.
BEV “can, and does, make for effective communication in certain situations, situations in which ‘proper’ English would prove to be highly ineffectual. Ain’t is, at times, preferable to isn’t” (italics in original) (22).*See almost any of Geneva Smitherman’s books for details
Tchudi, S. & Lafer, S. (November 1997). Interdisciplinary English and the Contributions of English to an Interdisciplinary Curriculum. English Journal,21-29.
