Copula Absence
Kamala Harris criticized for style-shifting to voters
Play videoThis is a Fox "News" segment in which Kamala Harris is criticized/mocked for style-shifting in a speech at a political rally. The host argues that Harris switches rapidly from "a San Francisco elite to a Southern belle." It's not clear that the shift Harris performs is really into what some people call "Southern English," but the hosts use this claim to argue that Harris is artificially pandering to voters. Arguably, the r vocalization "four" and absence of copula could also be features of AAL, which the hosts are ignoring, deliberately or not, to characterize Harris as deceitful/unauthentic. Whose speech is most stringently policed? Why? See this book for an examination of President Barack Obama's language use and the public's response: Alim, H Samy and Smitherman, Geneva. 2012. Articulate While Black. See this paper for an analysis of (ing) and released /t/ in the campaign speeches of Obama, Romney, and McCain. D’Onofrio, A., & Stecker, A. (2022). The social meaning of stylistic variability: Sociophonetic (in)variance in United States presidential candidates’ campaign rallies. Language in Society, 51(1), 1–28
Palabra Mi Amor - A French song that’s mostly English and Spanish!
Play videoThe French band Shaka Ponk is known for their multilingual lyrics, as they code switch in Spanish, French, English, and Esperanto. This song is semi-exceptional as they use more French than in their other songs. (For a song with Esperanto, listen to Eh La Mala Lama Laico). They use a non standard variety of English while singing (copula deletion), and you can also see adoption of English loanwords into their French vernacular.
Cardi B's Casual Speech and Realness
Play videoIn regular speech, Cardi B uses Chicano English and AAE features; she says when she speaks, she doesn't care about her accent, unlike when she sings.
Cardi B's authentic accent
Play videoAudiences applaud Cardi B for embracing Chicano English in her rap music. She also uses AAE features in a way that is typical for rap music.
Ghostbuster 2016-Subway Scene
Play videoThis is a clip from the movie Ghostbusters, with actresses Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy, Kristin Wiig, and Kate McKinnon. Leslie Jones, an AAE speaker, uses the monophthong version of /ai/ in this clip.
He is Mi and I am Yu
Play videoThis is a clip from the movie Rush Hour 3 where Agent Carter is confused because of translations between Chinese and English. This clip touches issues on multilinguistic practices, translation, communication barriers, and so on. Because of the differences Agent Carter was getting frustrated making the situation worse.
The Language of Maya Angelou
Sociolinguist Anne H. Charity Hudley discusses the linguistic legacy of Dr. Maya Angelou. Although Angelou spoke out against the legitimacy of African American English during the Ebonics Controversy in the late 1990s, Charity Hudley points out her use of many features of AAE, from morphosyntax to discourse. [Published on 05-29-2014]
Copula deletion by environment
(Enlarge image)