Let’s Talk about AAVE

“Slay.” “Purr.” “Yass.” “Finna.” “Chile.” 

The list goes on and on. These words serve as examples of African American Vernacular English, more commonly known as AAVE. 

What exactly is AAVE? Let’s talk about it. AAVE is essentially a vocabulary created by African American communities, including, but not limited to, the following: “chile,” “asf,” “woke,” “lit,” “snatched,” “bae,” “shook,” etc. The common misconception surrounding AAVE is that it was created by Gen Z, but that is not the case — we just embody the generation that has taken it as our own. However, the issue comes from a lack of knowledge and awareness. The increasingly frequent usage of AAVE by non-Black people can happen without the realization of its harmfulness.

Appropriation of Black culture does not solely pertain to AAVE, and it’s important to recognize the other avenues through which Black culture has been stolen. The issue of white people adopting certain elements of Black culture is nothing new. The appropriation of Black culture has been so normalized that it is often not seen as cultural appropriation since it’s only obvious to those having their culture stolen. While I’m not here to “whitesplain” the concept of cultural appropriation, it’s important to discuss and bring awareness to it. So, let’s dive into an example of appropriation of Black culture. 

The most prominent and complicated form of appropriation of Black culture comes down to music. We owe almost all popular music forms to the Black community. Jazz, rap, techno, disco, rock ‘n’ roll — you name it. Throughout history, these genres of music have all been subject to whitewashing, which is the act of altering something in a way that caters to white people. A prime example of this is Elvis Presley, who became known as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” despite rock ‘n’ roll music being pioneered by Black musicians. This serves as just one example of the appropriation of Black culture. 

Now let’s talk about AAVE. Everyone wants to throw the word “slay” around, but no one wants to discuss where it comes from. Thanks to platforms like TikTok and Twitter, the usage of AAVE by non-Black people has become increasingly frequent in recent years. Although we have seen many examples of appropriation of Black culture, this specific abuse of language is uniquely harmful because it has been able to spread more quickly and anonymously through social media. Social media guarantees a certain amount of anonymity that users often hide behind, making them more comfortable using language that they might not use in real life.

AAVE has a long and complicated history as a dialect. According to the History News Network, a probable origin of AAVE is the Creole Hypothesis, which theorizes that AAVE was a bridge created between English and other various West African languages. This dialect spread through events such as The Great Migration, the movement of thousands of African Americans to northern cities from the South. This event was crucial for the spread of AAVE and explains why it became so prevalent in Black culture. AAVE is often viewed as “slang” or “broken English,” which is extremely disrespectful and harmful to those who use it. Despite disregard for the validity of AAVE, it functions as a structured dialect that follows a set of rules just like any other form of language and deserves to be recognized for what it is. 

So what’s wrong with using AAVE as a non-Black person? It’s all about the adoption of Black culture. Using these words and phrases ultimately makes it seem like users are trying to portray and identify themselves with the Black community. This becomes harmful because users can adopt this personality online, but can detach themselves from it in real life. White people can use AAVE without suffering from the racism and discrimination that Black people endure on a daily basis. They can remove Blackness when it is not convenient for them anymore, which is unfair to the Black communities that have endured constant pain and suffering.

A prime example of this harmful adoption of AAVE is within celebrity culture. Many celebrities, such as Billie Eilish, have adopted AAVE language, with Eilish eventually being called out by her brother on an Instagram live stream. Her brother questioned her choice of words and way of speaking, claiming she sounded nothing like herself, displaying her use of AAVE combined with a purposeful tone that is also known as a “Blaccent.” While Eilish can adopt this personality online, she can detach herself and return to her true, white form in real life, making it even more disrespectful.

Just because the use of AAVE can be considered subtle, doesn’t mean it is not a form of appropriation. It’s time to cut it out. Throwing words around left and right without any regard or knowledge of their origins amounts to carelessness and disrespect. We are better than that. So, let’s start thinking twice before describing everything as “slay.”