Study of verb classes in African American english

Abstract

This article presents a description of two classes of verbs, auxiliaries and aspectual markers, in African American English. The auxiliaries be, do, and have can bear negation, move to the front of the sentence in yes/no questions, and delete in yes/no questions. The aspectual markers be, BIN, done, and be done do not undergo such processes, but they assign aspectual meaning to the sentences in which they occur. The discussion of the verb classes in this article focuses on patterns of the auxiliary system as a whole, and highlights the generalization that speakers of the dialect make when they use this system. The description shows that the language system is rule governed, and it also presents some meaning differences between forms in African American English and Standard American English.