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Black English

American  
[blak ing-glish, -lish] / ˈblæk ˈɪŋ glɪʃ, -lɪʃ /
Or black English

noun

  1. African American Vernacular English.

  2. any of a variety of dialects of English or English-based pidgins and creoles associated with and used by some Black people.


Etymology

Origin of Black English

First recorded in 1730–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

As Black Americans moved north and west during the Great Migration, they took the language with them, and each region created slightly different versions of Black English over time.

From Washington Post Aug. 17, 2022

Born and raised in Bremerton, Holland says that while AAE was the language he knew from his grandparents and from his upbringing in a Black church, he was discouraged from speaking Black English at school.

From Seattle Times Jun. 17, 2022

AAVE, also referred to as Black English Vernacular or Ebonics, is a generalized term for a variety of dialects spoken by Black Americans.

From Textbooks Dec. 21, 2021

Jason Sudeikis showed up to the “Ted Lasso” Season 2 premiere in a shirt with the names of three Black English soccer players who endured racist abuse online.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 16, 2021

A longstanding mystery of Black English may finally be solved.

From Slate Aug. 18, 2020

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