Jim Crow and the Soul. African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in Soul Music During the 1960s and 1970s

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Background to the study
  • Social implications of AAVE
  • Reference studies
    • Phonology
    • Grammatical Variables
• Analysis
  • Remarks on selected artists/songs
  • Motown
    • Phonology
      • Word-final consonant clusters
      • Word-final single consonants
      • Postvocalic /r/
      • Glide weakening/monophthongization of /a1/
      • DRESS/KIT merger
    • Grammatical variables
      • Multiple Negation
      • Suffixal -s absence
      • Zero Copula be
    • Conclusion
  • Stax Records
    • Phonology
      • Word-final consonant clusters
      • Word-final single consonants
      • Postvocalic /r/
      • Glide weakening/monophthongization of /a1/
      • DRESS/KIT merger
    • Grammatical variables
      • Multiple Negation
      • Suffixal -s absence
      • Zero copular be
    • Conclusion
  • Interpretation of the results

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This study examines the use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in soul music during the 1960s and 1970s, focusing on the influence of dialect on the genre’s development and its role in shaping black identity during a period of significant social and cultural change.

• The social implications of AAVE as a marker of black identity
• The influence of regional dialects, particularly Southern AAVE, on soul music
• The impact of language ideology on the commercial success of soul music
• The relationship between AAVE and the development of distinct subgenres of soul music, such as Motown and Stax
• The role of language choice in shaping the artistic and political expression of soul music

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The introduction explores the historical context of soul music, highlighting its origins in African American gospel music and its evolution as a form of social and cultural expression. It also introduces the concept of AAVE as a dialect with deep roots in black culture and its significance as a marker of identity.

Chapter 2 provides a detailed background on AAVE, examining its social implications and reviewing relevant research on its phonological and grammatical features. This chapter lays the groundwork for the analysis by establishing a theoretical framework for understanding the dialect and its impact on soul music.

Chapter 3 delves into the analysis of AAVE features in specific soul music recordings, focusing on the labels Motown and Stax Records. This chapter examines a range of phonological and grammatical features, exploring how they manifest in the speech of popular soul artists.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

African American Vernacular English (AAVE), Soul Music, Black Identity, Language Ideology, Regional Dialects, Motown, Stax Records, Phonology, Grammar, Social Change.