The Tutoring Book - California State University, Sacramento

� “be” used to mark habitual actions in the simple present tense.
He be callin me all the time.
� “been” used in past perfect and present perfect progressive
You been sleepin a long time. (past perfect)
He been sleepin. (present perfect progressive)
� “done” as future perfect or intensifier
I be done finish when you get here. (future perfect)
I been done had some. (intensifier)
� Absence of “if” or “whether”
She don’t know ( ) he gonna come come home.
� Double prepositions are often used.
� Apostrophes are often not included.
Perhaps the list above looks like unforgivable errors for any native speaker of English. However, I
urge you to consider further reading if you find yourself having a similar response. Labov (1972) and Smitherman
(1977) have done some extensive and fascinating research to determine why these features exist in AAVE. In a
nut shell, when Africans entered the American population through the slave trade, they brought with them
nonnative languages with different grammar systems. As they acquired English, just like any other second
language learner, certain features of their native languages remained. Researches, including but not limited to
Labov (1972) and Smitherman (1977), have identified many of the features in the list above as grammatical rules
found in languages native to West Africans. Of course, this is a grossly oversimplified explanation, but I would
hope that it prevents anyone from viewing AAVE as an inferior dialect. The following five suggestions are what I
consider key to successfully working with AAVE speaking writers:
� Build a rapport with the tutee. Spend some time getting to know them. Help them view you as an ally, as
someone who is knowledgeable and genuinely concerned about them as an individual. This trust is
absolutely necessary in order to affectively address some of the sensitive issues that will surface. There
will be no need to shy away from open communication if proper rapport is established.
� Bring awareness to the features in their writing which are inherently AAVE by attempting to show the
differences, especially rhetorical features. Many of the grammar features can be addressed more simply in
the beginning as you would with any other writer. However, after building a solid relationship with your
tutee, you just might decide to discuss some of the dialectic implications with some of these as well. The
importance initially is awareness.
� Openly discuss the cultural, social, economical, and educational implications (again building rapport) as
they arise. Do not be afraid to discuss some of the issues we address in this article with your tutee. Just be
wise and sensitive. Remember that your ultimate goal is to help the writer with their writing. While open
communication is essential, we must be careful not to over indulge and take away from the writer’s right
to our time with their writing.
� Address necessary features through practice. Use the internet to find texts that might be valuable in
comparing and contrasting rhetorical features in SAE and AAVE. Use handouts and give mini-lessons
you are familiar with to address less prominent grammatical ‘errors’. Use many of the same techniques
you use with all writers to address higher order concerns (i.e., focus, organization, development). If a
116