Dictionary

Black English en · PROPN

Meanings

1. Any of several varieties of English spoken by or associated with Black people, especially people of African origin or in Africa.
   • Sranan-Tongo is a New World Black language form produced by the same processes that gave rise to Afro-American and Afro-Caribbean Black English. 1977, David Ola Oke, “The genesis of New World Black English”, in Caribbean Quarterly, volume 23, page 65:
   • There is little doubt that an African variety of English is very much part of the communicative economy of the new South Africa (for which I shall use the conventional label South African Black English, in short SABE). 1997, Rajend Mesthrie, “A sociolinguistic study of topicalisation phenomena in South African Black English”, in Manfred Görlach, Edgar W. Schneider, editors, Englishes Around the World, volume 2, page 119:
2. (US) Any of several varieties of English spoken by or associated with Black people, especially people of African origin or in Africa. ▸ Synonym of African-American English (“AAE”), sometimes specifically African-American Vernacular English (“AAVE”).
   • Perhaps Black English will yield a new neutral term for wokeness. 2021 November 16, John McWhorter, “‘Woke’ Went the Way of ‘P.C.’ and ‘Liberal’”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
3. (UK) Any of several varieties of English spoken by or associated with Black people, especially people of African origin or in Africa. ▸ Synonym of Multicultural London English (“MLE”).
4. (Canada) Any of several varieties of English spoken by or associated with Black people, especially people of African origin or in Africa. ▸ Synonym of Greater Toronto English (“MTE”).

Relateds

Ebonics · Black English Vernacular · Black British · blaccent

Synonyms

African-American English · Greater Toronto English · Multicultural London English