244 CHAPTER 7
- Is you hungry?
The same question concerning a long-term state, however, would be struc-
tured as:
- Do you be hungry?
We also see from sentence 21 thatiscan function in two ways in BEV, as an
emphasis marker and as a question marker. Thus, sentence 23 is perfectly
grammatical:
- I is hungry.
A variant would be:- I’m is hungry.
As a question, sentence 23 also would have two variants:- Is I hungry?
- Is I’m hungry?
Other important features of BEV grammar are shown here:- The present tense is used in narratives to indicate past action, as inThey goes
to the market. - When cardinal adjectives precede nouns, the noun is not pluralized, as inThe
candy cost 1 dollar and 50 cent. - Relative pronouns in the subject position of a relative clause can be dropped,
as inFritz like the woman has red hair. - The possessive marker is dropped, as inHe found Macarena coat.
- Whereas Standard English alternates a negative and a positive in a sentence (I
never want to see you again), Black English uses double negatives, as inHe
don’ never goin’ call.
APPLYING KEY IDEAS- In addition to your own dialect, how many others are there in your commu-
nity that you are aware of? - How many dialects do you understand?