why do black people use you in the wrong context? such is "you ugly" instead of "you're ugly" I know u guys can differentiate, it's a nuisance
you a bitch
Itâs called copula deletion, or zero copula. Many languages and dialects, including Ancient Greek and Russian, delete the copula (the verb to be) when the context is obvious.
So an utterance like âyou a bitchâ in AAVE is not an example of a misused you, but an example of a sentence that deletes the copular verb (are), which is a perfectly valid thing to do in that dialect, just as deleting an /r/ after a vowel is a perfectly valid thing to do in an upper-class British dialect.
Whatâs more, itâs been shown that copula deletion occurs in AAVE exactly in those contexts where copula contraction occurs in so-called âStandard American English.â That is, the basic sentence âYou are greatâ can become âYouâre greatâ in SAE and âYou greatâ in AAVE, but âI know who you areâ cannot become âI know who youâreâ in SAE, and according to reports, neither can you get âI know who youâ in AAVE.
In other words, AAVE is a set of grammatical rules just as complex and systematic as SAE, and the widespread belief that it is not is nothing more than yet another manifestation of deeply internalized racism.
This is the most intellectual drag Iâve ever read.
