Page "African American Vernacular English" Paragraph 17

Linguist John McWhorter maintains that the contribution of West African languages to AAVE is minimal.

In an interview on National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation, Dr. McWhorter characterized AAVE as a " hybrid of regional dialects of Great Britain that slaves in America were exposed to because they often worked alongside the indentured servants who spoke those dialects ..." According to Dr. McWhorter, virtually all linguists who have carefully studied the origins of AAVE " agree that the West African connection is quite minor.