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Dialect comparison

African American Vernacular English vs Southern American English

Compare two dialects of English side by side — where they're spoken, what they're called, and how they relate.

African American Vernacular English

AAVE · Black English · Ebonics

A widespread English variety with a coherent grammatical system, including aspectual habitual "be" and the zero copula. Spoken across the African American community throughout the United States.

Spoken in
Approximate centre
42.33°, -83.05°
Southern American English

Southern Drawl

The dialects of the US South, characterised by the Southern Vowel Shift, the pin-pen merger, and a distinct lexical tradition.

Spoken in
Approximate centre
33.75°, -84.39°

How to read this comparison

Which one to learn

Start with African American Vernacular English or Southern American English based on the community, country, or media you expect to use most.

Mutual understanding

Shared language labels do not guarantee identical speech. Compare country coverage, aliases, and audio where available.

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DialectAfrican American Vernacular EnglishA widespread English variety with a coherent grammatical system, including aspectual habitual "be" and the zero copula. Spoken across the African American community throughout the United States.DialectSouthern American EnglishThe dialects of the US South, characterised by the Southern Vowel Shift, the pin-pen merger, and a distinct lexical tradition.CompareAfrican American Vernacular English vs Aboriginal Australian EnglishAtlasExplore the atlasRead the full picture of English and the dialects within it.