Presenters
Abstract
In this presentation, I explore the language, specifically the African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), used in the cult television series The Wire. The show is known for its narrative complexity, its broad and varied cast of characters from all layers of society, its shifting thematic arcs and, not least, its uncompromising realism and attention to detail; be it the minutiae of police investigations, the slow, spirit-crushing grind of various institutional machines, the rules of ‘the game’ (the street, political maneuvering, the unspoken codes of police loyalty, etc.) or the rich, realistic language of its protagonists, The Wire makes a serious commitment to immersing its audience in the gritty realism of Baltimore’s criminal underworld.
Among other things, the present work sketches out the different ways in which AAVE features are used in The Wire. Selected, representative examples are used as a platform to discuss details of usage, the accuracy of these representations, their relevance in creating credible dialog and how they contribute to our understanding of the characters and the world they inhabit. In doing so, I address the complex relationship between language and Popular Culture and also show the potential usefulness of The Wire as a resource in studying AAVE and language in general.