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Why do people sometimes use BE instead of Is/Are?
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For example, In the lyrics of the "Pumped Up Kicks" song you can see this:
"He be coming home late, he is coming home late"
I assume that "he be coming home late" has the same meaning as "He comes home late", meaning that this is what normally happens?
Or is it just the same as "he is coming home late", which means his coming home late at the moment of saying that?
non-standard-english
edited 30 mins ago
ColleenV♦
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asked 1 hour ago
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч
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For example, In the lyrics of the "Pumped Up Kicks" song you can see this:
"He be coming home late, he is coming home late"
I assume that "he be coming home late" has the same meaning as "He comes home late", meaning that this is what normally happens?
Or is it just the same as "he is coming home late", which means his coming home late at the moment of saying that?
non-standard-english
edited 30 mins ago
ColleenV♦
10.3k53159
asked 1 hour ago
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч
174
New contributor
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Related question What's the grammar behind “Noun/pronoun + be + gerundâ€Â
– ColleenV♦
26 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
For example, In the lyrics of the "Pumped Up Kicks" song you can see this:
"He be coming home late, he is coming home late"
I assume that "he be coming home late" has the same meaning as "He comes home late", meaning that this is what normally happens?
Or is it just the same as "he is coming home late", which means his coming home late at the moment of saying that?
non-standard-english
edited 30 mins ago
ColleenV♦
10.3k53159
asked 1 hour ago
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч
174
New contributor
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
For example, In the lyrics of the "Pumped Up Kicks" song you can see this:
"He be coming home late, he is coming home late"
I assume that "he be coming home late" has the same meaning as "He comes home late", meaning that this is what normally happens?
Or is it just the same as "he is coming home late", which means his coming home late at the moment of saying that?
non-standard-english
non-standard-english
edited 30 mins ago
ColleenV♦
10.3k53159
asked 1 hour ago
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч
174
New contributor
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 30 mins ago
ColleenV♦
10.3k53159
asked 1 hour ago
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч
174
New contributor
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 30 mins ago
ColleenV♦
10.3k53159
edited 30 mins ago
ColleenV♦
10.3k53159
edited 30 mins ago
ColleenV♦
10.3k53159
10.3k53159
asked 1 hour ago
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч
174
New contributor
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 1 hour ago
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч
174
asked 1 hour ago
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч
174
174
New contributor
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Related question What's the grammar behind “Noun/pronoun + be + gerundâ€Â
– ColleenV♦
26 mins ago
add a comment |Â
Related question What's the grammar behind “Noun/pronoun + be + gerundâ€Â
– ColleenV♦
26 mins ago
Related question What's the grammar behind “Noun/pronoun + be + gerundâ€Â
– ColleenV♦
26 mins ago
Related question What's the grammar behind “Noun/pronoun + be + gerundâ€Â
– ColleenV♦
26 mins ago
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
up vote
3
down vote
accepted
He be coming home late is a dialectical phrasing that means, as you surmise, he [habitually] comes home late. It is associated especially with African-American English and Caribbean English.
Linguists call this the invariant be or habitual be. Be is not simply a replacement for is; he be coming home late means he customarily or regularly comes home late, and not that he is currently in the process of coming home late. Some discussion of this in layman's terms can be found in the Slate article Why We Be Loving the “Habitual Be†by Katy Waldman, at the Lexicon Valley blog.
The meaning of lyrics is highly subject to interpretation. As Mark Foster is not a native speaker of African-American English (so far as I know), the lyric may be intended to paint a certain image of the narrator or setting, but it might simply have been an artistic choice for sonorous qualities aside from any cultural connotations. It's also impossible to know whether he is aware of the natural use of the habitual be or, as many do, he thinks he can drop it in anywhere to replace is, or if "Robert" thinks so.
Using dialects of minority communities is always fraught for an outsider, so I would advise the average English learner to stick with more standard English (e.g. he "always" comes home late).
answered 44 mins ago
choster
13.2k3459
I think it's more commonly called African American Vernacular English these days.
– ColleenV♦
4 mins ago
@ColleenV Ah, but not all AAE is AAVE from what I understand. I am not a linguist, however, and have no desire to get into the politics of classifying languages and dialects.
– choster
2 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
"He be coming home late" is an example of Ebonics, not standard English. It means "he is coming home late."
Though the musicians in question all appear to have white, middle class backgrounds, they are emulating speech patterns found in certain American ghettos, probably because these patterns are also common in certain musical styles.
answered 58 mins ago
farnsy
1,556114
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
3
down vote
accepted
He be coming home late is a dialectical phrasing that means, as you surmise, he [habitually] comes home late. It is associated especially with African-American English and Caribbean English.
Linguists call this the invariant be or habitual be. Be is not simply a replacement for is; he be coming home late means he customarily or regularly comes home late, and not that he is currently in the process of coming home late. Some discussion of this in layman's terms can be found in the Slate article Why We Be Loving the “Habitual Be†by Katy Waldman, at the Lexicon Valley blog.
The meaning of lyrics is highly subject to interpretation. As Mark Foster is not a native speaker of African-American English (so far as I know), the lyric may be intended to paint a certain image of the narrator or setting, but it might simply have been an artistic choice for sonorous qualities aside from any cultural connotations. It's also impossible to know whether he is aware of the natural use of the habitual be or, as many do, he thinks he can drop it in anywhere to replace is, or if "Robert" thinks so.
Using dialects of minority communities is always fraught for an outsider, so I would advise the average English learner to stick with more standard English (e.g. he "always" comes home late).
answered 44 mins ago
choster
13.2k3459
I think it's more commonly called African American Vernacular English these days.
– ColleenV♦
4 mins ago
@ColleenV Ah, but not all AAE is AAVE from what I understand. I am not a linguist, however, and have no desire to get into the politics of classifying languages and dialects.
– choster
2 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
accepted
He be coming home late is a dialectical phrasing that means, as you surmise, he [habitually] comes home late. It is associated especially with African-American English and Caribbean English.
Linguists call this the invariant be or habitual be. Be is not simply a replacement for is; he be coming home late means he customarily or regularly comes home late, and not that he is currently in the process of coming home late. Some discussion of this in layman's terms can be found in the Slate article Why We Be Loving the “Habitual Be†by Katy Waldman, at the Lexicon Valley blog.
The meaning of lyrics is highly subject to interpretation. As Mark Foster is not a native speaker of African-American English (so far as I know), the lyric may be intended to paint a certain image of the narrator or setting, but it might simply have been an artistic choice for sonorous qualities aside from any cultural connotations. It's also impossible to know whether he is aware of the natural use of the habitual be or, as many do, he thinks he can drop it in anywhere to replace is, or if "Robert" thinks so.
Using dialects of minority communities is always fraught for an outsider, so I would advise the average English learner to stick with more standard English (e.g. he "always" comes home late).
answered 44 mins ago
choster
13.2k3459
I think it's more commonly called African American Vernacular English these days.
– ColleenV♦
4 mins ago
@ColleenV Ah, but not all AAE is AAVE from what I understand. I am not a linguist, however, and have no desire to get into the politics of classifying languages and dialects.
– choster
2 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
accepted
up vote
3
down vote
accepted
He be coming home late is a dialectical phrasing that means, as you surmise, he [habitually] comes home late. It is associated especially with African-American English and Caribbean English.
Linguists call this the invariant be or habitual be. Be is not simply a replacement for is; he be coming home late means he customarily or regularly comes home late, and not that he is currently in the process of coming home late. Some discussion of this in layman's terms can be found in the Slate article Why We Be Loving the “Habitual Be†by Katy Waldman, at the Lexicon Valley blog.
The meaning of lyrics is highly subject to interpretation. As Mark Foster is not a native speaker of African-American English (so far as I know), the lyric may be intended to paint a certain image of the narrator or setting, but it might simply have been an artistic choice for sonorous qualities aside from any cultural connotations. It's also impossible to know whether he is aware of the natural use of the habitual be or, as many do, he thinks he can drop it in anywhere to replace is, or if "Robert" thinks so.
Using dialects of minority communities is always fraught for an outsider, so I would advise the average English learner to stick with more standard English (e.g. he "always" comes home late).
answered 44 mins ago
choster
13.2k3459
He be coming home late is a dialectical phrasing that means, as you surmise, he [habitually] comes home late. It is associated especially with African-American English and Caribbean English.
Linguists call this the invariant be or habitual be. Be is not simply a replacement for is; he be coming home late means he customarily or regularly comes home late, and not that he is currently in the process of coming home late. Some discussion of this in layman's terms can be found in the Slate article Why We Be Loving the “Habitual Be†by Katy Waldman, at the Lexicon Valley blog.
The meaning of lyrics is highly subject to interpretation. As Mark Foster is not a native speaker of African-American English (so far as I know), the lyric may be intended to paint a certain image of the narrator or setting, but it might simply have been an artistic choice for sonorous qualities aside from any cultural connotations. It's also impossible to know whether he is aware of the natural use of the habitual be or, as many do, he thinks he can drop it in anywhere to replace is, or if "Robert" thinks so.
Using dialects of minority communities is always fraught for an outsider, so I would advise the average English learner to stick with more standard English (e.g. he "always" comes home late).
answered 44 mins ago
choster
13.2k3459
edited 5 mins ago
answered 44 mins ago
choster
13.2k3459
answered 44 mins ago
choster
13.2k3459
answered 44 mins ago
choster
13.2k3459
13.2k3459
I think it's more commonly called African American Vernacular English these days.
– ColleenV♦
4 mins ago
@ColleenV Ah, but not all AAE is AAVE from what I understand. I am not a linguist, however, and have no desire to get into the politics of classifying languages and dialects.
– choster
2 mins ago
add a comment |Â
I think it's more commonly called African American Vernacular English these days.
– ColleenV♦
4 mins ago
@ColleenV Ah, but not all AAE is AAVE from what I understand. I am not a linguist, however, and have no desire to get into the politics of classifying languages and dialects.
– choster
2 mins ago
I think it's more commonly called African American Vernacular English these days.
– ColleenV♦
4 mins ago
I think it's more commonly called African American Vernacular English these days.
– ColleenV♦
4 mins ago
@ColleenV Ah, but not all AAE is AAVE from what I understand. I am not a linguist, however, and have no desire to get into the politics of classifying languages and dialects.
– choster
2 mins ago
@ColleenV Ah, but not all AAE is AAVE from what I understand. I am not a linguist, however, and have no desire to get into the politics of classifying languages and dialects.
– choster
2 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
"He be coming home late" is an example of Ebonics, not standard English. It means "he is coming home late."
Though the musicians in question all appear to have white, middle class backgrounds, they are emulating speech patterns found in certain American ghettos, probably because these patterns are also common in certain musical styles.
answered 58 mins ago
farnsy
1,556114
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
"He be coming home late" is an example of Ebonics, not standard English. It means "he is coming home late."
Though the musicians in question all appear to have white, middle class backgrounds, they are emulating speech patterns found in certain American ghettos, probably because these patterns are also common in certain musical styles.
answered 58 mins ago
farnsy
1,556114
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
"He be coming home late" is an example of Ebonics, not standard English. It means "he is coming home late."
Though the musicians in question all appear to have white, middle class backgrounds, they are emulating speech patterns found in certain American ghettos, probably because these patterns are also common in certain musical styles.
answered 58 mins ago
farnsy
1,556114
"He be coming home late" is an example of Ebonics, not standard English. It means "he is coming home late."
Though the musicians in question all appear to have white, middle class backgrounds, they are emulating speech patterns found in certain American ghettos, probably because these patterns are also common in certain musical styles.
answered 58 mins ago
farnsy
1,556114
answered 58 mins ago
farnsy
1,556114
answered 58 mins ago
farnsy
1,556114
answered 58 mins ago
farnsy
1,556114
1,556114
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Ãœðрú ßðòûþòøч is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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Related question What's the grammar behind “Noun/pronoun + be + gerundâ€Â
– ColleenV♦
26 mins ago