How To Make A Vegan Grilled Cheese

What is copula deletion in African American Vernacular English?

In African American Vernacular English (AAVE), the verb to be is sometimes dropped where standard English would keep it. Listen for “Oh, it hot” instead of “it’s hot.” That’s not laziness. It’s a regular feature of AAVE grammar with its own consistent rules: the copula appears when stressed, deletes when unstressed, like in many world languages.

AAVE is a full system of grammar millions of people speak natively, with deep roots and active research in linguistics. Recognising patterns like copula deletion turns a “confusing” English clip into a perfectly clear cooking demo. The same patterns show up in hip-hop, comedy, and everyday speech across Black America.