Editing African-American English (section)

==In television and film==
Portrayals of black characters in film and television are also done with varying degrees of authenticity.{{sfnp|Green|2002|pp=200–214}} In ''[[Imitation of Life (1934 film)|Imitation of Life]]'' (1934), the speech and behavioral patterns of Delilah (an African American character) are reminiscent of minstrel performances that set out to exaggerate stereotypes, rather than depict black speech authentically.{{sfnp|Green|2002|p=202}} More authentic performances, such as those in the following films and TV shows, occur when certain speech events, vocabulary, and syntactic features are used to indicate AAVE usage, often with particular emphasis on young, urban African Americans:{{sfnp|Green|2002|pp=206–209, 211}}

African American English has been used in television and film since the early days of Hollywood. For example, in the 1940s, the popular radio show Amos 'n' Andy featured African American characters who spoke in African American English.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Louis |first=Henry |date= |title="Amos 'n' Andy: The Original Radio Show." |work=NPR |url=}}</ref> This show was popular and influential, and it established AAE as a part of popular culture. In the decades since, AAE has continued to be used in television and film as a way to depict African American characters. It is often used to provide comedic relief or to illustrate the unique characteristics of African American culture. For example, the 1990s television show Martin featured a main character who speaks in AAE and is often the source of comedic moments. 
* [[Amos 'n' Andy]] (1940)<ref name=":0" />
* ''[[Do the Right Thing]]'' (1989)
* ''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]]'' (1990–1996)
* ''[[Jungle Fever]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Laurel Avenue]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Fresh (1994 film)|Fresh]]'' (1994)
* ''[[The Best Man (1999 film)|The Best Man]]'' (1999)
* ''[[The Wire]]'' (2002–2008){{sfnp|Trotta|Blyahher|2011}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dialectblog.com/2011/08/09/accents-in-the-wire/ |title=Language Log on the Accents in "The Wire" |first=Ben T. |last=Smith |date=9 August 2011 |website=dialect blog}}</ref>
* [[Moonlight (2016 film)|''Moonlight'']] (2016)<ref>{{Cite web |last=catalyst_class_admin_428 |date=2015-06-01 |title=ALS: A Community on the Brink |url=https://catalyst.jhu.edu/2015/06/01/als-a-community-on-the-brink/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=Catalyst |language=en-US}}</ref>