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The uniqueness of AAVE is evident in three areas: (I) patterns of grammar and pronunciation, many of which reflect the patterns that operate in West African languages (for example, many West African languages don’t have English “th” sounds, and in AAVE “th” is rendered with the next closet sound, as “d,” a “t,” or an “f”); (2) verbal rituals from the Oral Tradition and the continued importance of the Word, as in African cultures; and (3) lexicon, or vocabulary, usually developed by giving special meanings to regular English words, a practice that goes back to enslavement and the need for a system of communication that only those in the enslaved community could understand.”