Exploring Linguistic Deviation in Some of August Wilson`s Selected Plays: A Socio-Stylistic Analysis

Abstract

The study examines how speakers and writers build sentences, focusing on poetry and prose. Language variance refers to disparities in speech or writing, while style is how an author tells a story or writes poetry. Literary stylistics is a scientific study of literary style. This study examines disparities in August Wilson's works and the social impacts of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). It investigates how informal speech and idioms reflect the character`s social and cultural struggles. Additionally, the research explores how linguistic diversity contributes to socio-stylistic discourse by expressing working class experiences. The study aims to analyze the cultural influence of African American Vernacular English (AAVE), emphasizing its representation of working-class and socioeconomic obstacles. It evaluates how (AAVE) enriches character conversation and emotional expression, while also examining how characters` language mirrors their challenges with institutional and racial inequities. The study adopts an eclectic model of analysis which comprises of two main elements such as linguistic deviation and social implications taken from  (Leech , 1969). The data is collected from August Wilson’s plays such as ‘Fences (1985)’, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1984)’, and ‘The Piano Lesson’ (1987). The study concludes that African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is a language that uses non-standard syntax and colloquial idioms to highlight the socioeconomic background of characters. It includes syntactic deviation, auxiliary verbs in past tense, and informal and regional expressions. These features reflect the speaker's cultural background and socioeconomic level, enhancing the realism and cultural context of characters' dialogue. AAVE also reflects personal conflicts and social issues, highlighting the challenges faced by working-class individuals.