A black housemaid and a black housemaid

speaker of African American Vernacular English. She wants adapt herself by using African American Vernacular English because she wants to show friendliness so Aibileen will also be friendly to her. This shows a strategy of broken language because Miss Skeeter is not a speaker of African American Vernacular English but she keeps using while talking to Aibileen. For Aibileen, she does not lose her identity as an African American Vernacular English speaker because she keeps using one of linguistic features of African American Vernacular English, which is Law. Law in African American Vernacular English refers to the simplification of Lord as in Standard English. The use of law does not make Miss Skeeter misunderstand the meaning between law in African American Vernacular English and law in Standard English. Aibileen also adapts into the white‟s culture with talking about weather. Second, between Miss Leefolt and Aibileen. Miss Leefolt asks Aibileen to make chicken salad for the guests but she uses fix instead of make. In this case, Aibileen does not answer Miss Leefolt but she keeps doing what Miss Leefolt asks her to do. “Get the house straightened up and then go on and fix some of that chicken salad now ” Stockett, 2009: 3. The strategy used by Miss Leefolt is broken language strategy. Miss Leefolt is not a speaker of African American Vernacular English but she tries to communicate by using a linguistic feature of African American Vernacular English. It happens is also to show casual attribution. Miss Leefolt adapts to one of linguistic features of African American Vernacular English because she wants Aibileen to do what she asks. Both of them know the participants and the setting. Aibileen knows her job as a housemaid in Miss Leefolt‟s house and she has to do what her master asks her to do. Miss Leefolt also knows Aibileen will do her job. Aibileen knows the content of Miss Leefolt‟s instruction. Miss Leefolt also knows the channel that Aibileen answers her not by speaking but by doing the house job. Third, the conversation of Aibileen and Miss Celia. Miss Celia calls to Miss Leefolt‟s house but Aibileen answers the phone. Aibileen keeps using the linguistic features of African American Vernacular English. “ 1 You looking for 2 help?” “I‟m in stitch trying to find somebody to come all the way out to Madison Cou ntry.” Well, what do you know. “I know somebody 34 real 5 good. She 6 known for her cooking and she look 7 after you 8 kids too. She even got 9 her own car to drive out to you 10 house.” Several linguistic features are shown in above example. First, the absence of copula are in question “ 1 You looking for help?”. Second is the absence of the article a to indicate that help means a maid. Third, fourth and fifth are the absence of relative pronoun who and the absence of copula is and the use of real as intensifier s o in Standard English will be “I know somebody who 2 is 3 really 4 good”. Sixth is the absence of copula is in “She 5 known for her cooking”. Seventh is the absence of suffix –s following the third person singular pronoun she and eighth is the generalization of subject pronoun you as possessive pronoun your as in “and she look 6 after you 7 kids too”. Ninth is the use of got instead of has as in “She even got 8 her own car ”. Tenth is the generalization of subject pronoun you as possessive pronoun your in “to drive out to you 9 house.” In this conversation, Aibileen is the one who uses African American Vernacular English while Miss Celia does not. Miss Celia is not Aibileen‟s master, but Aibileen keeps using the linguistic features of African American Vernacular English. Aibileen uses it to show her identity so Miss Celia knows that she is talking to whom. It is called intergroup distinctiveness so each of them knows the participants of the conversation. Miss Celia also still understands Aibileen even though Aibileen omits the article a in front of help in “you looking for help ?”. Aibileen asks Miss Celia if she is looking for a maid, Aibileen does not offer herself to do something for Miss Celia. Help refers to a maid not an aid. There is no misunderstanding means that both of them know the content of the conversation. For Minny, the communications between two different cultures mostly happen when she talks to Miss Celia. In the novel, when Minny is a teenager, she is asked by her mother to speak properly as the whites do, it does not make Minny automatically speaks like the white people. “I know those windows are awful high. I never tried to clean them before.” I let my breath go. Windows are a heck of a lot better subject for me than silver. “I ain‟t 1,2 afraid no win dows. I clean Miss Walters‟ top to bottom ever 3 four weeks.” Stockett, 2009: 40 This excerpt shows the conversation in chapter two, when Minny firstly arrives at Miss Celia‟s house to look for a job. There are three linguistic features occur. First is the use of ain‟t as general negator and second is the double negation ain‟t and no as in “I ain‟t 1,2 afraid no windows” for Standard English it will be “I am not afraid of any windows”. Third is the phonological process, which is the deletion and insertion rule in the word ever in “I clean Miss Walters‟ top to bottom ever 3 four weeks”. Minny uses the linguistic features to show her identity as a speaker of African American Vernacular English and to show her identity as a housemaid, She cannot necessarily eliminate the linguistic features of African American Vernacular English to impress Miss Celia. It is called intergroup distinctiveness. In this case, Miss Celia worries that Minny does not want to be the maid because the windows of Miss Celia‟s house are too high to be cleaned. Many maids have refused to work in Miss Celia‟s house because it is too big and too far from down town. Minny knows Miss Celia‟s worry that she is going to refuse it as the other maids has done. Then, Minny says she does not afraid of windows because she wants the job too. It means that Minny knows the code even though Miss Celia does not directly utter her worry. Miss Celia is the white master who often uses the linguistic features of African American Vernacular English. She uses ai n‟t as the negator that is common on African American Vernacular English. Those uses of a in‟t can be seen in “It ain‟t working out too good.” Stockett, 2009:37 and “That‟s just lard, ain‟t it?” Stockett, 2009: 51. She also use set down instead of sit down as in “Set down and I‟ll bring you something” Stockett, 2009:38. Next is she uses real as the intensifier as seen in “I was real glad to get the recommendation from Missus Walters ” Stockett, 2009:39 and “Cause I don‟t sleep real well at night.” Stockett, 2009: 58. She also deletes be in because so it becomes cause in “Cause I don‟t sleep real well at night.” Stockett, 2009: 58.