Invariant Be

Invariant be, or unconjugated be, is a grammatical/linguistic construction whereby the verb be is conjugated according to forms that differ aspectually, with regard to the situating of language in time, from those applicable to Standard English conjugations of the verb. Standard English calls for the conjugation of the verb be to form agreement with the subject in terms of person and number, for example am, is, are, was, were. Invariant be most often is an indication of habitual condition and is not conjugated to agree with the subject in person or number. Thus I be, you be, she/he be, it be, we be, and they be are all grammatically acceptable forms within language systems that employ invariant be. To indicate past tenses, been is commonly applied for all persons: I been finished (action completed in the past). Future tense is usually indicated by a time marker: We be there tomorrow (We will be there tomorrow). To indicate action that is completed in the present, zero copula is employed; that is, no be verb is used. For example, He happy is an indication that the person is happy in the present moment, while He be happy signals that the person's happiness extends beyond the present moment. Note that in Standard English, He is happy requires additional cues to indicate if the state of happiness is only for the present moment or ongoing. Thus, while Standard English accounts for the perfective aspect, or action completed in the moment, the language system does not have a verb structure for indicating imperfective aspect, that is, a structure that indicates whether the action is ongoing or repeated.

Invariant be is widely viewed as one of the most readily identifiable markers of Black English, the version of English spoken by some, but not all, African Americans; as such, the use of variant be can also be a marker of one's cultural or racial identity. Black English is viewed on a continuum between being a vernacular or dialect of English (African American Vernacular English) and a distinct language in itself. There are many aspects to Black English, including a particular rhetoric and lexicon; invariant be is one of its most recognizable components. Because of the high recognition of the form, the close study of the lineage of invariant be has often been viewed as essential in developing theories of the origins of Black English. Further, there is some evidence that invariant be also occurs in non-Standard English use as well, and not exclusively by speakers of Black English. Thus, it is important to make a distinction in the construction and use of these constructions.