African American Slang
African American Slang has had many other names: Ebonics, Jive, Black English, and more. The Oxford English Dictionary defines slang (in reference to language) in three different ways: 1) the special vocabulary used by any set of persons of a low or disreputable character; language of a low and vulgar type 2) the special vocabulary or phraseology of a particular calling or profession; the cant or jargon of a certain class or period 3) language of a highly colloquial type, considered as below the level of standard educated speech, and consisting either of new words or of current words employed in some special sense. Whatever one’s perspective on slang, it is a natural and inevitable part of language. In this paper I will discuss examples of current slang being used that some people may not understand.
The African influence of American English can be found as far back as the Seventeenth century. Although its influence may have began that far back, the influence of African American slang has arguably reached its peak (so far) in the last half on the 20th century. Evidence of this can be seen in magazines, music, television, and films. Perhaps more importantly, evidence can be seen in the way that people of ethnic groups, other than African American, have changed their speech due to this influence. The Equal Rights Movement lead to a paradigm shift in African American linguistic consciousness due to Black intellectuals, scholars, activists, artists, and writers deliberately engaging in a search for a way to express Black identity and the particular circumstances of African American life. Although there had been strides in Black pride in the past, this was the first one to call for linguistic Black p...
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...at this is a desired result. Ebonics is a fun variation on the standard, and as stated in the beginning of this paper, Ebonics has an influence; many would say a positive one, on the mainstream dialect.
Works Cited
Green, Jonathon. The Cassell Dictionary of Slang. London: Cassell, 1998.
Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language.Volume 1 A-K.
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Major, Clarence. Dictionary of Afro-American Slang.
New York: International Publishers, 1970. New York
- - -. Juba to Jive: A Dictionary of African American Slang. London: Penguin Books, 2000.
Oxford English Dictionary Online. 2nd ed. May 2001. http://www.oed.com
Scotti, Anna and Paul Young. Buzz Words New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1997.
Smitherman, Geneva. Black Talk. 2nd ed.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.
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Wheeler, Dr. L. Kip. "Black Vernacular." Black Vernacular. Dr. L. Kip Wheeler, 26 Sept. 2011. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. .
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