Analysis Of If Black English Isn T A Language Then Tell Me What Is By James Baldwin
Author James Baldwin wrote a short story named, “If Black English Isn’t a Language Then Tell Me What Is?” In the story Baldwin argues that Black English is a language not a dialect or improper English. Baldwin talks about how some languages have different variations and are actually different languages. Baldwin also talks about how language is a political instrument and is the most crucial key to identity. Is it true that one’s language and/or dialect can actually identify them as a person? Well Baldwin believes so. In the story Baldwin also states that he believes that if there was not any black people in the United States white people would not sound the same; English is just a purified version of Black English. I believe that people from different areas have different struggles, which would ultimately affect their variation of that language. …show more content…
People from different countries that share the same language cannot understand each other not because they do not understand the language but because their dialect and the way they pronounce certain words effect their interpretation of what is being said. In the text Baldwin states “A Frenchman living in Paris speaks a subtly and crucially different language from that a man living in Marseilles. . .” When using a translator they do not have multiple variations of French there is only one version of French but the difference is not the language but the way they pronounce words (dialect). If a Frenchman in Paris and in Marseilles are not speaking the same language you should be able to specify which type of French you are actually trying to translate. Since you cannot specify a type of French the two men would actually be speaking the same
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James Baldwin's 'If Black English Isn' T A Language
283 Words | 2 PagesIf Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is? By James Baldwin explains to the reader what black English is and where black English comes from. Baldwin writes about how humans use language as a means of controlling the world around them. Baldwin explains that people may speak the same language in one area of the world, but then people who speak the same language elsewhere are no longer speaking the same language. Baldwin using French as an exampling, Baldwin compares french-speaking people from Quebec to people who live in Paris.
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If Black English Isn T A Language, Then Tell Me, What Is By James Baldwin
572 Words | 3 PagesLanguage can either separate someone from this larger identity or connect him or her to it. This essay shows that black people in America have been systematically and institutionally marginalized by white society that their creation of separate and distinct language was a necessity, and this essay brings to light the struggles my community ---------- the black community --------- had faced in an effort to break through stereotypes and erroneous assumptions .I personally enjoyed how Baldwin incorporated historical examples into his essay, such as the Irish and the Germans, because it showed me that African Americans were not the only ones who felt marginalized by the way they use
Analysis Of James Baldwin's Essay 'If Black English Isn' T A Language
338 Words | 2 PagesBaldwin stated that “Language is determined by the person that is speaking it.” The audience is anyone that doesn’t consider “Black English” a language, people that don’t use
Summary Of John Mcwhorter's Black English
406 Words | 2 PagesIn discussing Black English, John McWhorter talks about the theories of the origin of the language. McWhorter talks about how people have made claims that Black English is related and comes from African languages. He also tells how their research on this subject is unreliable and “sketchy.” These people making these claims are outside of linguistics, meaning they practice things such as education and speech pathology. People like Dr. Smith, a teacher at a medical college, suggested that Black English is a mixture of African languages with English, where these African languages have altered English into a new language.
James Baldwin's Notes Of A Native Son
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Rhetorical Analysis Of A Talk To Teachers
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The Theme Of Racism In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin
388 Words | 2 PagesRacism, a very horrible thing, still exists in the world we live in and those who are black will find it very hard to succeed in life due to the constant discrimination and the bad influence near them. A very good example for this is a short story called “Sonny’s Blue.” A short story about a 2 African Americans and how one leads a successful life while the other falls to bad influence and ends up in jail Black people had to face lot of problems before the segregation was ended. . Many people think the past remains in the past and doesn't matter today; the terrible acts of segregation, exploitation, and discrimination that were once upheld by the government are irrelevant now just because the present day isn't like that anymore. But the truth is that racism still exists
A Letter To My Nephew James Baldwin Analysis
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Analysis Of The Essay 'Letter From A Region In My Mind' By James Baldwin
642 Words | 3 PagesRighteous Religion James Baldwin, a writer from Harlem, New York, is particularly studied because of how he addresses race in the United States. Though he saw himself as a “witness to the truth,” Baldwin becomes a leader in black freedom particularly in his collection of essays, The Fire Next Time (The Chicago Tribune). In the essays explored in class, “My Dungeon Shook” and “ Letter from a Region in My Mind,” religion is a reoccurring theme that played an integral part in Baldwin’s life. Although the streets would usually be seen as a more dangerous and deteriorating lifestyle than the church; chapters from The Fire Next Time demonstrate that the institution of the black church created an equally negative and lasting impression that mirrored the impact of street life. Though “My Dungeon Shook” focuses less on religion and more on identity, the first paragraph introduces religion with a negative implication attached.
Analysis Of 'If Black English Isn T A Language Then Tell Me What Is'
983 Words | 4 Pages“If Black English Isn’t a Language Then Tell Me What Is” In the essay “If Black Isn’t a Language Then Tell Me What Is” (The New York Times, 1979) written by James Baldwin, the author asserts that the African American community has altered the English language into a new language during the last five centuries to accommodate the black experience in American history despite the white’s attempt to submerge it. To begin the essay he makes his argument clear by referencing the alterations the French made to their native language to describe how people will eventually “...evolve a language in order to describe and thus control their circumstances…”; furthermore he continues to analyze how the caucasian people of America have only accepted the black language when it came out of a white mouth; he ends the essay by reinforcing his position, elaborating on the racism black’s have faced when they were denied the right to an education unless it was for the white benefit. His liberal purpose is to bring light to the subtle racism that African Americans experience even after the Civil Rights movement and to acknowledge the cultural influence they have in America. His writing appears very personal and intimate like he’s voluntarily opening up to his audience by letting them know of his own struggles as an African American, targeting mostly minorities and people who feel oppressed by white America.
The Gold Cadillac Analysis
1937 Words | 8 PagesDialect is defined as, “a variety of a language used by the members of a group” (Merriam-Webster.com, 2018). The use of “black” dialect in the story brings the characters to life, makes them more relatable, and contributes to the theme of racism in a way that other literary devices cannot. Particularly, “The increased use of dialect by black authors, particularly children 's authors, was a sign that the nature of the black experience as they wanted to convey it did not have to rely on traditional forms, and literary devices; that they could treat familiar, realistic ideas and situations using a familiar dialect and relate that idea more effectively” (Wells, 1976, p. 39). From “’Ey, ‘lois!
Summary Of Blueprint For Negro Writing By Richard Wright
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Essay On Language And Identity
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