My Neologism

My blog buddy Irani and I came up with the following words:

Zipidy: be quiet; close your mouth.

Kosmetic: superficial; the act of being fake.

I Pronouce My Name...

Shereen is transcribed as:        ʃ  I   r    i    n 

For Linguist: The first syllable onset is voiceless palatal fricative  “sh”, The next syllable’s onset is a voiced aveolar liquid “ er” with a rhyme of a high front vowel “ee”, and the last syllable’s onset is a voiced nasal aveolar “n”.

For the Locals: Start by putting your lips together leaving a small opening, your tongue should be touching the roof of your mouth and your teeth should be clenched to make the “shhhhh” sound mixed with an “r” sound, as if you were saying the word b i r d. Then open your mouth as if you are smiling and follow with the sound “reeee”. End with the sound “n” produced when the tip of your tongue touches the roof of your mouth.

Summary Part I

Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English

Summary Part I (1-50 pgs.)

The Spoken Souls starts off by providing a few definitions.

“The Soul: the animating and vital principal in humans; the central or integral part; the vital core; a sense of ethnic pride among Black people and especially African Americans,  expressed in areas such as language, social customs, religion and music.”

Now that we know what the soul is, one might ask what is Spoken Soul? The author’s use the words of African American author and intellectual Claude Brown, to define it as the Black Vernacular of African Americans. What makes this language so unique is it “possesses a pronounced lyrical quality which is frequently incompatible to any music other than that ceaselessly and relentlessly driving rhythm that flows from poignantly spent lives.”

Spoken Soul is the language of African Americans primarily spoken in homes, churches, neighborhoods, streets, schools, the media, literature, and music. African Americans use this language to preach and praise, sing and dance, laugh or cry, confide or console, philosophize, and examine, survive in the streets or relax with friends and family at home. It is simply the way African Americans feel comfortable to express themselves in their cultural environment. According to the Rickford’s this language is important to our history, popular culture as well as both African and American society. “It marks black identity and stands as a symbol of the culture, and lifestyle that has greatly impacted popular American culture." Rickford asserts without it we would lose a vital link to our nation’s past.

On the other hand, contrary to the definitions given prior, those who oppose “Black English”, popularly define it as: “disgusting black street slang; incorrect and substandard English; nothing more than ignorance; lazy English; the language of illiteracy.” These definitions are starkly different than those of Claude Brown, and reflect the love hate dynamics with Ebonics. Some of the resentment towards Black English stems from the belief that it could replace Standard English and that it will also create more differences between Americans. Many opponentd believe support of Black English would “Keep us in the Ghetto”, instead of aiding African Americans in upward mobility.

Just from reading the first fifty pages I can understand how important a persons' cultural language is to them. Language is something that we cannot live without, and it is important to our daily lives. Upon further reading this book, I would like to know if one can truly succeed in the economic and social worlds without having to surrender one’s distinctive identity, if language is a component of our identities.

The Book I Chose...

Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English

By: Rickford & Rickford

Lack of scholarly research into the “Black English” has led father and son dual authors Rickford & Rickford to write a book that breaks it down and makes it plain. Named and inspired by the words of Claude Brown, author of Manchild in the Promised Land 1965, to describe this unique language of African Americans. In their book the Rickford’s discuss the myths and truths about the history of the Black Vernacular, providing an analysis of the grammar, speech, and meaning behind black writing. The Rickford’s also touch on the rising media controversy over Oakland California Schools proposed use of Ebonics, or slang to teach African American students rather than Standard English.

The book takes you through the complex social, political and cultural history and experiences of African Americans in order to derive at the source and origins of this language of survival. According to the authors, “it’s not just about language.” Their goal is to further explain the internal strife within African Americans to come to terms with their “double consciousness”, dual identities. These dual identities, being an African, and two an American, are like two warring souls that oppose and conflict with each other. Moreover, the authors hope that with their book American Americans will be able to learn to own their double selves; Spoken Soul and Standard English. Ultimately, merging the two sides into one extraordinary self.

           I personally have an interest in African American literature, and I am always looking for the next book to read that will feed my mind and soul while increasing my social and cultural consciousness. I find this book interesting because I can personally relate to the subject with my own experience with choosing between speaking slang or proper Standard English. This reading will also provide me with scholarly evidence and information concerning the issue of the use of slang by African Americans.  Many times I have often wondered should “Black English” be considered its own language, and is it unique to our cultural heritage.

           From this reading I would like to learn what the requirements are to categorize something as a legitimate language rather than poor English. I also would like to learn how language directly shapes our identities. If African Americans abandon the black vernacular will they be losing a part of their culture and or identities?

I Speak Therefore I am

“Language is a key partner of thinking....A confused, illogical, and sloppy use of language leads to confused, illogical, and sloppy thinking”.   –Wittgenstein   

I found this quote in my philosophy textbook and saw the interesting connection it had to the article “You Are What You Speak”. Wittgenstein is referring to how language may or may not shape who we are, or how one might think and see the world. Ludwig Wittgenstein is considered one of the great 20^th century philosophers, who contributed new insight into the links between thought, and language. In the article, Deutscher challenges some of the assumptions about language and seeks to answer the question of whether or not our native tongues restrict what we think. Wittgenstein states that the “improper use of a language can lead to confusion and idiotic thinking. If he is right does this mean that those who don’t speak “proper” English or Spanish are simple minded and incapable of thinking critically?

My first language is English and it was really the only language I was exposed to since most of my relatives and close friends as a child also spoke English. I believe I learned to speak English first through hearing and repetition. Babies hear everything that’s going on, and through hearing and repetition they begin to associate words for particular objects, distinguish sound and tones, and express emotions. Ultimately, they learn that through language they will be able convey what they want or need.

Growing up in a predominately African American and minority community, I learned how to speak two different dialects of the English language. For instance, at school I would try to speak “proper” English, and at home or around neighborhood friends I spoke slang. In my neighborhood it was important to be able to speak slang in order to fit in. I would always make sure that I learned all the new slang words and terminologies as well as proper English grammar. This was often difficult because sometimes I would unconsciously speak in the wrong dialect to the wrong crowd. If I spoke slang in school I was criticized by teachers and if I spoke proper English to neighborhood friends I would be teased. I learned that although language has its boundaries, it also enables us to make strong connections and socialize with various groups of people.

It wasn’t until the first grade that I discovered that there were other cultural languages that people spoke. Spanish was the second language I encountered while attending school. I remember hearing my friends’ mom say “Ben aqui porfavor”. I then asked my mom “what language is she saying?” My mom explained to me that the language my friends’ mother was speaking was Spanish, and it is a language spoken by many people of  the Hispanic culture. Of course my next question was “Why I don't we speak Spanish?”

After attending more diverse schools I became more aware of the various languages that other people spoke. The opportunity to learn a different language came to me in high school. I took three levels of Spanish, and did very well on written test, however, when it came to the oral test it was difficult for me to grasp. It seems as though my body was rejecting this foreign language. I am still trying to learn this language, while also ensuring that my son learn Spanish at an early age. Learning different languages will help him to learn understand different cultures and people.

According to Deutscher, it is absurd to believe some of the popular 20^th century ideas on language. The human mind is sophisticated enough to understand a particular concept even if there isn’t a word in one’s language for that concept. For example, even if there was no official word in the English language for love, we would still be aware of how it feels and what it means. He makes a great point when he says that it would be impossible to learn something new if a word was required prior.

Lastly, Deutscher answers the question of how language affects the way we think, by asserting that some languages compel us to provide more a less details whether we want to or not. For instance, in German or French one would have to disclose whether the person she was with was male or female, where as in English she does not.