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December 04, 2005
Black English
I can tell that James Baldwin is passionate about this topic of Black English because he writes with a tone of anger. The essay conveys his frustration with the way in which the world views blacks and their use of English. He writes in a very personal manner that speaks to people differently depending on their background and experiences in life.
I understand to the best of my ability what Baldwin is trying to say, and that is that Black English should most definitely be distinguished as its own language, rather than a mere dialect. Baldwin actually seems insulted at the fact that most people consider it a dialect. He feels that language is basically a result of people needing to survive, and different languages arise based on the different threats that people have to face in their struggle to avoid death. In his opinion, Black English came about as a way for blacks to communicate without whites fully understanding what they were saying. This form of communication was often the deciding factor in life and death situations, therefore it qualifies a language.
Baldwin sheds light on a topic that I never really gave much thought to; I always knew that Black English sounded different from White English, but I thought that the major difference was just in pronounciation. He emphasizes that words said in White English could take on a completely different meaning when said in Black English. This made me think that perhaps whenever I heard Black English, despite the fact that I thought I understood it, I really didn't know what was truly being said.
I thought Baldwin's opinion of the education received by young black children was also eye-opening. He claims that whites are only interested in educating black children if those children deny the experiences they have that are the essence of their identity. These children enter a "limbo" between black and white, but are unable to embrace either side. This behavior convinces Baldwin that an education from people who demand such a change of identity is not even an education worth receiving; or in other words, black children are better off not learning from whites in this way.
Some questions I have about Baldwin's essay are: If Black English should not be considered a dialect because it evolved based on the need to survive, as all languages did, then is there even such a thing as a dialect, or is every variation of a language a language in itself? Besides terms that were borrowed, how has Black English shaped White English? Is there a solution regarding how young black children can maintain their identity while still being educated in a white world? How does Black English permit the United States with its only glimpse of reality?
Posted by lcissullivan at December 4, 2005 07:56 PM