jarrett hill

I'm a fangirl of the history of slang and of common speech that had to have come from SOMEWHERE. Here's a valuable and humorous guide to Things Black People Say (and that white people have approbated). Each example has pronunciation, translation, usage, example, and, in some cases, the pop culture moment from which the phrase is derived. The categories make it easy to search within for a specific entry (Gossip and Storytelling, Cautions and Warnings, Consequences and Repercussions, Inspiring and Affirming, Church, Units of Measure, Queers and Trans, Love, Sex, and Relations, and the Kitchen Sink) so that the book can be used as a dictionary. I think it qualifies as a textbook and should be made available in every middle and high school - especially for non-Black teachers to kick off a dialogue with all students. Plus - point blank period, if you know, you know.

Quote: "We got yanked out of our countries and our cultures, and put on ships, and brought over here. And everything that could have been taken away from us was taken away. And yet, still we preserved what we could, which is our language." - Dr. Charity Hudley… (meer)

Historically Black Phrases by jarrett hill and Tre'vell Anderson is a fun and very informational read, highlighting phrases that are widely used in African American Vernacular English (AAVE).

Depending on your personal history this will elicit several responses from you. I'm mostly white and am perceived as such when out, but have lived in neighborhoods from almost exclusively white to ones that were rich in diversity and I was among the smallest minority (whether because of my whiteness or my Native American background), so this reminded me of a lot of conversations (a part of as well as overheard) and friends. If you're Black you will likely recognize many of these phrases or variations on them. If this is entirely new to you, you will hopefully come away with an appreciation for the richness of AVEE as a language.

One of the fascinating, and important, aspects of this book is how it illustrates the way languages change, borrowing from nearby languages, changing things to better express ideas within their own cultures. From a couple of phrases derived from centuries old phrases to ones that have been incorporated (and unfortunately often coopted rather than a more natural osmosis) into other forms of contemporary English.

In addition to the wonderful way these entries were written, the reader is also guided toward, as I mentioned before, a better appreciation of language in general and AAVE in particular. Maybe everyone can stop being judgmental about which language one uses to express one's ideas and focus more on the ideas being expressed, and one of the first steps in that direction is respect for languages you may not generally speak.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (meer)