We are now entering Round 3 of random topics in Black Culture and I am ‘bout to drop a heavy load on ya. . . And no, not in the sense of I am going to poop on you (like that scene in #Movie43. BTW seriously don’t waste your time or money watching that movie. You will have more fun drowning kittens.) . . . And again, no, I don’t mean it in the spermal sense of load dropping. #Perverts. I mean it as “dropping some knowledge.”
In-tee-ways, this week is particularly interesting because I am going to defend something I mostly loathe: slang.
To me, slang, particularly Black slang, is one of those #thangs that are an innate contradiction. It is simultaneously constructive and destructive. It is incorrect English but yet an excellent tool for expression. On one hand, it can define a mood perfectly, but on the other hand it may also not make any sense. Ya see (or ya don’t) it’s all about communication.
Definition: SLANG is a type of language that consists of words and phrases that are informal. These phrases are more common in speech than in writing. It may be used as a means of identifying with one’s peers.
In short, it is bad English used circumstantially to build familiarity and create sociability. Or even simpler, shit you say to keep friends. But that’s not the interesting part. Oh no no. It gets better.
The attraction is despite the fact that slang is used as a tool to unite people, in general, humankind has re-defined it as a communication disorder of the remedial, undignified, lower class… or minorities. So, to those of us who actually have communication disorders, stutterers such as me, Winston Churchill, James Earl Jones, and Marilyn Monroe, to name a few, this is quite offensive. (FYI, a communication disorder is NOT a representation of someone’s intelligence. Check my Blog Game. #Burn)
People, mainly people who don’t speak in slang, enjoy scoffing at Ebonics, which is a hilarious word so innately I can understand why you won’t take it seriously. But other than that, there is something to appreciate about its creativity and growth in popularity. Let me give you some examples:
1 One hunnid – slang for one hundred. Typical Ebonic move, just drop some letters. This is also seen in phrases such as “gangsta,” “aye gurl,” or “mon fucka.”
2 Hellyoutalmbout – slang for “what the hell are you talking about?” The technique used is to slur the words together, analogous to legato in musical performances.
3 I heard that! – honestly, I don’t even know what this means or why. Really, it’s just fun to use after someone else speaks. Maybe its acknowledgement or agreement. Whatever!
4 What is you wanna do? – I am not sure of the exact moment in time, but one day it became acceptable, gangster even, to drop verbs or use the incorrect conjugation of a verb. “I is,” “you is,” or “we the best” are a few examples.
5 HAM – This is an acronym that is actually spoken. It stands for “hard as a mother**ker” but sounds stupid. Me, myself, personally, I was so happy when they retired this word.
The point I am trying to make it that the ability to create a language and simultaneously stream that into another language is tough. But if you have ever played this minority game before (I kinda have the high score), then you understand the skill required to play both sides of the fence.
As said in Selena (1997 film about Mexican-American superstar), you have to be “more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time!” This sort of thinking is called Double Consciousness, a term created by W.E.B. DuBois. This idea, paraphrased, says that we have to consider (with our movements, thoughts, sayings, and the like) how BOTH Blacks and non-Blacks see us. Then, we have to determine how each perspective will be affected. For example, it may stop us from saying “nigga” in mixed company. Other times, it may encourage us to walk with #swag. No matter what, it is a constant game of thinking, doubting, re-thinking, determining, deciding, second-guessing, reflecting, and so on and so forth.
Okay, so maybe it's just me and I tend to over-think. But whatever! You can take your bamma ass up out my face. #Church
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