Summary Of If Black English Isn T A Language
Summary of James Baldwin's article If Black English isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?
In his article "If Black English isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?", published in the New York Times on July 29, 1979, James Baldwin challenges the contemporary assumption among speakers of standard American English that the way black people speak is uneducated and therefore black children should be forced to speak "proper English". He argues that rather than labelling Black English as a low register variety of "proper English", people should recognize it as a language of its own and allow black children to continue using it.
He claims that the way people talk reveals and forms a major part of their identity. It shows whether they choose to
In his article "If Black English isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?", published in the New York Times on July 29, 1979, James Baldwin challenges the contemporary assumption among speakers of standard American English that the way black people speak is uneducated and therefore black children should be forced to speak "proper English". He argues that rather than labelling Black English as a low register variety of "proper English", people should recognize it as a language of its own and allow black children to continue using it.
He claims that the way people talk reveals and forms a major part of their identity. It shows whether they choose to