On Writing: Re-learning AAE
“This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”
Slang vs AAE
Growing up in the Deep South—Mississippi—when I was in spaces that were not dominantly Black, my teachers, who were white, told me I was stupid. They wanted to put me in speech therapy or flat-out told me I needed Hooked on Phonics, which, back in the day, many teachers used as a learning tool to help Black kids speak correctly. (At least, that’s how it was when I was growing up.)
I remember my mother saying, “Gurl, please. You don’t need speech therapy. Hooked on Phonics my ass.”
But nobody really taught me what was wrong—only that I was wrong. When my rich aunties and uncles would come to visit and I would speak, they made sure I annunciated my words because speaking Ebonics made Black folks look stupid.
This is when I officially learned to code-switch. Nobody taught me code-switching. I didn’t just pick it up. There wasn’t a class that met on Tuesdays at church where we all gathered around and decided collectively, this is what we (Black folks) need to be doing now.
No.
I learned at a very young age that when I am with some people, I talk like this, and when I am with other people, I talk like that.
Even at the big age of 35, code-switching, as the Black community has come to call it, is what I’ve grown accustomed to. Even now, as I am typing this, it is hard for me to dip into a more natural “speech” because I want to remain professional.
You see where I’m going?
This is why I am unlearning what I have been taught and relearning actual facts. There’s a difference between slang—as many people quickly adopted calling it after Ebonics “failed”—and actual AAE.
The more I think about it, the more I like saying BAE—Black American English. Forgive me if I interchange them frequently.
What is Slang?
Slang: Very informal words and expressions that are more common in spoken language, especially used by a particular group of people—for example, children, criminals, soldiers, etc. (Source Link)
Many people quickly file AAE under the slang umbrella because, to them, AAE is informal, broken, inferior English. Only those with lesser intellect would succumb to such a vile, vulgar sensibility.
Fun fact: Words such as clever and naughty were both slang words and are now accepted as standard English.
What is AAE?
We already know the definition of AAE. (If not, see Lesson One.) What we—meaning I—don’t know is what separates slang from AAE. And probably the better question is, what separates internet language—what some call Gen-Z language—from AAE?
When I heard people calling the language I grew up with internet jargon or Gen-Z language, I wanted to flip some shit over. This really got me heated because all my life, I’ve been told that I am dumb, stupid, and less than—so much so that I needed to literally change the way I speak in order to “fit in” with society.
Only for my same language, my culture, to be slapped in my face as some trivial internet slang.
AAE is historic. It is deeply rooted. There are actual ways you are supposed to say certain words or phrases. There are meanings behind words or phrases that don’t match standard English. This is the main reason why, when someone speaks AAE and isn’t of the culture—when they are just using the words and phrasing to look cool, fitting them on like costumes—it comes across as fake, incorrect, and unnatural.
Cheugy (Gen-Z slang) may be slang.
But terms such as slay, bet, drip? Those have been in Black English since before I was even born.
AAE is NOT slang!
AAE is Not Slang!
Kitchen has been a staple term referring to the section of hair at the nape of the neck. I think it’s important to remember that slang, like most things, comes and goes. It’s in and out. It’s hot one day and gone the next.
But Black American English is here to stay. It will be here, passed down through generations of Black folks—enslaved ancestors who had to learn a language without reading it or being taught it. Not only did they have to learn the white man’s English (and I use that loosely), but they had to learn how to communicate with other enslaved Black folks—melding cultures, traditions, and languages. That is what led to the birth of AAE as we know it today.
For me, it is extremely important to emphasize that AAE is not a subsect, a second-class citizen of American Standard English. It is its own amalgamation of rich history, survival, love, resistance, and culture—a culture so deep that people around the world are using Black American English terms and phrases.
Our language isn’t something easily forgotten, lost in time, or treated like fast fashion.
Our language is rooted—the heartbeat of conversation, a reflection of resilience and strength.
Word of the Month
Kitchen (noun):
The hair at the nape of the neck, which is typically shorter, kinkier and considered more difficult to style.
If you want to read or hear my poem being read by me, please visit here: Crown
Cover done by: Weaver’s Deep Thoughts.
A speculative fiction poem written by E.A. Noble.
Also, here is a really cool video I found that said the words way better than me. Check it. “No, AAE Is Not ‘Slang’
