Black English

In addition, there are five countries, or 333,746,000 people, for whom English serves as a native tongue (Jordan 364). Approximately 10-12 percent of these native speakers are Afro-American. Obviously, numerous forms of English now operate inside a natural continuum of development. For example, it can be supposed that the Standard English in Malaysia is not the same as the Standard English in Zimbabwe. Certainly, the standard forms of English for black people in the United States do not copy that of caucasians. In fact, the structural differences between these two kinds of English have intensified, becoming more "black" or less "white," despite the expected homogenizing effects of television and other mass media (Jordan 364).

. . .
in all parts of the United States--as far away as Oregon (Dillard 117). Today, many black activists believe that English is a foreign language, inexact and inadequate to fully express the human-rainbow totality of the essence of being black (Kalamu ya Salaam 67). It is also a language that is symbolic of the enslavement of the Afro-Americans. Since Afro-Americans were denied access to their heritage during the colonial period and through modern times--until recently--Afro-Americans developed their own approach to English and began to express themselves musically with this language. During slavery, religious service was often the only organized form of collective self-expression for the African slaves which met human needs and was also acceptable to the dominant population. The music that is considered classic "Negro Spirituals" was codified into a cultural force in the late 1800s. The spirituals were "spruced up" and presented as concert music, beginning in 1871, by the Fisk Jubilee Singers (Kalamu ya Salaam 68). It was not until the early 1900s that the music known as Gospel developed. The two best known exponents of this music were Mahalia Jackson and composer/pianist publisher Thomas A. Dorsey. Initially, Jackson, Do
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Standard English, Black English, Pidgin English, West Indies, Standard English--in, Winsboro Solomon, Jackson Dorsey, English Zimbabwe, Plantation Creole, Cotton Mather, standard english, black english, pidgin english, kalamu ya, ya salaam, plantation creole, kalamu ya salaam, black students, winsboro solomon, speakers black english, black children, speakers black, ya salaam 68, standard english word, african pidgin english,
Approximate Word count = 3187
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Black English