In James Baldwin’s essay “If Black English Isn't Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” (1979), he discusses that black English is an important part of the community and culture, and that it has evolved based on the experiences faced in America. Baldwin develops the idea by using his own personal experience while also including the background of other languages. This essay was written in order to tell about the impact that African American culture has had on English and to get readers to see language from a new standpoint. The intended audience is Americans who don’t understand the concept of black English.
I personally agree with this essay because of the fact that in this American society, believe that language is what they make it and nothing else. Different regions have been forced into turning into what the people in power decide to make it instead of allowing cultures their individual right to evolve as they see fit. Baldwin stated, “Now, I do not know what white Americans would sound like if there had never been any black people in the United States, but they would not sound the way they sound” (Baldwin). I could not agree more with this statement. He uses the example of jazz in the paper, and there are so many terms that Americans took from black english and made their own. If not for the experiences that blacks were put through in American then there wouldn’t be anything to be stolen, and only God knows what the language would be like if there wasn’t anything to be copied.
Baldwin uses plenty of examples from all around the globe to demonstrate the social impact on the role of language. He effectively supports his claim by giving in depth details. “People evolve a language in order to describe and thus control their circumstances” (Baldwin). The quote gives us the understanding that even if the main language is French, there could be many sub-categories. He further tells us that the man in Paris could be speaking an entirely different language than the man in Marseilles because of the different realities they must articulate or control. “The price for this acceptance, and achievement, of one’s temporal identity” (Baldwin). Here, Baldwin is saying that one’s language is part of their identity. He informs us about the conflict between the Basque and Welsh; the reason for their conflict is the determination to preserve their own language and prevent it from being destroyed. Even if it is a sub-category, people will try to preserve the language because it connects to who they are as a person. “Language is a political instrument, means and proof of power” (Baldwin). This quote is telling us that just by the language we speak, others can know our identity. Speaking a certain language could inform others that the speaker is rich or speaking the same language could inform people that they’re from the same hometown. Baldwin then explains the amount of knowledge others can obtain just by speaking a certain language. To open your mouth and speak in England, you have indirectly confessed your parents, youth, school, salary, self-esteem and future (Baldwin).
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