"If Black English Isn't a Language,Then Tell Me, What Is?" by James Baldwin

This week's reading is James Baldwin's essay "If Black English Isn't a Language Then Tell Me What Is." Baldwin explains the meaning of language as a "temporal identity," that "divorces one from the communal community." As he expounds on this point, Baldwin's explanation of language is indisputable. Perhaps, the most powerful phrase that I saw in Baldwin's essay is:

                                    A language comes into existence by means                   of brutal necessity, and the rules of the                 language are dictated by what the language                     must convey"

No honest truth have been spoken than this quote from Baldwin. It also does not fall from what we have been discussing in class and what my narrative essay tried to convey. Language is a great tool. It is an indelible mark between people that makes it plausible for them to express their ideas, thoughts and concepts to each other. For a person outside the language "umbrella"-so as to speak- to understand this language, will be a "smash" to them. Why? Baldwin suggests that "language reveals too much about oneself." He gives an example: "to open your mouth in England...you have confessed your parents, your youth, your salary, your self-esteem and, alas, your future." Watching the documentary 7 up makes this claim more potent than not. I don't know if these children lived in England, but some lived in parts of London. You could predict-by looking at the lives they had as kids -whether with regards to school, or interests- then, you could tell what their future was like - a claim that might not always be true. However, the general picture is that the way a person speaks can tell you their whole story-if only you can understand their language.

Baldwin continues with another great quote, "It is not the black child's language that is in question, it is not his language that is despised: it is his experience." Baldwin says a child cannot be taught to let go of his experiences. It cannot be forced to enter a "limbo" in which she is not black or white. What Baldwin says here goes in line with his quote, "language is a proof of power." Language is an attribute that shows the world how distinct a particular group is. For whites who could not or might not still understand black English, power is taken away from them in this regards. For when every person or group develops a language, they tell the world they are independent, strong and capable. Probably, another scary fact is having a language shows ownership. However, that scares people. For those who are used the status quo, that idea is a great grief on their minds.
For us who speak a different language, we should not view it as a way of assimilating into a new culture, but as a "new language" of our own culture that we have the privilege to understand and own when most people around us don't.