Black Speech and the Traditions of Storytelling

1
Black Speech and the Traditions of Storytelling

• 1. Oral Tradition as Liberation Narrative
• - oral tradition in West African
• societies
• - oral tradition in Caribbean and African
• American communities
• 2. Written Tradition and the Problem of
• Language

2
Willem Bosman (1705)

• They tell us that in the beginning God created
  Black as well as
• White Men thereby not only hinting but
  endeavouring to prove
• that their race was as soon in the the World as
  ours and to
• bestow a yet greater honour on themselves, they
  tell us that God
• having created these two sorts of Men,
  offeredGifts, viz, Gold,
• and the Knowledge of Arts of Reading and Writing,
  giving the
• blacks the first Election, who chose Gold, and
  left Knowledge of
• letters to the White. God granted their request,
  but being
• incensed at their avarice, resolved that the
  Whites should for ever
• be their Masters, and they obliged to wait on
  them as their
• Slaves (A New and Accurate Description).

3
Oral Narration in West African Societies

• Yoruba Tradition of IFA
• sacred oral texts
• Babalawos
• Santería and Shango

4
Geneva Smitherman

• NOMMO
• Nommo is the productive power of the
• Word it is life forcethat which is
• necessary to actualize life and give
• people mastery over things and their
• Circumstances (Talkin and Testifyin
• 78).

5
Oakland Board Resolution

• Now, therefore, be it resolved that the
• board of education officially recognizes
• the existence and the cultural and historic
• bases of West and Niger-Congo African
• Language Systems, and each language as
• the predominately primary language of
• African-American students.

6
African American Vernacular English

• Verb to be in American English Do you know that
  Sonny is working?
• Verb omitted in AAVE And, Sonny, he working,
  you know.
• Verb inserted in AAVE Sonny, he be working all
  the time, shows continuity.

7
Theresa Perry

• "Black Language is the last uncontested arena
• of Black shame . . . . We have let go of a good
• deal of the shame attached to Black hair. Not
• that it is all gone. Black soap opera and
• singing stars as well as Black academics now
• proudly sport dreads, braids, Afros, natural
• hair styles. Black Language is largely an
• uncontested arena of Black shame (Ion
• Know Why They be Trippin).

8
Marlene NourBese Philip

• The Africans encounter with the New
• World was catastrophic and chaotic how
• does one and how ought one to manage
• such an experience in poetry and in
• writing? How does one make readable
• what has been an unreadable
• experience? (298)

9
Marlene NourBese Philip

• As a writer, I had been aware for some
• time of a reader over my right shoulder
• white, Oxford-educated,and male. Over
• my left shoulderin the shadowswas
• an old wizened and wisened black
• woman (297).