Les manifestations linguistiques de l’oppression : l’expérience des Afro-Américains

oleh: Renford Reese

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: L’Harmattan 2012-06-01

Deskripsi

The African Diaspora created many dynamic cultural phenomena, which invariably evolved from oppression, struggle, and emancipation. Linguistic patterns of resistance, in this context, have been one of the most significant cultural by-products of the diasporic experience. Creole evolved as a means of communication between the slaves of various tribes during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The pronunciation, grammatical structures, and vocabulary found in the Creole dialects of many populations of West African descent are similar. The spirit of defiance found in the Creole languages among blacks in the Caribbean is similar to that found in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in the United States. This paper will examine how African Americans have used language to resist cultural hegemony. In the absence of a mother tongue, blacks in the U.S. have created unique linguistic patterns that have created a «oneness» and an «otherness». Indeed, African Americans have utilized language in a myriad of ways to resist cultural assimilation and maintain a distinct cultural identity. The author will deconstruct how AAVE developed into a linguistic pattern of defiance. Prominent in the southern US, AAVE is a lexical construct that evolved from slavery. While powerless in other dimensions of American society, language has always provided oppressed blacks a uniquely liberating form of expression. From blues, jazz, funk, and jive talk to the urban street slang that infuses hip-hop culture, African Americans have consistently used language to distinguish themselves from their American counterparts. This paper will concisely examine the cultural manifestations that have evolved from language being used to resist cultural hegemony in America.