memes.cjtrowbridge.com

AAVE

2023-05-10T21:03:32+00:00

Okay, let's break down this Tumblr post using the requested theoretical lenses. This is a fascinating example of online discourse engaging with issues of language, race, and power. **Please note:** This analysis will be complex and may involve interpretation. I'll strive to be thorough, but theory application is often open to debate. --- **1. Visual Description** The Tumblr post features: * **A Screenshot of a Tumblr Ask:** A user asks "why do black people use you in the wrong context? such as 'you ugly' instead of 'you're ugly'. I know you guys can differentiate, it's a nuisance." * **A Response:** The response is simply the phrase "you a bitch." * **A Follow-up Explanation:** A longer text block from a user named “rsbenedict” dissects the linguistic phenomenon at play and frames it within the context of AAVE (African American Vernacular English). * **An Image:** A black and white picture of a man with a beard looking toward the left. * **Social Media Interaction:** The post has "notes" (reblogs, likes, etc.) indicating engagement within the Tumblr community. The visual layout highlights the direct confrontation of the initial question, the dismissive response, and then a more reasoned, explanatory follow-up. The image seems to be there as a form of emphasis. --- **2. Foucauldian Genealogical Discourse Analysis** * **Discourse and Power:** This post exemplifies how language itself *is* power. The initial question isn't merely a request for linguistic clarification; it's an assertion of linguistic dominance, implying that AAVE is "wrong" or "incorrect" because it deviates from a perceived "standard." The questioner positions themselves as the arbiter of correct language. * **Genealogy of "Correctness":** A Foucauldian approach would examine *how* the concept of "correct" English came to be, tracing its historical development within systems of colonial power, standardization, and the establishment of educational institutions. This "standard" English wasn’t naturally occurring; it was *constructed* to serve certain social and political purposes—often to marginalize other language varieties. * **Disciplinary Power:** The initial question functions as an attempt at linguistic discipline. It seeks to "correct" AAVE speakers and force them to conform to a norm. The rsbenedict response deconstructs this disciplinary power by demonstrating that AAVE isn’t a deviation but a systematic linguistic system. * **The "You a Bitch" as a Disruption:** The blunt response functions as a disruption of the power dynamic. It refuses to engage with the question on its own terms. It’s a form of linguistic resistance—a refusal to be corrected or explained. --- **3. Critical Theory** * **Hegemony:** The question implicitly reinforces the hegemonic power of Standard American English. Hegemony, in the Gramscian sense, is the dominance of one group's ideas and norms as if they were universal and natural. The questioner assumes that "correct" English is the norm, and AAVE is a deviation from it. * **Ideology:** The question reveals an underlying ideology that equates linguistic conformity with intelligence, education, and social acceptability. This ideology masks the fact that language is socially constructed and that different varieties are equally valid. * **Critique of Enlightenment Reason:** The rsbenedict response challenges the Enlightenment notion of a universal, rational language. It demonstrates that language is always embedded in social and historical contexts, and that linguistic rules are not objective but are shaped by power relations. * **Reflexivity:** The rsbenedict explanation *is* a form of critical self-reflection. It draws attention to the power dynamics inherent in language and challenges us to question our assumptions about what constitutes "correct" English. --- **4. Marxist Conflict Theory** * **Power Relations and Social Stratification:** The conflict here can be viewed through the lens of class and power. The questioner, often implicitly representing the dominant (often white, middle-class) culture, attempts to impose their linguistic norms on a marginalized group (Black Americans). * **Language as Symbolic Capital:** The ability to speak "correct" English becomes a form of symbolic capital—a resource that confers social status and advantages. Those who don’t conform to the norm are disadvantaged. * **Alienation:** AAVE speakers may experience alienation from mainstream society due to the constant pressure to conform to linguistic norms that are not their own. * **Resistance:** The blunt response "you a bitch" and the detailed rsbenedict explanation can be seen as forms of resistance against this linguistic oppression. They challenge the dominant ideology and assert the validity of AAVE. --- **5. Queer Feminist Intersectional Analysis** * **Intersectionality:** The post is deeply intersectional. It highlights the intersection of race, language, and power. Black Americans, particularly Black women, face unique forms of marginalization due to their race *and* their language. * **Subversion of Norms:** The response "you a bitch" is a deliberately subversive act. It challenges the norms of polite discourse and refuses to engage with the questioner's demands for linguistic conformity. This disruption can be seen as a form of queer resistance. * **Reclaiming Language:** By asserting the validity of AAVE, the post seeks to reclaim language as a tool of empowerment and self-expression. * **Challenging White Linguistic Supremacy:** The post directly challenges the notion of white linguistic supremacy—the idea that white ways of speaking are the standard and that other varieties are inferior. * **The Role of Affect:** The aggressive response serves a purpose and, from a feminist and queer perspective, can be seen as valid anger towards the presumption of linguistic correction. --- **In conclusion:** This Tumblr post, while seemingly simple, is a rich site for theoretical analysis. It exposes the power dynamics inherent in language, the ways in which social norms are constructed and maintained, and the possibilities for resistance and social change. It invites us to think critically about language, power, and the ways in which we interact with each other.

The meme is a conversation between two people on a social media platform. The first person asks why Black people use them in the wrong context, and the second person responds with a photo of two Black men making a "you a b*tch" gesture, followed by the response "you a b*tch." The second person then explains that this phrase is called "copula deletion" or "zero copula," and that it is not an example of a misused "you," but rather an example of a sentence that deletes the copular verb (a) which is a perfectly valid thing to do in that dialect, just as deleting an r/ after a vowel is a perfectly valid thing to do in an upper-class British dialect. The second person then explains that copula deletion is a set of grammatical rules just as complex and systematic as SAE, and that it is not an internalized racism, but rather a  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >   >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >   >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >   >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >   >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >   >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >   >  >  >  >  >  >  >  >   >  >  >  >     >  >  >   >   >  >  >  >  >   >  >   >  >   >  >   >  >     >    >   >      >     >