Black English

James Baldwin makes a compelling argument in his essay “If Black English isn’t A language, What is?’ regarding language and the roll it plays in our cultural and even personal identities. Baldwin goes to state that language is a political instrument and proof of power, “It is the most vivid and crucial key to identity: It reveals the private identity, and connects one with, or divorces one from, the larger, public, or communal identity.” Baldwin shows that language can be broken down to many parts and through language a person reveals who he or she is.

 

Baldwin also addresses how the Black English has helped develop and influence the White Americans English. He mentions that he wonders what white Americans would sound like if there had never been any black people in the United States. He supports his claim that the language of the black cultural is to get just as much credit as the language of the white cultural for the formation of the English we speak today. He uses the example of  how the White Americans  have adopted the Jazz Age and without the black cultural influence, the Jazz we know would not be the same.

 

Baldwin uses good historical evidence to support his claim and leaves out logical fallacies that may provide the reader with false information. Baldwin is very descriptive offers the reader many examples to further support his claim. It can also be trusted that James Baldwin is a credible author for he has experienced different forms of language by living in the United States and France and also his background of being involved in the Civil Rights Movement.