How we speak, especially in casual conversation, often goes without thought, but there is a complex relationship between race, class, and language. Slang is a phenomenon in language that consists of words and phrases, commonly considered informal, that have meanings understood by particular groups (“Slang”). Languages have slang widely used, but often it is generational and geographical. Although largely regarded as informal, some slang gains an entry in dictionaries and becomes official words in the broader language. Moreover, slang is commonly used– it is so important in everyday conversation that we often don’t know if the phrases we are using are slang or where the terms originated from. 

Most of the slang used today traces its origins to the Black community, especially the Black queer community, and African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Words used widely by internet culture and younger generations, like woke, bae, lit, and tea, can all be traced to African American women in the 1950s and drag culture adopting the terms in the later decades (Tremeer). These AAVE terms were popularized and adopted by broader American culture and were deprived of their histories and context. Cultural appropriation is the “the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture” (“Cultural appropriation”). Since non-Blacks often use these AAVE-influenced words without credit or understanding, their use fits the definition of cultural appropriation.

This can be dangerous and oppressive, especially when looking at the commodification and exploitation of Black culture. Companies use marketing strategies that utilize slang terms in order to seem relatable and “woke.” However, when people of color use their own slang, they are seen as unprofessional and undesirable (Tremeer). Whites also borrow from AAVE to appeal to broader audiences, like Ariana Grande in her song 7 Rings, without having to combat the oppression that Blacks face when participating in their own culture (Cherid). Furthermore, in a study published in the Journal of Sociolinguistics, the researchers conducted research on European Americans in a racially diverse high school and found that white males often adopted aspects of AAVE to project an air or toughness and hyper-masculinity, aspects that are often associated with the Black male, and gain “tough” Black men as allies (Bucholtz). 

European Americans can gain respect and power from participating in Black culture, but members of the Black community often face discrimination for doing the same, especially in academics. Schools in the United States, at every level, are instructed to teach Standard English and discourage the use of certain dialects and speech regarded as informal. Since dialects are often related to race, geography, and class, the discouraging of dialects can discriminate against marginalized groups, like how preventing students from using AAVE discriminates against the Black community. Vershawn Ashanti Young states in his essay, “Standard language ideology insist that minority people will never become an Ivy League English department chair or president of Harvard University if they dont perfect they mastery of standard English” (113). Without ascribing Black culture with respect in the academic world but continuing to exploit it for gain contributes heavily to maintaining the stereotype that minorities are less educated and, therefore, less equipped for academic pursuits.

So how is it that spoken English is so heavily tied to AAVE and Black culture, but Standard English completely denies its influence and refuses to give it any respect. White European Americans, while not always intentionally, want to continue marginalizing people of color while profiting off of their cultures. Moreso, we want to participate in other cultures without thinking critically about our actions. Most of all, school systems completely disregard most of Black culture and history, making it impossible for non-Blacks to learn about the relationship between Blacks and American history, culture, and language without seeking the knowledge out themselves. Stanley Fish cites many reasons why dialects are not included in the English curriculum, in particular. His main argument is that, while Standard English and its enforcement in schools contributes directly to “protecting the status quo,” schools are meant to prepare students for entry into the real world where not all dialects are equal; students will not “be able to change the world” without mastering Standard English (Fish). However, the perpetuation of the status quo does is cyclical– if the education system does not address the issues regarding representation and respect of minority cultures in the curriculum, then students will continue to learn one sided history and white-washed English, while gaining little information on the cultures that make up a large portion of the greater American culture. 

School systems need to combat this by teaching the history of other cultures, particularly minority cultures within the United States. American History classes fixate on the founding fathers, the Civil War, the Gilded Age, World War II, and so on, without taking an interdisciplinary look at how race relations and minority communities affected each of these events. A study was conducted in a diverse classroom where intolerance was common. The teacher made their students give presentations on their cultures, and afterwards, the students were more accepting of diversity (Serin, 174-176). Encouraging understanding of other cultures will encourage respect. Making the curriculum include more diverse narratives and perspectives will allow for students to learn the rich history of the culture they might be participating in subconsciously while also learning to appreciate it, not appropriate it.  

Works Cited 

Babbel.com, & GmbH, L. N. (n.d.). Is it cultural appropriation to use drag slang and AAVE? Babbel Magazine. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/cultural-appropriation-drag-slang-aave. 

Bucholtz, Mary. “You Da Man: Narrating the Racial Other in the Production of White Masculinity.” Journal of Sociolinguistics, vol. 3, no. 4, Nov. 1999, pp. 443–460. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/1467-9481.00090.

Cherid, Maha Ikram. “‘Ain’t Got Enough Money to Pay Me Respect’: Blackfishing, Cultural Appropriation, and the Commodification of Blackness.” Cultural Studies/Critical Methodologies, vol. 21, no. 5, Oct. 2021, pp. 359–364. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/15327086211029357.

Fish, Stanley. “What Should Colleges Teach?” New York Times, 7 Sept. 2009.

Serin, Hamdi. “Teaching about Respect and Tolerance with Presentations on Cultural Values.” International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, Vol. 3, No. 4, June 2017, pp. 174-176. Doi: 10.23918/ijsses.v3i4p174.

Young, Vershawn Ashanti. “Should Writers Use They Own English?” Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies, Vol 12, Issue 1, 2010, pp. 110-118.