If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?

In the opening of “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” the rhythms and cadence of Baldwin’s writing style are immediately apparent: Two long, expository sentences open and close the paragraph and bracket the two short, direct middle sentences. This style, similar to the common verse structure A-B-B-A, is a hallmark of the essay. The cadence creates a rhythmic pattern that makes conspicuous the elements of language that linguists study: consistent sounds and structures.

By refusing any idea that language is a discrete, bounded object, Baldwin asserts that the true issue is the role of language, including how language “reveals the speaker” and can be used to “define the other” (Paragraph 1). This discussion establishes a sense of antagonism in the essay. While the title announces its argument about language, Baldwin immediately shows that the essay is less about an abstract concept than about the racism of those who subjugate Black people using linguistic weaponry. This paragraph establishes the theme of The Weaponization of the Power of Language with the idea that any attempt by one culture to define another culture through language is inherently controlling, condescending, and divisive.