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

“The argument has nothing to do with language itself but with the role of language.”

In just the second sentence of the essay, Baldwin communicates his plan for a vast analysis not only of what constitutes a language but also of the many effects exerted by language. He indicates that instead of narrowly addressing the existence or nonexistence of Black English as a language, his thesis will focus on the broader cultural argument over the wide-ranging phenomena given the label “Black English.”

“Language, incontestably, reveals the speaker.”

Baldwin asserts here that how a person uses language—such as word choice, pronunciation, inflection, and direct versus indirect expression—can’t help but reveal who that person is, including factors such as where they grew up and many aspects of their background. Simultaneously, using only five words, Baldwin presents his statement as incontrovertible fact, daring anyone who disagrees to provide an evidence-supported counterargument.

“People evolve a language in order to describe and thus control their circumstances, or in order not to be submerged by a reality that they cannot articulate.”

This sentence provides the foundation of Baldwin’s joint thesis of the purpose of language along with the specific functions that make something a language. The first half of the sentence is the thesis, and the second half of the sentence theorizes the likely consequences of the lack or loss or destruction of language. The word “submerged” evokes an image of death, emphasizing the stakes of his argument.