Hiram L. Smith, PhD - Part II - African American English: History, evolution, use/misuse
Today we are once again talking with Hiram L. Smith, PhD, Associate Professor of Spanish and Linguistics at Bucknell University. My last podcast with Hiram felt like a cliffhanger…we barely scratched the surface of the language subject matter! Fortunately, Hiram was willing to come back for more.
Before I get into the description however, I want to provide any potential listeners with a warning. We cover some aspects of language that some people may find triggering. In the latter part of our conversation, we are discussing Hiram’s upcoming book: an academic analysis of the history and usage of the “N” word. I emphasize that we talk aboutthe word in an analytical and historic way; its linguistic origins and the evolution of its usage over time. If you find this troubling, do not listen to this episode and try any of my others.
With that PSA out of the way, other things we talk about include Hiram’s brief (and sadly very frustrating) stint working as an expert lexicographer on the Oxford Dictionary of African American English (ODAAE) which is intended to be an in-depth resource for defining terms unique to African American English. We hear about his frustrations, but he also shares a few of those terms, their history and usage.
We also continue our discussion, started in our first episode, about the misuse, misunderstanding and misappropriation of some of these uniquely AAE words and phrases.
Hiram also discusses “semantic bleaching”, the “recency illusion” and many other linguistic concepts that were certainly new to me!
It was really funny to learn that language “purists” have been complaining about how young people are ruining the language since the time of Plato! But as Hiram told me, the evolution of language is neither good nor bad, it is merely inevitable.
Once again, I felt like I’d attended a free (and very fun) “Master Class” in linguistics!
Please join us in our conversation!
Note: I dedicate this episode to my recently deceased brother Steve. He was a wonderful man, a best friend, a great supporter of my podcast, and is missed terribly. More on that in the recording.
