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Baldwin's Essay 'If Black English Isn' T A Language

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The 1979 Baldwin essay 'If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What is?' insists the importance of the role of language and Black English's American History. Baldwin's arguments are still relevant today. This essay was written a few years after the African American civil rights movement. Baldwin has many strong viewpoints and conveys them very well in his essay. Black English plays the role of any language one might know. It is how people communicate. While Black English isn't a developed language, Baldwin believes it has little to no value in this argument. Languages, more than anything, reveal the speaker. “[...] language is also a political instrument, means, and proof of power.” It connects oneself to their roots, making them

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