[Ads-l] "Crying Wolof"

Wed Mar 9 11:17:13 UTC 2016

AAV
bag:
1) habit; custom; tradition; way; way of life; something one does
habitually; someone thing ONE ENJOYS
2) one’s own skill, TALENT, or area of expertise; one’s job; one’s THING
(in the song that you mention, he's saying he has a new “thing”...and he
mentions several trendy dances or “new things” in the song. However, I do
not rely on songs to dig my own language...it is my birthright and I
understand it naturally)

Wolof
ba:x 'habit'; 'custom'; 'tradition'; 'a traditinally done thing' (Wolof
standard orthography: baax g-)
baːxɔː 'to possess one's own gift' (DFW); 'to have (something) as a
customary activity or practice' (Wolof standard orthography: baaxoo)

I don’t like to rely on dictionaries, for understanding my own language
however, Mahmoud El-Kati, a renowned native African-American historian and
professor from Minnesota published The Hiptionary. In this book, he defines
“bag” as follows:

AAV
the thing(s) that you do, value, or believe; things one values or lives
by;  part of your personality

Let's compare that with Wolof:

Wolof
mbaːxɛːl 'a moral value'....ultimately from Wolof baːx 'habit'; 'custom';
'tradition'; 'a traditionally done thing' (Wolof standard orthography: baax
g-); Cf. Wolof baːx 'morals (of a nation)' (Wolof standard orthography:
baax y-)

This is why “bag” also means for us, a “moral code” or “value”

We have to stop selling the myth that AAV is mutually intelligible with
so-called Standard English, a myth strongly promoted by linguist John
McWhorter. This exchange we're having is simple enough to illustrate that
the two languages are NOT necessarily mutually intelligible, requiring
code-switching on the part of native African-Americans to be fully and
properly understood.

On Wed, Mar 9, 2016 at 11:08 AM, Margaret Lee <
0000006730deb3bf-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Margaret Lee <mlee303 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "Crying Wolof"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> James Brown's 1965 hit, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," refers to learning
> ne=
> w dances.Much of my research involves the study of African American
> English=
> , especially its=C2=A0impact on mainstream American English and popular
> cul=
> ture.
>
> --Margaret Lee
>
> =20
>       From: Z Rice <zrice3714 at GMAIL.COM>
>  To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU=20
>  Sent: Tuesday, March 8, 2016 3:05 PM
>  Subject: Re: "Crying Wolof"
>   =20
> Thank you for letting me know.
>
> The OED provides the following reasoning for the AAV term "bag": *Meaning
> "person's area of interest or expertise" is 1964, from African-American
> vernacular...probably via notion of putting something in a bag."*
>
> I offer the following definition (as a native speaker) and the following
> etymologies as a researcher:
>
> *bag* *n* one's own quality; one's own skill; one's own talent; one's own
> gift; one's specialty; one's own area of expertise; one's job; one's
> "thing"; a part of one's personality or make-up. [African origin: Wolof
> *ba=CB=90x=C9=94=CB=90* 'to possess one's own quality or gift' (DFW); 'to
> h=
> ave (something)
> as a customary activity or practice' (JLD) (Wolof standard orthography:
> *baaxoo*) *=E2=99=A2* ultimately* from* Wolof *ba=CB=90x* 'habit';
> 'custom'=
> ;
> 'tradition'; 'a traditionally done thing' (Wolof standard orthography:
> *baax** g-*); *Cf.* Wolof *fekka baxa* 'special'; 'specially'; *ku fekka
> baax* 'one who has a specialty'; *m=C3=B2o ko fekka baax* 'It is his/her
> specialty' (DFW)
>
>
> I'd like to see the field of research into AAV improved, taken more
> seriously, and the "Cry Wolof" myth put to rest once and for all.
>
> Please note: If the formatting is lost via the mailing list server, one can
> simply go to the Preview document to find the original:
>
> https://www.scribd.com/doc/303169199/Preview-The-Myth-of-Cry-Wolof-and-the-=
> Case-for-Wolof-Etymologies#page=3D8
>
>
>
> On Tue, Mar 8, 2016 at 7:24 PM, Salikoko S. Mufwene <
> s-mufwene at uchicago.edu=
> >
> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.
> =
> EDU>
> > Poster:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 "Salikoko S. Mufwene" <
> s-mufwene at UCHICAGO.EDU=
> >
> > Subject:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Re: "Crying Wolof"
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
> >
> > I had no problem with the original link.
> >
> > Sali.
> >
> > On 3/8/2016 10:23 AM, Z Rice wrote:
> > > Thanks, Mark; could you please let me know which link is not working
> fo=
> r
> > > you? I tried all of them, btw, and they work for me. Let me know which
> > link
> > > isn't functioning for you and I'll look into it. Thanks.
> > >
> > > On Tue, Mar 8, 2016 at 5:19 PM, Mark Mandel <thnidu at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > >> -----------------------
> > >> Sender:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.U
> =
> GA.EDU>
> > >> Poster:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Mark Mandel <thnidu at GMAIL.COM>
> > >> Subject:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Re: "Crying Wolof"
> > >>
> > >>
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
> > >>
> > >> Clicking on that link brings up
> > >>
> > >> You are not allowed to view this document.
> > >> Sorry, we can't display this document.
> > >>
> > >> Mark Mandel
> > >>
> > >> On Mar 8, 2016 9:20 AM, "Z Rice" <zrice3714 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >>> Good Morning to All,
> > >>>
> > >>> I recently published a critique on the myth of "Crying Wolof" and a
> > study
> > >>> on Wolof retentions or "Wolofisms" in the United States. This study
> > >>> includes the actual origin of 'hip', along with 'shuck', 'dig' and
> mu=
> ch
> > >>> more.
> > >>>
> > >>> I've made a special document available that allows readers to access
> =
> a
> > >>> preview of the study. Readers can access the preview document by
> > clicking
> > >>> the following link:
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>
> >
> https://www.scribd.com/doc/303169199/Preview-The-Myth-of-Cry-Wolof-and-th=
>
> e-Case-for-Wolof-Etymologies?secret_password=3Deg99qbL55WOLpO0S8bk7#fullscr=
> een=3D1
> > >>
> > >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> > >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org/
> > >>
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org/
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> > --
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> > Salikoko S. Mufwene=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=
> =A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 s-mufwene at uchicago.edu
> > The Frank J. McLoraine Distinguished Service Professor of Linguistics and
> > the College
> > Professor, Committee on Evolutionary Biology
> > Professor, Committee on the Conceptual & Historical Studies of Science
> > University of Chicago=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0
> =C2=
> =A0 =C2=A0 773-702-8531; FAX 773-834-0924
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> > http://mufwene.uchicago.edu/
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>   =20
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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