February 17

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https://bit.ly/hype-2025

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I. Announcements​

• Remember to look for the right dates under "CYPHER" to find your readings!
• If you are 100% sure of your presentation's topic, add it to the sign-up sheet.  Do NOT duplicate a topic.​

• All presentation links must be emailed (with editor access) the day before (the slides do not need to be complete)
• Next Presentations are Wednesday, 2/19: Davis + Trace; Paige + Kate

Our Current Topic:
Black Language & the Innanets

II. Black Rhetoric/Black Language... On(the)Line

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A. What is Black Language? (Also called African American Language, AAVE and much older--- Black English)

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B. Our Main Research Lens

• The Black Rhetoric of Call & Response: see last Wednesday's class
• The Black Rhetoric of Signifyin: see students' slides
• Tonal Semantics (Examples=Make A Way Outta No Way, Make It Make Sense, Stay Ready so You Don't Have to Get Ready)
• The Black Rhetoric of Semantic Inversion: see students' slides
• The Black Rhetoric of Directness
• The Black Rhetoric of Narrative Sequencing

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C. Our Secondary Research Lens

• Proverbial Statement 
• Spontaneity and Improvisation (vs. code-switching; see reporter--- Carmen's favorite) 
• Image-Making and Metaphor (see Home Depot)
• Braggadocio
• Exaggerated Language (see student's slides & L.L.)
• Mimicry (vs. code-switching--- see L.L. Cool J and Jamie Foxx)
• Punning/Play on Words (see Home Depot, Carmen's other FAVORITE)

These research lenses come from the 1977 work of Geneva Smitherman.

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WARNING: Explicit language from reporter

III. Your Turn Now

"How You Gon Win When You Ain't Right Within?"

(2-minute clip)

"Stay Ready So You Won't Have To Get Ready"

(start at 1:06:42 to 1:13; notice how Rev. Haynes describes BL)

Mama Said Knock You Out by L.L. Cool J (1991)

Note: "You Gotta Just Knock Em Out" were words of advice from L.L.'s grandmother to reignite his rap career