Isaiah
01-06-2005, 09:36 AM
This particular webpage is for all of you who say that, either, African Americans have brought nothing to the American cultural scene, or have had our African Culture completely erased from mind and memory... For the young people, it is important for you to read, and not just depend on the spoken word or visual media for your historical information... Please read, and if you have comments on your READING feel free to post...
http://www.transafricaforum.org/reports/africanisms_issuebrief1199.pdf
1
Africanisms in America
An intellectual debate persists surrounding African cultural
tie-overs in America. Many believe, based upon the works of
sociologist Franklin E. Frazier among others, that the
oppressive conditions of slavery in the United States
separated Africans in America completely from their brethren
on the mother continent. Another group of scholars led by
Mellville J. Herskovitz exposed compelling cultural,
linguistic, and social parallels to African culture, especially
those cultures in West Africa, and African-American culture.
Despite the claim that Africans could not retain their culture
after a dramatic shift in living conditions, an evident cultural
legacy suggests the opposite. Africanisms in America have
not only survived, but also continually evolve. The American
cultural fabric is intricately interwoven with the culture of
Africa.
Language
Much of the research associated with Africanisms in
American speech focuses on the African survivals found in
the Gullah dialect of the Sea Islands. The impact of Gullah
culture on the larger African-American population was not
pronounced due to their relative seclusion. However, there
are examples of African linguistic links in common English.
According to Dalby in Rappin’ and Stylin’ Out (1972), some
researchers have shown either direct African “loans-words”
in American English or mixtures of meanings and sounds
with origins in the languages of West Africa.
A partial list of some commonly-used African words or
derivatives found in American or African-American English:
The English slang "funky", meaning strong odor, may be
derived from the Ki-Kongo word for bad odor, lu-fuki. The
Bakongo use of lu-fuki may be closer to meaning "funky"
when used by jazzmen in America. Both use it to praise
persons for the integrity of their art.
"Goofer dust" in African-American culture literally means
grave dust. Goofer may stem from the Ki-Kongo verb
kufwa (to die).
Mandingo, Hausa, and Ibo words have also been found in
spoken English. These include: cooter (turtle) from
Manding; cola from Temne; okra from Akan and Western
Bantu languages; mumbo-jumbo, a corruption of the name
of a Mandingo secret society; juju (fetish, amulet) from
Hausa and/or Mandingo; buckra (white man) from Efi.
Other words that find their origins in these language groups
include: yam, gumbo, hoodoo, goober and pinder (peanut),
okay, and tote.
The "toby" found in African-American culture to mean good
luck charm has its origin in the word tobe, the general word
for charms for the Kongo.
bad (esp. in the emphatic form baad): as used in the sense of
“very good, extremely good” found in Mandingo (Bambara)
bad-mouth: “slander, abuse, gossip” (also as a verb); from
Mandingo da-jugu and Hausa mugum-baki, which literally
mean "bad mouth" in both cases.
bamboula: “vigorous style of dance”; from Banyun
bombulan and similar terms in other languages on the
western coast of West Africa.
banjo: “stringed musical instrument”; from Kimbundu
mbanza.
bogus, bogue: “fake or fraudulent”; from the Hausa
boko-boko “deceit, fraud.”
boogie (-woogie): “fast blues music”; from the Mandingo
bugB, “to beat drums.”
cat: “man, fellow”; from Wolof Kat “denoting person as
final element in compound” (e.g. hipi-kat, hep-cat).
guy: “fellow, person” esp. as term of address; from Wolof
gay.
hip, hep: “well informed, alert, aware, of what is going on”;
from Wolof hepi, hipi “to open one's eyes, be aware of what's
going on"; hence hipi-kat means someone with his eyes open,
aware of what is going on.
rooty-toot: “old-fashioned music”; and rootin-tootin, “noisy,
boisterous”; from Wolof ruti-tuti "rapid drumming sound."
wicked: as used in the sense of "excellent, capable" found in
Mandingo (Gambia).
zombie: “ghost, raised corpse”; from Kindundu nzumbi
"ghost, phantom."
Artifacts
__________________________________________________
Researched by Maurice Mitchell and Carrie Solages, Interns-
TransAfrica Forum
November 1999
TransAfrica Forum
1744 R Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009
Tel: 202/797-2301 Fax: 202/797-2382
E-mail: info@transafricaforum.org
www.transafricaforum.org
http://www.transafricaforum.org/reports/africanisms_issuebrief1199.pdf
1
Africanisms in America
An intellectual debate persists surrounding African cultural
tie-overs in America. Many believe, based upon the works of
sociologist Franklin E. Frazier among others, that the
oppressive conditions of slavery in the United States
separated Africans in America completely from their brethren
on the mother continent. Another group of scholars led by
Mellville J. Herskovitz exposed compelling cultural,
linguistic, and social parallels to African culture, especially
those cultures in West Africa, and African-American culture.
Despite the claim that Africans could not retain their culture
after a dramatic shift in living conditions, an evident cultural
legacy suggests the opposite. Africanisms in America have
not only survived, but also continually evolve. The American
cultural fabric is intricately interwoven with the culture of
Africa.
Language
Much of the research associated with Africanisms in
American speech focuses on the African survivals found in
the Gullah dialect of the Sea Islands. The impact of Gullah
culture on the larger African-American population was not
pronounced due to their relative seclusion. However, there
are examples of African linguistic links in common English.
According to Dalby in Rappin’ and Stylin’ Out (1972), some
researchers have shown either direct African “loans-words”
in American English or mixtures of meanings and sounds
with origins in the languages of West Africa.
A partial list of some commonly-used African words or
derivatives found in American or African-American English:
The English slang "funky", meaning strong odor, may be
derived from the Ki-Kongo word for bad odor, lu-fuki. The
Bakongo use of lu-fuki may be closer to meaning "funky"
when used by jazzmen in America. Both use it to praise
persons for the integrity of their art.
"Goofer dust" in African-American culture literally means
grave dust. Goofer may stem from the Ki-Kongo verb
kufwa (to die).
Mandingo, Hausa, and Ibo words have also been found in
spoken English. These include: cooter (turtle) from
Manding; cola from Temne; okra from Akan and Western
Bantu languages; mumbo-jumbo, a corruption of the name
of a Mandingo secret society; juju (fetish, amulet) from
Hausa and/or Mandingo; buckra (white man) from Efi.
Other words that find their origins in these language groups
include: yam, gumbo, hoodoo, goober and pinder (peanut),
okay, and tote.
The "toby" found in African-American culture to mean good
luck charm has its origin in the word tobe, the general word
for charms for the Kongo.
bad (esp. in the emphatic form baad): as used in the sense of
“very good, extremely good” found in Mandingo (Bambara)
bad-mouth: “slander, abuse, gossip” (also as a verb); from
Mandingo da-jugu and Hausa mugum-baki, which literally
mean "bad mouth" in both cases.
bamboula: “vigorous style of dance”; from Banyun
bombulan and similar terms in other languages on the
western coast of West Africa.
banjo: “stringed musical instrument”; from Kimbundu
mbanza.
bogus, bogue: “fake or fraudulent”; from the Hausa
boko-boko “deceit, fraud.”
boogie (-woogie): “fast blues music”; from the Mandingo
bugB, “to beat drums.”
cat: “man, fellow”; from Wolof Kat “denoting person as
final element in compound” (e.g. hipi-kat, hep-cat).
guy: “fellow, person” esp. as term of address; from Wolof
gay.
hip, hep: “well informed, alert, aware, of what is going on”;
from Wolof hepi, hipi “to open one's eyes, be aware of what's
going on"; hence hipi-kat means someone with his eyes open,
aware of what is going on.
rooty-toot: “old-fashioned music”; and rootin-tootin, “noisy,
boisterous”; from Wolof ruti-tuti "rapid drumming sound."
wicked: as used in the sense of "excellent, capable" found in
Mandingo (Gambia).
zombie: “ghost, raised corpse”; from Kindundu nzumbi
"ghost, phantom."
Artifacts
__________________________________________________
Researched by Maurice Mitchell and Carrie Solages, Interns-
TransAfrica Forum
November 1999
TransAfrica Forum
1744 R Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009
Tel: 202/797-2301 Fax: 202/797-2382
E-mail: info@transafricaforum.org
www.transafricaforum.org