Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 02:34:26 -0500

From: Jim Crotty Monkmag[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM

Subject: Re: "it's all good"



In a message dated 11/2/97 6:31:11 PM, you wrote:



On Sun, 2 Nov 1997, STEVE ALLEN NOLDEN wrote:



Why does everything have to originate from AAVE or "Black Talk?"

Some phrases or sayings are just that, not because they originated from

black people, but just sayings. Damn!, why cant it come from "White

talk" and what exactly would white talk be? I'm not trying to offend

anybody its just that this "black talk" issue is kind of touchy for me.



Well, this notion of "black talk" is, in part, fostered by "black" writers. I

have a book on my shelf by Geneva Smitherman called Black Talk, which argues

that there is definitely a uniquely "black" way of speech. Though she doesn't

have "all good," she does have "all that." But I agree, I prefer to be

color-blind in most things, including vernacular. Though there are times when

words or expressions clearly come from a very specific racial group.