Date:  Mon, 3 Nov 1997 19:24:05 -0500
From:  Gregory {Greg} Downing <downingg[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]IS2.NYU.EDU>
Subject: Re: "it's all good"

At 07:01 PM 11/3/97 "Margaret G. Lee -English" <mlee[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]cs.hamptonu.edu> wrote:
>Exactly what are "authentic-sounding vernacular locutions"? Who or what
>determines authenticity? While no one has a monopoly on linguistic
>innovation, the linguistic contributions of African-Americans cannot be
>overlooked.
>

I was responding to a rather impassioned and I thought, as a general idea,
perhaps well-taken protest against the occasional tendency to assume that
any new slang not otherwise identifiable is AAVE. Linguistic innovation
happens in lots of ways, he seemed to be implying, and I thought I agreed. I
hope no-one on the list would overlook *any* kinds of contributions to
linguistic innovation, but the person to whom I was responding felt that
there was maybe a reflexive attitude at times about linguistic innovations
and AAVE. Maybe you'd quote his post and address his points if you disagree
with him; I can forward you a copy, if you like.

You mentioned in your last post in this thread that, "as with much slang
that eventually enters mainstream usage, "It's all good" originated in the
African American community about four years ago, essentially a product of
hip-hop/rap culture." I think tracking the phrase to ground wherever that
leads is the point of the exercise, and if you know for sure where and how
it originated, post the citations and the thread will naturally close.

Greg Downing/NYU, at greg.downing[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]nyu.edu or downingg[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]is2.nyu.edu