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Where to find some slang by African Americans?

seaocean

seaocean

Taiwan

Hi, there~

I’m so impressed by the sweetness of you guys. Every day there are so many questions popping up here, and you guys always give us some good pointers on how to improve our English or some answers to those questions. Thank you so much. And I do learn a lot on the website. =)

Several questions here.
(1)When do you say “I rest my case”? I know it’s often used by attorneys in courts. But people often use it in daily life as well.
(2)When do you say “it’s not my dime”?
(3)What’s “someplace higher”? I saw it on the website and the sentence is “we wanted to keep her safe at home, but destiny called her someplace higher”. What does that mean?
(4)Do you guys like Nelly? His latest album named “nellyvilly” is very impressive. However, they lyrics can’t be easily understood. Where can I find some slang spoken by African Americans? Or are there any websites offering the interpretation of those type of lyrics? Besides that, if you guys do listen to his music,what do you think the conversation on track 8? I do like the way the black customer talks. However, do you know the real word he’s talking about? I can’t figure it out.

Thanks for taking the time to read the message. Just wanna say I love you guys. And thanks a bunch . =)

Gary from Taiwan


03:30 AM Nov 14 2002 |

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seaocean

seaocean

Taiwan

Dear Soholt~

Thanks for your help. After your explaination, I know how to use these words now. Thanks a bunch. However, I still have a question. Do most Americans, especially white guys or older people, understand those slang spoken by African American? If they don’t, where can they find the information for reference or dictionary kind of stuff? I believe there must be some websites arming people with this kind of reference? Right?

02:43 AM Nov 23 2002 |

Bex

Bex

United States

Well hello again, Gary!

>>Several questions here.
(1)When do you say “I rest my case”? I know it’s often used by attorneys in courts. But people often use it in daily life as well.

 You use this phrase to mean you've been proven right about something. Let's say you feel Joe is a loser and you are arguing this point with your friend, Becky. Becky says, no, Joe is not a loser! Then Bob, who knows Joe, comes in and announces with disgust that Joe lost his job AGAIN. You look smugly at Becky, fold your arms and say, "I rest my case". Becky is speechless. She has been proven wrong.

(2)When do you say “it’s not my dime”?

Usually used in conjunction with a phone call, when waaaaay long ago a call cost a dime. You will also hear quarter used, (here's a quarter, call someone who cares) though it is 50 cents now. "Not my dime" means it costs you, personally, nothing. So if someone asks to use a phone and they say they will pay you for it, but you don't pay to use it anyway, then it is not your dime. Also used to mean that while you personally pay nothing, someone else has to. I didn't explain that one very well. Let me work on more examples.


(3)What’s “someplace higher”? I saw it on the website and the sentence is “we wanted to keep her safe at home, but destiny called her someplace higher”. What does that mean?

Someplace higher means a higher (greater) purpose. Safe at home is not a higher calling, but becoming a doctor is. Or a Mayor, or anything that is above average. 

 

(4)Do you guys like Nelly? His latest album named “nellyvilly” is very impressive. However, they lyrics can’t be easily understood. Where can I find some slang spoken by African Americans? Or are there any websites offering the interpretation of those type of lyrics? Besides that, if you guys do listen to his music,what do you think the conversation on track 8? I do like the way the black customer talks. However, do you know the real word he’s talking about? I can’t figure it out.

Heh. You and the African American slang thing. I can actually help you here. ...Or i could, if I could find my CD. sighs I'll get back to you on that track then, but in the meantime a great deal of that slang is intuitive and not easily explained. Heck, I have to have some of it explained to me and much of it is just incredibly broken English. However, here are some links for you:

http://www.voxcommunications.com/slang15.htm

http://www.riceplate.com/rap/rap.php

http://goinside.com/97/10/slang.html

Peace out, homes! 

10:53 AM Nov 27 2006 |

Pearlgirl121

United States

Hi Gary,

Bex is right…Black slang is largely intuitive/rapidly evolving and not easily explained (ergo, few references exist). I don't speak much slang myself, but when I hear it, some I immediately understand and some I don't so I ask. It is a combination of a lot of different things.  Historically, since slavery we have had to concoct our own coded language/ terms to communicate messages (after all, if you're picking cotton under your slavemaster's watchful eye and you want to discuss escaping among other slaves who all speak different African dialects, you have to come up with something common to all).  Now, I think its just an ingrained part of our culture to "tweak" the language (& sometimes confuse people…lol!).

     Some terms are just words in which certain letters are left out for greater ease of use [i.e. if you're free flowing or rapping, it is easier to say "aight" (1 syllable) than it is to say "alright", or to say "fitty" instead of "fifty"].  Some terms are regional (i.e from the Deep South) and spread to other areas.  Some is broken English (& not necessarily just black, again i.e. in parts of the South). Sometimes it it a functional reference (i.e."kicks" instead of "shoes").  Sometimes, it is a random word with no association at all, or an association from a movie/song/weel known person/ characteristic (like when Blacks were wearing jheri curl hairstyles in the 80's we called them "juicys" because the products used to maintain them made our hair wet to the point of dripping (like "juice" from a fruit…you get the point). Points of origin are endless.

 

Regarding Nelly's song, I looked up the lyrics (I've never heard the song…not really a hip-hop kinda girl) & will try to clarify some of the slang in [] brackets.Forgive me if I am over-simplistic:

(customer)
Yo yo yo, my man yo  [Yo=hey.  In this case, a greeting but can be used to call someone in the same way that you would use hey]


(employee)
Yeah man, what can I help you with?

(customer)
Yeah, you gotta say you got me on this one,look [I had to ask someone. He's basically telling the employee "you have to help me out with this"]


(employee)
Wha'da ya need, wha'da ya need? [Wha'da=what do (its the 2 words run together), ya=you.  What do you need?]


(customer)
Ya got the new nelly? ya got that in, the new nellyville, you got that right? [Do you have the new Nelly (cd)? Do you have that in, the new Nellyville (cd), you have that in right?]

(employee)
What is that, rap or something?

(customer)
Yeah

(employee)
I think we just sold outta it man. [outta= out of]

(customer)
Sold out? ! come on brother, it's the 4th, 5th store I've been to today, they all sold out [they are all sold out.."are" was left out]


(employee)
We're all sold out

(customer)
Come on man, you gotta help a brother out, I'm in a desperate situation here

(employee)
I'd love to help ya, my brother
(customer)
I gotta nice little sexy little thang waitin for me at the crib and all she wanna hear is nelly, I'm tryin to get it, do ya feel? [at the crib= at home, do you feel= do you understand me/my situation] [Basically his girl is waiting for him at home and all she wants to listen to is Nelly so he's trying to get it for her]

(employee)
I hear ya, I hear ya, ya gotta get the mood going…ya know  [I hear ya= I understand you/your situation/what you're saying, you have to set the right mood…you know]

(customer)
That's what I'm tryin to do pimp ju..  [pimp juice= probably a reference to a song, "Pimp Juice", by Nelly.  We are known, especially in the South, for giving each other nicknames/references, like when girls call each other 'girlfriend']

(employee)
Pimp juice? !

(customer)
Look man, just let me, let me…...can ya download it for me, something? ?

(employee)
Naw man, we can't do that here [Naw=no]

(customer)
Mp3, you can't?

(employee)
No we can't, mp3 I'm sorry

(customer)
Lemme take one of these listening machines or somethin and bring it back to ya tomorrow  [lemme= let me]

(employee)
Ya fuckin crazy, my boss would kill me man

(customer)
Look man, just check in the back, do whatever you gotta do [do whatever you have to do]

(employee)
Hold on, lemme see what I can do for ya bro, lemme see….(pause)
Man this is the last one I got

(customer)
I'm cool

(employee)
It's the clean version, that's all I got, I found the clean version for ya

(customer)
It's the clean version? !

(employee)
Ya know…the new one, nellyville?

(customer)
Ya say they ain't no cussin on it or nuttin? [you are saying that there is no cussing or anything? (nuttin=nothing)]

(employee)
Ya want it? [Do you want it]

(customer)
If that all you got.. [if that is all that you have…]

(employee)
It's hip-hop

(customer)
Aww damn, aight, aight, gimme that man, I just gotta make it happen now, I just gotta [alright, alright, give me that man, I just have to make it happen (meaning, I have to get that cd to set the mood for my girl at home who is expecting me to show up with this cd)


(employee)
Alright, alright, hurry up though, we got people waitin in line here, they've been waitin for a long time [waitin=waiting]

(customer)
Yeah alright, go ahead and give it to me, I'll take it

(employee) good look dawg [good decision]

(customer)
Aight [alright]


Hope this helps!

Pearlgirl121, Los Angeles

08:00 PM Jul 07 2009 |