This Am a Minstrel Stereotype, Right?
A longstanding mystery of Black English may finally be solved.
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Episode Notes
A common minstrel trope implied that Black English was once replete with what linguists call the “generalized am”—that is, using the verb form “am” with pronouns other than the first-person singular. But is there any evidence that African Americans actually spoke that way? John McWhorter investigates.
Podcast production by Mike Vuolo.
