The Paradox of Wokeness

[@TheJoYo]

I'm old enough to remember when "stay woke" means "stay vigilant". Literally no different than "stay safe out there".

[@SunnyDaysAOK]

Weird how something that was specific for African Americans is now demonized by White Supremacy Inc.

[@mikeoveli1028]

TheJoyo From the left the term has not changed. The problem is the right began to use the term for anything that they didn't like.

[@NJ-wb1cz]

Woke meant aware, not really vigilant. Aware of your own truth as opposed to adopting the mindsets what the society or media or other social classes are constructing for you. The opposite of "woke" is "being gaslit"

[@PROTVGONIST]

@@NJ-wb1cz Precisely. And “woke” isn’t even meant to align with a particular philosophy or ideals. It is a way of being - an awareness that’s meant to help us survive.

[@mattd5240]

Just use a different word.

[@notoriouswhitemoth]

"Stay woke" originally meant the same thing as "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance", but said in a way that "rose above the level of plain narration"

[@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245]

Exactly this comment. Don’t let American mass media change important words. Stay woke!

[@dontcomply3976]

​​@@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245LOL mass media, you mean the plebs, right?

[@jakethegreatest473]

​@@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245but don't be fake woke.....

[@macmcleod1188]

It's not just American media. The get woke, go broke comment came out of the result of feminist buying businesses and running them on feminist principles. This included giving intentionally bad service to men at their restaurants, refusal to order products for men at their comic stores, and eventually attacking male customers of their razor products, and making a major Hollywood Blockbuster where the females were closed in loose-fitting costumes and every man in the movie was both weak and bad. This version of woke has a high degree of misandry. This is different than other uses of the term.

[@ghosthunter0950]

ahhh today more than ever people have unfortunately forgotten that quote. we in the west take our freedom for granted way too much.

[@Maren617]

I’d love a video on the euphemism treadmill, mostly because it’s SUCH a pain for us foreigners. We learn words and naively use them, only to discover we’ve just unintentionally been very insulting and worthy of being cancelled. The new correct words are then slowly introduced into learning materials, but have already become the new insults by the time foreigners innocently learn them by heart.

[@journeyfortwo5211]

Don't bother trying to keep up

[@almishti]

As an American who lived a decade in UK and now reaches English in north Africa, I can assure this problem is more common with Americans. Try to talk more with British or Commonwealth speakers, it's just less fraught. 😅

[@RickJaeger]

I despise how insistent my online American peers are on teaching foreigners slang and cusses from nivhe subcultures and getting them to use the words. I don't understand the enjoyment they get, but even moreso it places the foreigner in an awkward state of trying to use these unfamiliar words in appropriate contexts. The result of their use is only to (A) single the user out either as (i) a member of the subculture (which may not be approved of by the wider culture or by more elitist types-like if, for example, the word makes you sound "uneducated" or "radical") OR (ii) an obvious _pretender_ of the subculture (which ranges from cute to embarrassing to insulting), and (B) attach the foreigner's understanding of the English language to slang, i.e. the VERY CLASS OF WORDS most likely to shift in meaning and in what they connote about the user. It guarantees that the non-native speaker is being introduced to words most certain to humiliate them, confuse them, and become useless to them in the near-future.

[@cashnelson2306]

@@RickJaeger did you comment on the wrong reply? How is that relevant to what OP said? That said, do you have an example of what you’re talking about?

[@RickJaeger]

@@cashnelson2306 it's pretty obvious how it is relevant. It's not a response _to_ OP, if that's your stumbling block.

[@lynettereid1345]

Another vote for the complexities of mood and tense in African American English

[@bearmandev]

On jah.

[@lesbian-samurai]

It happened!

[@bestdjaf7499]

It's like describing the complexities of the prison language & gang signs.

[@JGarcia-yr9fx]

@@bestdjaf7499yikes

[@xilefm-4517]

Woke as a word seems to have semantically bleached of any specific meaning in most contexts it's used. When I encounter it, it's usually an extremely vague pejorative, like how one time I saw someone one refer to a passenger train as woke.

[@Pining_for_the_fjords]

Exactly what I was going to say. So many different and seemingly unrelated things get described as "woke", it's just a generic pejorative used to described whatever the right-wing media is complaining about onthe day.

[@AndrewKay]

It's become a general-purpose word useful for criticising anyone who cares about anything, without having to justify (to that person, or to the speaker themselves) what's wrong with that.

[@ladybluelotus]

😂 That's utterly ridiculous. A train 😂

[@WhichDoctor1]

thats just a routine strategy for the far right. They've done it with critical race theory, groomer, woke, and are now doing it with DEI. They are words that used to have commonly understood and useful definitions, but the far right have done their best to strip them of any consistent or even comprehensible definitions in the public sphere and just turned them into buzz words for vague all-pervading fear of change and difference that allow them to condemn people and organisations and objects and concepts as being somehow morally dangerous without having to identify any specific harm. They are now words engineered to be thought ending clichés. Bypassing the logical brain and causing a purely emotional reaction based on media conditioning. After all, if words dont have definitions, if they don't make logical sense, then they can't be countered with logical argument or reason. And the far right always do best playing of visceral emotions. So if they can take the debate out of the realms of reason all together and into a mess of words that only really represent undefinable fear and anger then those arguing with reason and facts end up punching smoke

[@JEQvideos]

The Republican controlled House of Representatives had an investigation into wokeness and one of the things they identified as woke was working remotely from home. Woke just means anything about the political left or anything that the left likes or is concerned with. If they are pressed on the issue, as in court cases where someone has to testify what it means, they basically default to CRT.

[@user-ld9fi1xd2v]

African American English is an interesting topic to explore.

[@languagejones6784]

I’ll definitely have more on it. There’s lots of misinformation out there, even if it’s unintentional and well-meaning

[@mayanightstar]

yes hi where can i learn more I want AAE to be my next big youtube education rabbit hole

[@phillipanselmo8540]

african american _vernacular_ english

[@phillipanselmo8540]

​@@mayanightstarxidnaf has a pretty good introductory video to it

[@VolkColopatrion]

Yeah it's an effort to be respectful But ultimately pathological Isis like colored person and person of color it's the same crap

[@jeffreygob617]

LANGUAGE JONES YOU KILLED THAT GUITAR GOOD SHIT THAT WAS AWESOME

[@languagejones6784]

Thank you! I’ve been thinking about adding another channel for music

[@hurkagyurka121]

There's no need! It's some groundbreaking cooking right here that you use music to convey linguistic concepts. Imo, it should become regular that you storytell by music. Afterall, music is often times using language to draw up stuff.@@languagejones6784

[@JerPlaysGuitar21]

As a guitarist for my high school's jazz band, this is a welcome surprise 😅 I'll have to take notes on your improv approach, 'cause I have a solo in our next concert that I'm NOT prepared for. Anyways, awesome playing 🫡

[@TotoDG]

@@languagejones6784. Please do! Having a linguistics channel _and_ a music channel would make you so cool!

[@EchoLog]

🎸Lickage Jones 🥴

[@tennesseedarby5319]

I would totally love to see a video exploring the complexities of African American English. I just love it because it feels both foreign and familiar at the same time!

[@theshrew2804]

A few videos ago I recall you mentioned something about language learning with ADHD and/or autism. I’d love to hear what research or other such resources exist covering the topic.

[@kpopgrrl]

I second this

[@misstalulah9063]

I third it. Pur-leeeeeaaaase!!

[@Xubuntu47]

Yes, yes, yes. I am literally living this right now with my Japanese studies. It is so frustratingly slow. Four years on, and anime is still mostly unintelligible (though it now sounds like language rather than gibberish). I speak another language muuuuch better; I was immersed in it for a few years in my 20's and 30's. My Japanese sucks by comparison.

[@emile_fa]

Please

[@FinMarx-iu7jz]

I fourth this, HUZZAH!

[@FeliciaFollum]

I made a video on this a while back!!! It's been so frustrating literally being WOKE is what kept my biological father from being murdered by the KKK before he was. Being woke is how he stayed alive 🤦🏽‍♀️ so frustrating!!! And I'd love to see the video on how Black English has more tenses 😁😊🖤

[@FeliciaFollum]

Yesss!!! I'm so over white people telling me what woke means, like y'all have no freaking idea.... And I loved this entire video !

[@ErikWithBrain]

Reminds me of the show Lovecraft Country where one of the characters creates a safe travel guide for Black people in early 20th century US. Like literally being woke and aware was a lifeline.

[@jemiller226]

@@ErikWithBrain That travel guide was based on a real thing, "The Negro Motorist Green Book".

[@ErikWithBrain]

@@jemiller226 Thanks for that reference.

[@chlorineismyperfume]

​@FeliciaFollum I think it's more of an age thing than just the recent change in direction (to derogatory) for the meaning of woke. We in Australia in the 90s were definitely using woke to mean "maintain awareness" and it was an encouragement. What we've seen the last several years is such bollocks, it hasn't got much meaning and has lost all positivity. I hate it. @felicia damn, sorry that happened to your dad. .living in fear is horrible. The world needs to bring back that strong meaning!

[@endrawes0]

You can play music at the end of every video. That's cool

[@languagejones6784]

But I played everything I know Just kidding. I like the idea. I was toying with making another channel

[@ladybluelotus]

Agreed!

[@garystcroix2868]

yep, just do it ;-)

[@zerotoanime3953]

Totally agree as a black man. Been saying this for the longest.

[@timy9197]

Same

[@PuzzleQodec]

Yeah, I wouldn't have known if it weren't for this video. I feel a little more enlightened today. (Dutch guy here.)

[@kayodesalandy]

Found your channel through your video on the complexity of Black English! The people wanted it and you delivered my friend. I'm a fan!

[@semanticman]

Yes please a video about the specifics of how AAE articulates nuance not explicit in classroom American English! I’m just a humble pop linguist, but I’ve been enamored of this topic since I was assigned McWhorter’s Word on the Street in 2001.

[@YouAREyoubeYou]

Once you understand that AAVE has grammatical consistencies and nuance that it can be used as an actual language then you will understand why some Black American children struggle for many years in American public schools. They have to essentially learn a new language to a degree that White American children have been speaking their whole lives. This is why that hardest subjects are reading/comprehension and writing.

[@neiotik]

I wish I didn't have the first response I did when I saw the video but I'm glad I pushed past the initial heart sinking exhaustion from seeing those four letters on the internet because I trust you to pull something worthwhile out of the mire.

[@KevinAbroad]

"Words mean what people make them mean" So well put lol

[@scaredyfish]

Unfortunately, this can be weaponised to render once useful and descriptive words useless and vague.

[@Gobear1]

When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.

[@h4724-q6j]

@@scaredyfish Nothing's being "weaponised", that just happens sometimes. I also wouldn't say "useless"; if they were useless people wouldn't be using them. Words adopt different uses that you may not recognise at first.

[@scaredyfish]

@@h4724-q6j It does just happen sometimes, but sometimes bad actors deliberately misrepresent current usage in order to change it. Sure, the word is still useful, but only for propaganda purposes, rather than its original intent.

[@h4724-q6j]

@@scaredyfish I really don't think we're running out of words.

[@sjenkins1057]

More videos on the grammar of AAE would be great. Back in the 80s I saw a lot of the same arguments about ASL, and is it really a language of in its own right with all of the sophistication that implies (I believe yes), as opposed to just signed English; this seems very analogous to AAE being called just slang or wordplay.

[@Sir_Austin_T_Gee]

*AAVE

[@fritzlang3472]

I would be very interested in an overview of ASL and how it is similar or differs from spoken English. It is, after all, a mother tongue for a lot of people, and it seems to sit in a sideways position to "standard" English. Are there parallels to AAVE?

[@Colyde25]

@@fritzlang3472what kind of parallels do you suggest? I think there could be many as both groups were/are ostracized by greater society due to the way they express their thoughts through language. The first parallel I thought of based off of your curiosity was both of the languages are developed by a minority group who developed their own dialect out of greater society not making it easy/impossible to integrate with the majority so a coloquial language for the inner group to speak was born. This mainly being out of cultural context was developed. Although where the two separate is that ASL is standardized a bit as AAVE is not, as it’s a dialect than a separate language per signing (requires standardization for letters/actions to be interpreted) Could this be a parallel you would find applicable?

[@99temporal]

​@@fritzlang3472 ASL is, mostly, not at all related to spoken English... Specially since ASL came from the LSF(french sign language) while being completely different from British sign language

[@GlitteryGlitz]

So ASL is a different language than English whereas AAVE is a sociolect of English; a sociolect being a dialect by social barriers rather than geographical ones

[@GordonKindlmann]

If only all academic youtubers could just bust out musical treats like that. Nice!

[@personbear]

It reminded me of Cody Johnston's video about how Trump was tryïng to kill the postal service (USPS), which he ended by playing "Such Great Heights" on... I think 'twas uke?

[@LambentIchor]

Interesting that 'shook' came up, because it is a feature of Hiberno-Irish. The number of matches between Hiberno-Irish and the English of the African diaspora in the US and Caribbean Islands is always interesting to me as an Irish person. How much is due to contact and how much is a kind of parallel evolution.

[@Thebluebridgetroll]

Many, many Overseers (so paid white employees of plantation owners) in the Anglo sphere were Irish, Scottish, or of Irish or Scottish descent. Purely a result of Social class and economics, mind-the Irish immigrants to the South and the Caribbean sinply didn't have the cash to run a plantation or own slaves-so most of the day to day english enslaved persons came into contact came off the lips of Irish or Scottish (and other, lower class British) people, and so reflect some of those features

[@LambentIchor]

@@Thebluebridgetroll The British began sending Irish people to the Caribbean as far back as the early 15th century under Charles I, though thousands were send there during Cromwell's time. Then when you add in all the indentured servants who left Ireland. So I know about that. But that goes back a long time, and it seems unlikely that all of those matches were preserved over hundreds of years, though some certainly might.

[@getsugaallen6612]

It's a whole book called Whence The Irish Of Jamaica

[@getsugaallen6612]

You might agree or disagree with it but you're not the first to notice this

[@reespace]

I've always said that Irish people speak the way West Indian people do and everyone laughed at me. But I would hear it immediately whenever I heard either group speak. Thanks for clearing that up for me. I knew what I was hearing.

[@seadawg93]

YES! I would LOVE a video on AAVE being more complex than classroom English!

[@M4TCH3SM4L0N3]

I REALLY want you to tackle the history of the word "based," which originated with AAE and was adapted by a musician, adopted by the alt-right online (there's a WHOLE book about incels, hip-hop, and appropriating Black culture by the people who were sucked into the alt-right movement by way of Gamergate waiting to be written), and recently disseminated gradually across internet subcultures over time by proximity to recruiting efforts.

[@languagejones6784]

I think you’re right, both about that book and about the topic of “based.” I’ll add it to my list of videos to make!

[@Anerisian]

A bit of a hyped up internet fairytale. Repeated over and over. What actually happened was, that early adopters of social media were mostly from the “social justice” subculture. How do we know? Just look up know your meme, and see the precursor trend called “social justice blogging”. The hyper-hostile style was probably a result of the novel design social media, and the “reblog” function. We can also draw from research that shows a high correlation to mental illness. As history wanted it, this subculture became dominant over night with the sudden relevance of social media. Now this bizarro American identity “intersectionality” ideology was shoved into the mainstream and became hegemonial as large numbers of ordinary people poured online into the new social media landscape, and traditional media dissolved. Gamers were another, ie. rival, online youth subculture. More international, more male. The conflict of “gamergate” is largely a subculture clash with the previously mentioned faction. People will pretend it is about one thing or another, but that’s just narrative. In reality, the conflict was but a turf war. The charge happened to be led by “games journalists” allegededly because of “sexism” etc. Sarkeesian was one last grasping of straws of relevance, maintained with clickbait trolling and by deliberately engaging with subsections of trolled gamers. Just look the facts. Games journalism became obsolete. Digitial downloads, steam and above all Let’s Plays took it all away from games journalists. PewDiePie, a swedish gamer, suddenly was the biggest name on KZbin. That’s no accident. It also shows the polarisation. While the American intersectionality bullies took over social media, some corners remained “old imternet”, including KZbin. There is lastly a concurrent trend. When all this happened, and everyone - even your old aunt - went online, also the American Right went online and they astroturfed a lot of stuff, or propped up many that where simply pissed off by the “intersectionality” faction. You can see traces of “unite the right” in the way the corner around Dave Rubin was flooded with money and trying to catch disoriented younger viewers.

[@Nikola_M]

@@Anerisian Touch grass. I mean take some time off the internet to think about what you said. Does it really make sense? Also, you should explain what you mean by "intersectionality" as that isn't a word that is known outside your circle.

[@cashnelson2306]

⁠@@Anerisiani will never get those thirty seconds back😢

[@zacharybosley1935]

Hoh boy, that was a landmine

[@ghostofmybrain]

language jones and geoff lindsey on the same day???

[@languagejones6784]

Oooh I gotta go see what he did! I love his stuff

[@swayze_mane]

this reminds me of the time this random lady i passed on the street corrected my De La Soul t shirt "no it's stakes ARE high"

[@idontwantahandlethough]

that's funny as hell

[@RedScareClair]

​@@idontwantahandlethoughand if we're honest...a little annoying... But mostly funny 🤣🤣

[@MatheusLegenda]

I am interested in the talk on the complexities of AAVE. Another vote for it.

[@meridien52681]

Sure, let's hear your take on African American English. I'm intrigued. I'm a 71 year old Black woman who's heard her share of scholarly dissections of it. Should be interesting for me and a whole lot of enlightening for viewers of the majority culture. Thanks.

[@RaW_Chaos]

post video what are your thoughts?

[@boomboy4102]

I would absolutely be interested in a video explainer on why African-American English grammar, especially around tense, aspect and mood on verbs, is more complex and sophisticated (yes, I said it) than standard class room English.

[@mjb7015]

I would also love that, as well as an extension comparing the TAM of AAVE with that of (other?) English-based creoles, like Australian Kriol, Jamaican Patois, Tok Pisin, and so on. I find they seem to have surface-level similarities to AAVE, but haven't been able to explore further.

[@mjb7015]

@FreePigeon I can't claim to speak for languagejones, but I don't think he'd appreciate that kind of Anglocentric racism here.

[@KateGladstone]

@FreePigeonIf you mustn’t say or write the reason, may you link to it?

[@carlbrooks2612]

The primary ingredients in the development of American English were largely other types of English. AAVE has direct influence from these same dialects but also African and Creole languages as well as a stronger French/Spanish influence. My guess is that drawing from a more diverse set of languages = greater understanding of the fluidity and sophistication of conversation.

[@iluomobravo]

It is most definitely less sophisticated. If it were more sophisticated, it would not require constant clarification tags like “you feel me?”, “you know what I’m saying?”

[@gc2009able]

Yes please a video on how AAE's tense/mood structure is more complex than classroom English!

[@moka8267]

And sophisticated!

[@willful759]

At this point I really should grab a bottle before watching any of your videos, also +1 on that AAE grammar video!

[@languagejones6784]

Shots shots shots

[@DrustZapat]

Another vote for the AAE concept you mentioned as its own video. Also, this video was a pleasant surprise from start to finish. Thanks!

[@languagejones6784]

Thank you! I’m glad you liked it

[@johnnzboy]

"Baby can't be woke cos she been shook." Deliciously dark :) Superb video, came for the linguistics but stayed for the admirably woke sentiments and the sweet sweet music at the end. Bravo!

[@Seamussor]

I was not expecting that statement here, but I cackled maniacally as soon as I heard it.

[@wafelsen]

An instance of this participle I hear a lot is my staff at a deli asking “do you want it toast?” where I would say “do you want your sandwich toasted?”

[@thekendemetrishow]

YOOOOOO your producer played drums at my church in the 90s and was my little brothers first teacher. Great dude I’m about to text the last number I have for him…

[@dontcomply3976]

The reason woke took off as an epithet was because was a replacement for the overly verbose 'politically correct'

[@josephmother2659]

Yeah that’s what I don’t get because they don’t mean the same thing at all and are not interchangeable. Political “correctness” is not woke or anti-woke, it’s political correctness.

[@dontcomply3976]

@josephmother2659 I agree it's not exactly the same but pretty close. And the think the difference is mostly due to how we think of a woke person today as opposed to a politically correct person 20, 30, 40 years ago. Can't quite put my finger on it, but perhaps the woke are true believers, and the politically correct are more so the commissars.

[@rodderzjay358]

I don't believe its close to political correctness. The word has been around for decades and its more about knowledge of yourself and systems because once you are aware of these things you can navigate society better and not get taken for a token. The word has completely been flipped around

[@jamesphillips2285]

@@rodderzjay358 The people shouting down "woke" people don't want people to be aware of injustice in society. It perfectly suits their agenda to dilute the real meaning.

[@zivaughn]

The term “stay woke” was just used in a song called “Scottsboro Boys” in 1938 meaning to stay vigilant/aware of racial injustice. Black people used the term “woke” from that point until conservatives co-opted it and claimed it meant everything but what it actually meant. So, no, it does not mean to be politically correct. It means be aware of societal practices and systems that can cause you harm.

[@spitflamez]

When I saw the MAGA people wearing shirts saying “Awake not Woke” I was like whaaaaaaaaat? Then I hear them say all kind of stuff that is far from woke as being woke, I figured it was a new scapegoat term.

[@joemielcarek589]

🥴Durrrr duh MAGAs

[@donatist59]

"Awake" appeals to Trumpist nostalgia for "Deutschland Erwache!"

[@chlorineismyperfume]

I see it as any group now use it to describe the in-group "awareness" or, if you want to get really snarky, their "talking points" for whatever cause they're passionate about, i.e. climate activists use it, flat-earth science deniers love telling people to "wake up" and that they're "awake" (maybe no one wants to use "woke" anymore 😂), and of course the political and social crusaders are woke AF. Scapegoat term sounds about right!

[@reespace]

I always tell them in no uncertain terms, when they use the word woke in any way, "That's not what woke means."

[@ProfessorLion9576]

Enjoyed your video and the Jones Jams

[@languagejones6784]

JONES JAMS! 😂

[@DirtBlockGames]

I’d love a video on the complexity of AAE! I think it would generate a lot of engagement too

[@Artemis583]

Ok I just watched your later video on AAE being more complex than SAE and need to confirm that yes the sense of loss you noted here is so real. It's nice to see someone who gets it explaining to everyone else. Looking forward to your book.

[@yondaime500]

My Little Pony used the word "woke" in the 2018 episode Fake It 'Til You Make It. They were parodying someone who uses it to mean something vaguely positive without really knowing what it means. I doubt they would do the same today.

[@mjp121]

Went into this wary of twisted politics, happily surprised at the nuanced and informed breakdown

[@Multi1]

How I define woke as that you are extremely self-aware on how the world works (and therefore how terrible it is), and or, how to change the world for the better.

[@ThatRedhedd]

Me too, thats what it used to mean, but we cant use it that way anymore because the right wing has stolen it and changed the meaning into a negative one that means, "people who want to mutilate genitalia."

[@magpielark]

As an Australian, AAE trickles into language even here. Seeing white people here blatantly use AAE-derived slang, I can't help but cringe a little. It's hard to compare, but I feel like the meaning of some of the words/phrases has drifted even further from the original meanings en route across the Pacific. I've recently been making an effort to stop using AAE-derived slang because I'm neither African nor American. In one sense, I feel like I'm using words that don't 'belong' to me culturally, and in another sense, I feel like I'm letting American culture and language completely dominate my own. I don't remember AAE-derived slang being so prevalent in Australia or so ubiquitous online maybe 15-20 years ago, but maybe I was just too young to notice. I guess it's good that the online Anglosphere isn't just dictated by nerdy white guys, but maybe it's all just aesthetics and it's still just as white as it always was.

[@itoibo4208]

Oh, do you come from the land down under? In that case, to honor your language, I will never again say shrimp on the "barby".

[@breakfreak3181]

Well, America has been the dominant cultural force in the Anglosphere for almost 100 years now, and black people in America have had a huge (disproportionate) influence on American popular culture, so it's no surprise that you would hear Americanisms over in Oz, and by extension, the use of AAE terms (in particular amongst younger Australians, because popular culture is driven by the young). Let's also not forget that the internet, and it's ubiquity in everyday life, means that worldwide 'cultural exchange' is now instant.

[@Foshiisland]

I wouldn’t stress about it - language like life is all about sharing culture. That’s why I don’t hesitate when I want to “take a selfie,” “chuck a u-ey,” or tell some that there are “no worries” as an American.

[@gooseboy4025]

Or we can just stop being racist about languages, and people for that matter. Language can be used very creatively, sometimes for good, sometimes for bad. And just as it's good that the online anglosphere isn't just dictated by so-called 'nerdy white guys', it's also good that it isn't dictated by 'nerdy black guys' too. We are all beneficiary to it, our vocabularies and cultures grow for the better. What must be fought against at all costs are those who wish to gatekeep or restrict languages. Stupid comments like "you are not so you can't say ", by that virtue the accusing party should also refrain from using words from the accused culture. Either we all mix and celebrate language, or nobody should. No race deserves special privilege over the other

[@uranusneptun5239]

I live in GERMANY! and I could say the same... You don't even know the cringe levels of people using those AAE words mixed with German, while being a native German speaker. But the worst was a couple of weeks ago when in a car park I heard these loud teenagers (who all were "black") call themselves the N-word in every sentence! My first reaction was being "shook" and my thought was "OMG that's so racist". I know it might sound weird but for German teenagers even if they're "black" it doesn't feel alright or natural to say that word. Especially because the English form is the worse German form of 2 and sounds very pejorative. And I don't think it's appropriate to use it even for them. They are not culturally attached directly to the origin of this becoming a slang word. They're not African American and most likely also not the descendants of slaves. They're just Germans with an African background. Anything else would be racist...

[@nebula3271]

Your vidoes have taught me that I shouldn't try to borrow AAE terms I hear in music etc. I appreciate that!

[@hermitthefrog8951]

"Shook... not stirred." - Jim Connection, agent 700

[@RedLianaK]

Thank you! I felt so alone thinking a lot of these things. Nice to have an expert confirm it

[@languagejones6784]

There’s dozens of us!

[@elliottedwards2094]

DEFINITELY want a video on African American English please.

[@anthonyamaro998]

When I first encountered woke culture, I was fully supportive of its goals. The movement’s commitment to addressing systemic inequalities and advocating for marginalized communities resonated deeply with me. However, my perspective has evolved over time. I now believe that woke culture, in its current form, has become excessive and counterproductive. One key issue is the increasing sensitivity and offense people take over minor issues or differing viewpoints. It seems that the manner in which someone phrases their thoughts or describes their experiences can sometimes lead to disproportionate reactions. This heightened sensitivity can overshadow the original intentions and prevent constructive dialogue. Instead of fostering understanding, it sometimes leads to more division. Moreover, I am concerned about how some aspects of woke culture have influenced the interpretation of historical events. While it's crucial to learn from the negative aspects of history-such as racism and other forms of discrimination-to prevent repeating them, I worry that some efforts to rewrite history can overshadow the need for an accurate and balanced understanding of the past. History should be a tool for education and growth, not just a battleground for ideological conflicts. I believe that while fighting for one’s beliefs is important, it shouldn't require extreme measures or the constant pursuit of proving one’s point at any cost. Advocacy should be grounded in reason and aimed at fostering genuine progress, rather than escalating tensions and creating new forms of conflict. On the political front, I am disheartened by how both the Republican and Democratic parties contribute to misinformation and conspiracy theories. This behavior often exacerbates divisions and undermines constructive discourse. Instead of focusing on baseless claims or sensational narratives, both parties should strive to provide accurate information and engage in meaningful dialogue. In summary, my perspective on woke culture has shifted from enthusiastic support to a more critical view. While I still value the core principles of advocating for justice and equality, I believe that the current approach often leads to over-sensitivity, historical revisionism, and political polarization. Striking a balance between activism and reasoned discussion is crucial for meaningful progress

[@raindanse8466]

Woke culture? Who tf is the “woke culture”. You guys are keeling me bruh with this stupid sht. I, I just can’t. “They not like us” frfr.

[@mattd5240]

It doesn't matter if a group starts out with good intentions. If you start adopting the same attitude and behaviors of your enemies, you will end up becoming your own worst enemy.

[@kintayatkinson3037]

We were saying WOKE decades ago. Most of our stuff gets stolen and ruined by those that aren’t part of the culture

[@prodigykitty3614]

As what we have always seen, it gets stolen and weaponized.

[@BradLad56]

Part of the culture? You took woke from English and slapped your own definition on it you hypocrite.

[@luckilew]

​@@prodigykitty3614bingo

[@SuonoReale]

Dr Jones, I love this video. @7:42 Is music considered a language by linguists? why or why not? Furthermore, do different parts of the brain interpret conventional language versus music? What is the purpose of music? Obviously, these questions go well beyond linguistics, and into ontology (half-joking).

[@krisdabrowski5420]

An analogous situation for comparison, is English loanwords in Japanese, where the loanword takes on its own meaning related but distinct from the original. For example, "Naive" in Japanese loanwords means "Emotionally sensitive" and does not have any of the connotations of "Sheltered, inexperienced, idealistic, gullible" in English.

[@igortirkajla8042]

Or any word stemming from ancient Greek or Latin - many of them have deviated (not so) slightly from its original meaning. Somewhat funny example for me is the word that in North-Macedonian means fruit and in Russian means vegetable, and they are pronounced almost identically. What I want to say, this happens all the time and in all languages.

[@o80MiM08o]

Ok but that outro was actually amazing

[@thatguy9502]

old enough to remember when woke meant to have your eyes opened to the systems of the world and see it for what it is an not being asleep in life. and those in power known this and decided to make it negative to keep the masses "slept".

[@jfair1914]

This guy is the truth. I really appreciate how he approaches linguistics.

[@clarepotter7584]

Language is how people use it, true. One of the best ways to stop your teenagers using the latest words, is to use the same language back to them. It suddenly becomes less on trend. 😆

[@mck20012]

I’m glad to have found this page and yes the African American language is complex. Sometimes it’s about where you are at the moment, who’s being spoken too and the mindset at that particular time. Also it can change in an instant depending on the situation. This coming from a black man.

[@cwash08]

I realize that this is a language channel and I'll try not to bring too much of my political thoughts into this. You asked what the viewers think. I'll just say that as a black person, I feel a lot of annoyance. With that specific word, it is turned into pejorative, but I feel more politics surrounding it is at play than the singular word. I do find the topic of English dialects interesting, as someone who speaks English. Actually, the topic of dialects as a whole interests me. I have heard of the word "dialect" but never gave much thought of what it means until I started studying language. I study Japanese, and the topic of dialects for that language gets brought up in the Japanese learning community with discussions about pitch accent or different words used by people from different regions of Japan.

[@natechatterton5487]

was loving your linguistics content and jumped out of my chair when you pulled out a guitar. good stuff. keep it coming!

[@jayball820]

If you do more episodes on AAVE I think it'd be nice if you invited someone on that actually speaks it. Most times I've heard it talked about on KZbin and in College it was from another white person. Kinda felt like learning a foreign language from another person from the US instead of a native speaker

[@languagejones6784]

That sentiment is why my previous videos on it have interviews with 3 of the 5 or so black linguists who speak it. But for what it’s worth, those are the speech communities I grew up in, and live in. And it always bothers me that a lot of the linguistic discussion about AAE is from people who don’t speak or seem to even actually respect it.

[@RobCooper-Bachatador]

I've always considered Woke to have suffered a classic case of cultural appropriation, another set of words that have lost their original idea, sadly due to overuse as much as kickback. So I agree with this.

[@Neptoid]

I remember when woke people were called social justice warriors (SJWs)

[@IndomitableAde]

Too many syllables 😂.

[@luckilew]

Dang how old are you?

[@Danilaschannel]

that was good but i have to admit i had to listen to it twice to actually figure out where you were going with the discussion

[@astrOtuba]

Great video, as always But could you make sound effects slightly less loud next time, please?

[@languagejones6784]

You got it!

[@mojrimibnharb4584]

Love the "euphemism treadmill" which I've been calling the "slurification cycle."

[@Alltagundso]

The word socialism is another example of a political term used in a completely wrong way, at least in the USA.

[@oliversissonphone6143]

What do you see as the original meaning and what is the current meaning in the US?

[@donatist59]

Bernie calls himself a socialist and he's not a socialist. But that's not half as bad as righties who somehow imagine communism, liberalism, socialism, fascism, and majority rule are all exactly the same thing.

[@germpore]

@@oliversissonphone6143 The idea that anything other than the most pure form of unregulated free-market capitalism is 'socialism' is pretty off-base, but I definitely see it being used that way. Calling Canada 'socialist' for having national medical care, for example.

[@jobitaphillips1466]

In the 90s we also started saying “be conscious”. Same meaning. From my research stay woke was first in print around the 1920s from a musician who was warning his audience to be careful going home cuz the white cops were a bit restless. And it grew from there. My parents and grandparents used it. Also think of Spike Lee’s “School Daze” when Lawrence fishburn yelled at the end “WAKE UP”. I think the word woke may have took off with white people in mainstream media when Michael brown was murdered by cops in Michigan and a lot of black protestors has signs that said “stay woke” and white supporters saw that and started saying it too. I could be wrong but that’s my hypothesis right now. The white liberals started using it for everything and every cause and proudly saying “I’m woke” then the conservatives started hating on it.

[@scaredyfish]

I remember back before woke became pejorative, it really did feel like a useful term to describe how it feels to see the world in terms of systems and structures of power, rather than as isolated acts of racism, sexism, etc. It has such explanatory power that it does feel a lot like waking up. Now it’s just added to a long line of disingenuous, and largely content-free political insults from bleeding heart liberal, to political correctness, to social justice warriors, and now wokeism. Each time it’s presented as though it’s a new dangerous ideology, when in fact it’s just rebranding of the same thing in order to belittle and discredit it without actually engaging with leftist ideas.

[@Mehki227]

I hope you get this right, because woke was around when I was a teenager over 50 years ago and when I looked it up it's been around for over a hundred years. And then the right got a hold of it around 2019 and totally ruined the coolness of "woke". 😖

[@mr.bulldops7692]

"Euphemism Treadmill" is a solid German electronic band name.

[@languagejones6784]

They open for the Second Germanic Sound Shift (my Kraftwerk cover band)

[@mr.bulldops7692]

@@languagejones6784 haha btw, these possible future videos about the "euphemism treadmill" has me excited for some good ol' fashioned post-modern deconstruction. And the possible AAE video? The second person plural "y'all" and double negatives for specifying how often someone does something can and should be accepted standard English grammar. They are absolutely brilliant constructions.

[@curtainkane]

Shook is also used in Hiberno English (Irish English). And I think it's basically used the same way it is in AAVE. It's possible we might have gotten it from aave or vice versa, though it wouldn't surprise me if it just occurred by coincide in both dialects. Irish English also has lots of 'nonstandard' forms, many having crossed over from the Irish language

[@JUSLOFI]

When I told a conservative "Qanon is 'Conservative Woke", they was floored because they thought "Woke" meant "Politically Correct."

[@sarawilliams5990]

Whelp, what's "politically correct" funnily enough depends on the context. Conservatives push their own brand of political correctness pretty hard. And their own cancel culture, which is the OG one, TBH.

[@IndomitableAde]

You mean Qanon, the wacky conspiracy factory? Nothing about them is woke.

[@Ketowski]

Love both the topic and the bonus music! Thanks for the highlight of my day.

[@aditsu]

Funny thing is people who scream all day against wokeness are not able to actually explain what "woke" means.

[@luckilew]

Its funny as hell to ask them to explain it and they get frustrated.

[@DerUnglaublicheFrank]

Funny thing is people who scream all day against facism are not able to actually explain what "far-right" means.

[@TightNinja]

Subscribed. Just found your content today. Love the way you "break it down"

[@Cerg1998]

As far as I understand, the word "incel" had a similar metamorphosis, although I'm honestly not sure if it's true.

[@paulpenfold2352]

Incel is the opposite to what it purports to be. Ostensibly it's young men that can't get laid, when actually it's really just goading by middle-aged women that can't get laid.

[@Friend-]

Yep, "incel" was an innocent label coined by a woman who was herself an "incel" by its original meaning and ran a support group online.

[@yddishmcsquidish3904]

Coming back after just discovering you a few weeks ago, and am hoping you see this randomly. Could you do an academic delve into the words of course, specifically the "eff" word?

[@HaloSmyth]

As a southerner i get pretty upset over the term folks being used to virtue signal by woke sjws because of it's gender neutralness. So i guess i can understand possessiveness. One trend i have noticed is african America's trying to claim possession of southern dialect as belonging only to AAV and therefore should not be used by white people. For example, y'all is now AAV according to tik tokers and not a southern. Though i doubt you'll find many black new york natives who use y'all instead of youse

[@BlisaBLisa]

...what?

[@auntiecarol]

Interesting that you use "folk" in the plural. IIRC it's a strong neuter in Old English (folc) and its plural is also folc (in the nominative and accusative cases).

[@nickbufalinoacoustic]

Dude, fantastic outro!! Excellent playing!

[@anthonydender5878]

I'm second, Sam. Are you happy?

[@patrickhodson8715]

I would absolutely LOVE an AAE grammar video

[@Alice_Bedlam]

Honestly I'd say the word probouns has had something different happen to it than the word woke. Woke meant something political originally, whereas pronouns is simply a grammatical term yet it has become completely misunderstood to the point of people decrying pronouns being taught in English classes

[@BlisaBLisa]

ill be honest im not sure i can think of another word that had something similar happen to it as what happened to "pronouns" its so bafflingly dumb im not entierly sure its not just a good portion of the population committing to a bit

[@nyuh]

the video was already great but then theres a frggin song at the end?!?! its so good??

[@semioticapocalypse9774]

Absolutely, I think AE needs more love. My own broad term for such shifts is semiotic drift, which is generally natural, comes in multiple forms, but has intensified with accelerating media technology. It's also become toxically political and wielded generally by the right to weaponize or neutralize words (and other signs) for their own agendas.

[@paradoxicalwaffle9874]

I love learning the origins of words like this, especially those that mean something more positive in their original context. AAE is one of my favorite languages to learn about, since it affects so many people, especially those from immigrant families like my filipino cousins.

[@jack2453]

I know there is a lot of particular historical and political baggage around AAE... BUT... there nothing unusual about meaning shifts (particularly from wide to narrow) when words are adopted. 'Prosciutto' in English is not all ham, 'champignon' is not all mushrooms and 'angst' is not all fear. So 'woke' in standard English doesn't have to include the full range if senses it has in AAE. (And I am going against the tide of the flatterers here but as mych as I love your stuff, I really could do without jazz with my linguistics 😊)

[@languagejones6784]

I genuinely appreciate the feedback and will probably make a dedicated music channel (although I will be making a video at some point about where “music is a language” is right and where it’s wrong)

[@karlputz6721]

Damn. That's the best outro to a video I've seen in a long time!

[@havable]

Euphemism Treadmill. Here's a great one: "Good enough for government work" used to be a compliment because under FDR the WPA built so many beautiful stone buildings with art all over the facades and so forth. It was a compliment until Reagan came along and got people to think everything America does is bad, whether its our schoolteachers or other civil servants or anything at all having to do with the govt. He himself was bad, not govt in general. He got into office by promising to give Iran special favors if they kept those hostages in order to make Carter look weak. And then he committed a lot more crimes after that, like with his secret war in Nicaragua where he sent fascist mercenaries to topple the duly-elected govt there.

[@berserkasaurusrex4233]

No, the phrase "Good enough for government work" was originally Canadian, and dates to at least 1906, way before FDR and the WPA. It was adopted in the US during the second world war, mostly by defense factory workers, and basically meant the government specifications were strange and often contradictory and being translated through a load of bureaucracy. It was a statement on the process, more than the product quality, essentially the manufacturers' version of FUBAR. It became a fully negative term about the quality of the product during the 1960's and early Vietnam era, long before Reagan. A few years ago some leftist author wrote a book trying to "reclaim" the phrase and rewriting history to pretend it was once a compliment, but that was never the case. Also, Reagan got in because the economy was absolutely horrid, inflation was high, and Carter was deeply unpopular due to multiple policy failures to address either effectively. The hostage crisis and his mishandling of it was just one of several factors in his loss to Reagan.

[@NameIsDoc]

Not even close. Similar phrases used as pejoratives have existed in Europe for ages. The modern phrase used as a pejorative was found in Canada talking about the insane and often contradictory practices put in place by bureaucratic processes usually by individuals who have no idea how the practice actually works. FDR and his stone buildings were just busy work in the eyes of most people. The vast majority of individuals, especially those educated fields, we’re not particularly happy to be forced into stonemasonry in order to feed their families. However, identity, politics of the time, namely that surrounding the racial identity groups allowed FDR to rain for a long period of time. Reagan was not the cause of the massive stagflation that happened in fact if it wasn’t for Reagan, we would’ve been destroyed in the 1980s. Due to insane policies put in place during the 1960s and the absolutely abysmal policies is put into place by the Carter administration. Reagan had to basically save our economy, and if you looked at his policies, you would often find that individuals and businesses that are now dominating the fields were born during his era. I get that you want to blame everything on one side of the aisle, but that isn’t accurate. You actually need to look at the whole of history to understand where the issues of our culture come from this entire woke culture stems from Democrats really wanting to go back to the ages of segregation where it was easier to manipulate voters unfortunately it is working

[@macmcleod1188]

Growing up in Texas in the 1960s, good enough for government work always meant "this has been done to minimal standards". It's functional but it's not high quality.

[@tdubmusketeer]

@@NameIsDoc​​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠you use so many right wing dog whistles, my dead dog just rose from its grave. What in the world do you mean by democrats want to bring us back to the era of segregation? That’s an absurd thing to say

[@yusaki8064]

Often we are told that we should speak and write a specific kind of English. But I like the variation our language has. That African American English makes words other people adopt. I also like the idea of writing how we speak. There is a particular KZbinr I watch who’s from Essex and she will type out her words like she speak them like: “Ey mate, dya av a minute. Fanks.” I feel like typing as you speak allows you to get the reader to read it in your accent which can make the writing seem more close.

[@TheBookDoctor]

100% interested in a video on AAVE verb structures. IMO, white-people U.S. English could learn a lot from AAVE.

[@RosanneLoriMalowany]

Love the VIBRATO lick on the guitar. Didn’t know you were so musically gifted. I love it! Your wife is a lucky lady to be with you and all that you bring to this earthly life. Rock on!

[@JCtheMusicMan_]

🤯 I didn’t realize you are a musician who understands the intricacies of jazz soloing! Maybe do a video on Music as a Language and how to communicate ideas with it ❤

[@languagejones6784]

Definitely going to do that! And where the “language” metaphor breaks down, as well

[@JPCorwyn]

That was...dark (the shook example). That said, you've made me smile. It does my heart good to see someone with such a clear understanding, and fairly crystaline explanation of the inflicted plight of Black English. To wit, the reality of its dismissal as legitimate, let alone the pernicious propensity to turn phrases or even every day useage of the language/dialect into absurdist, mean-spirited mockery. Thanks for yet another excellent video. :)

[@RobespierreThePoof]

Yo Jones ... Whatever happened to that linguistics conversation about "ebonics" back when we were kids. Dead concept? Or is AAVE simply a better name for the same thing?

[@languagejones6784]

The name got politically skunked. It also referred to more than just AAE.

[@RobespierreThePoof]

​@@languagejones6784 finally caught your reply to this question. I guess i have notifications off. Its a shame there's no "Turn comment notifications ON for specific people i actually like, but off for all the other riff raff" option. Thanks for the primer on "ebonics.". You're recent video reminded me that i once asked this.

[@TheDgil10]

This was a very good video. The music part made me a lifetime fan. Stay Woke ✊🏾

[@toddmcdaniels1567]

‘Woke’ was originally used as a call for an awakening toward false accusations of r@pe leveled at black men. Applying it to feminist issues is already a change or extension in meaning. It also became colloquial term for Postmodernist ideas in general, another change or extension. The current affective meaning change is a result of these prior changes or extensions

[@mrlucy7197]

I'm gonna need your friend's "Stay Woke" track. That was too smooth.

[@germpore]

Woke just functionally replaced "politically correct" or "PC" and has basically the same meaning. Albeit, as someone who's, yes, anti-wokeness, I'd like to resurrect "politically correct" as the term, since that actually gets at what I'm against. I'm not against being awake to injustice, but rather having a political ideologues try to dictate to me what I can and can't say and, more importantly, what I can and can't think. Being awake to injustice and not wanting my language or ideas dictated to me are hardly mutually exclusive, BTW, and if anything, are highly compatible.

[@mattd5240]

I just call them Marxists or commies.

[@kelvincook4246]

Thanks so much for this timely and very informative video. And definitely "Stay Woke" and continue to drop science like you do.😊

[@lilkat42]

Yes! Please please please do a video (or series!) on AAE! It's sich a rich language, and as you said: both ubiquitous and invisible for most white English speakers. I appreciate you covering the pejoration of AAE terms, and I think woke is a recent example of a long tradition of demonizing African American culture.

[@ashleyarnold6518]

What was your first instrument? What should kids learn first reading music or a second language?

[@byronwilliams7977]

Here is a video from Dr. Charles Robin in France broaching the same issue but from the French perspective. I found it to be wonderfully insightful considering he isn't American. Keep up the great videos. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gH3cl2Zmppagfs0

[@chamangus]

Especially liked the SURPRISE musical outro. Stay woke.