207:
most professional and educational settings. Simply put, the x-axis is the literal definition of a word as represented by the masses and the term coined by
Saussure. The y-axis, however, is represented by the term signifyin(g) and is labelled as "black vernacular." As Gates represents, "the relation of signification itself has been critiqued by a black act of (re)doubling" in which the point of intersection permits new understandings of a term to take place. Where the x-axis and y-axis intersect, the two meanings of the word collide to form a new meaning, so often represented by puns and tropes.
288:. The main criticism that Gates faces is a confusion surrounding the ideas of a black literary theory informed by Western thought—the same thought that created a purpose for the term signifyin(g). Gates responds to these critiques by arguing for "text specific readings of black literature that explore works in relation to themselves and each other rather than viewing them as literal reflections of historical or social aspects of African American society." This conversation between texts is the redoubling that comprises signifyin(g).
202:
conceptual difficulty stems from—indeed, seems, to have been intentionally inscribed within—the selection of the signifier, "signification." For the standard
English word is a homonym of the Afro-American vernacular word. And, to compound the dizziness and giddiness that we must experience in the vertiginous movement between these two "identical" signifiers, these two homonyms have everything to do with each other and, then again, absolutely nothing.
146:
211:
by standard
English. The y-axis of black vernacular, however, "concerns itself with that which is suspended, vertically...the playful puns on a word that occupy the paradigmatic axis of language and which a speaker draws on for figurative substitution." A term may share a name but the definitions may be completely different.
163:, folklore, and religion: a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and societal norms. In practice, signifyin' often takes the form of quoting from sub-cultural vernacular, while extending the meaning at the same time through a rhetorical figure.
141:
and the process of signifying—"the association between words and the ideas they indicate." Gates states, "'Signification,' in standard
English, denotes the meaning that a term conveys, or is intended to convey." Gates takes this idea of signifying and "doubles" it in order to explain signifyin(g). He
274:
Claudia
Mitchell-Kernan, recognized as the first scholar to interject African American women's signifyin' practices into broader linguistic discourses, recorded the following example. Grace is pregnant and beginning to show, but has not informed her sister yet. Her sister, seemingly unaware of the
264:
Several academics have argued that "Black
Twitter" has become a form of signifyin'. Sarah Florini of the University of Wisconsin-Madison writes that race is normally tied to "corporeal signifiers." Online, in the absence of the body, black users perform their racial identity using wordplay that only
210:
By viewing signifyin(g) as a graph, such as Gates represents, the doubling nature of black vernacular becomes apparent. As Gates exhibits, "the
English-language use of signification refers to the chain of signifiers that configures horizontally," or all accepted definitions of a term as represented
206:
Gates, in "The
Signifying Monkey and the Language of Signifyin(g)" clarifies the confusing nature of the subject matter by representing the two terms on a graph made up of intercepting x-axis and a y-axis. The x-axis is represented by the standard English that white people recognize and use within
201:
the sound. The difficulty that we experience when thinking about the nature of the visual (re)doubling at work in a hall of mirrors is analogous to the difficulty we shall encounter in relating the black linguistic sign, "Signification," to the standard
English sign, "signification." This level of
291:
Joyce A. Joyce states that Gates is too far removed from the black experience: "Black creative art is an act of love which attempts to destroy estrangement and elitism by demonstrating a strong fondness or enthusiasm for freedom and an affectionate concern for the life of people, especially black
252:
rhetorically or figuratively—through troping, in other words—by trifling with, teasing, or censuring it in some way. Signifyin(g) is also a way of demonstrating respect for, goading, or poking fun at a musical style, process, or practice through parody, pastische, implication, indirection, humor,
192:
Thinking about the black concept of
Signifiyin(g) is a bit like stumbling unaware into a hall of mirrors: the sign itself appears to be doubled, at the very least, and (re)doubled upon ever closer examination. It is not the sign itself, however, which has multiplied. If orientation prevails over
49:
meanings of words. A simple example would be insulting someone to show them affection. Other names for signifyin' include: "Dropping lugs, joaning, sounding, capping, snapping, dissing, busting, bagging, janking, ranking, toasting, woofing, roasting, putting on, or cracking."
283:
In their article "Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Current Debate in African-American Literary Criticism, An Introduction", Roger Matuz and Cathy Falk explore the criticism that the term signifyin(g) has faced since its introduction in Gates' text,
275:
situation, comments on her weight gain: "Grace (noncommittally): Yes, I guess I am putting on a little weight. Rochelle: Now look here, girl, we both standing here soaking wet and you still trying to tell me it ain’t raining?"
261:), for "it allows individuals to demonstrate intellectual power while simultaneously obscuring the nature and extent of their agency ... It allows producers to use other people's music to convey their own compositional ideas".
184:, Gates expands the term to refer not merely to a specific vernacular strategy but also to a trope of double-voiced repetition and reversal that exemplifies the distinguishing property of black discourse. However, this subtle
137:, known as "Dolemite", is well known for having used the term in his comedic performances. While signifyin(g) is the term coined by Henry Louis Gates Jr. to represent a black vernacular, the idea stems from the thoughts of
253:
tone- or word-play, the illusions of speech, or narration, and other troping mechanisms... Signifyin(g) shows, among other things, either reverence or irreverence toward previously stated musical statements and values."
292:
people... It should be the job of the Black literary critic to force ideas to the surface, to give them force in order to affect, to guide, to animate and to arouse the minds and emotions of black people."
142:
states of black vernacular, "their complex act of language Signifies upon both formal language use and its conventions, conventions established, at least officially, by middle-class white people."
219:
An example of signifyin' is "playing the dozens". The dozens is a game in which participants seek to outdo each other by throwing insults back and forth. Tom Kochman offered as an example in
321:
170:, a folk trickster figure said to have originated during slavery in the United States. In most of these narratives, the monkey manages to dupe the powerful lion by signifying.
57:, context-bound significance of words, which is accessible only to those who share the cultural values of a given speech community. The expression comes from stories about the
180:
itself currently carries a range of metaphorical and theoretical meanings in black cultural studies that stretch far beyond its literal scope of reference. In
193:
madness, we soon realize that only the signifier has been doubled and (re)doubled, a signifier in this instance that is silent, a "sound-image" as
295:
Other critics, however, support Gates and the term signifyin(g), noting its "subversive" nature and ability to bring about change to a system.
524:
561:
392:
Roger Matuz and Cathy Falk, "Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Current Debate in African-American Literary Criticism, An Introduction,"
46:
446:
341:
66:
223:(1972): "Yo momma sent her picture to the lonely hearts club, but they sent it back and said, 'We ain't that lonely!'"
152:
writes that thinking about signifyin' is like "stumbling unaware into a hall of mirrors," hence the action of doubling.
248:. She explains that signifyin' differs from simple repetition and from simple variation in that it uses material:
38:
489:
551:
245:
194:
149:
138:
78:
73:
83:
188:
device, if linguistically analyzed, becomes notoriously difficult to pin down, as Gates writes:
375:
556:
463:
460:
Signifyin(G), Sanctifyin', & Slam Dunking: A Reader in African American Expressive Culture
231:
167:
160:
58:
258:
185:
490:"Tweets, Tweeps, and Signifyin’: Communication and Cultural Performance on 'Black Twitter'"
257:
Schloss relates this to the ambiguity common to African musics, including looping (as of a
310:
134:
545:
269:
241:
159:
According to Gates, the practice derived from the trickster archetype found in much
145:
27:
Wordplay in Black American communities; emphasizes connotation over literal meaning
123:
54:
227:
111:
95:
42:
41:
involving a verbal strategy of indirection that exploits the gap between the
315:
304:
237:
103:
62:
17:
119:
91:
87:
156:
Gates examines the ways in which signifyin(g) differs from signifying.
107:
372:
The Signifying Monkey: a Theory of African-American Literary Criticism
286:
The Signifying Monkey: a Theory of African-American Literary Criticism
115:
236:
Caponi describes "calls, cries, hollers, riffs, licks, overlapping
86:, in which are subsumed several other rhetorical tropes, including
99:
166:
The expression itself derives from the numerous tales about the
443:
Rappin' and Stylin' Out: Communication in Urban Black America
221:
Rappin' and Stylin' Out: Communication in Urban Black America
265:
those with knowledge of black culture can fully recognize.
126:, all of which are used in the ritual of Signifyin(g)."
445:, University of Illinois Press, 1972, p. 261, cited in
510:. Berkeley, CA: Language-Behavior Research Laboratory.
322:
Signifying Rappers: Rap and Race in the Urban Present
342:"To African-Americans, what does "signifying" mean?"
477:Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop
8:
508:Language behavior in a black urban community
462:. University of Massachusetts Press, 1999,
388:
386:
384:
197:defines the signifier, but a "sound-image"
479:. Wesleyan University Press, 2004, p. 138.
359:The Oxford Encyclopedia of African Thought
144:
333:
65:figure said to have originated during
406:
404:
402:
7:
53:Signifyin' directs attention to the
114:. To this list we could easily add
531:8, February 1990, pp. 61–64.
394:Contemporary Literary Criticism 63
25:
506:Mitchell-Kernan, Claudia (1971).
374:, Oxford University Press, 1988,
240:" as examples of signifying in
102:(the master tropes), and also
1:
82:(1988) that signifyin' is "a
72:The American literary critic
67:slavery in the United States
578:
538:, Köln: Dohr Verlag, 2010.
494:Television & New Media
357:"Signifying, Concept of."
267:
225:
562:African-American culture
370:Henry Louis Gates, Jr.,
39:African-American culture
432:Gates 1988, pp. 44–45.
255:
246:African-American music
204:
153:
412:The Signifying Monkey
348:, September 28, 1984.
268:Further information:
250:
226:Further information:
190:
182:The Signifying Monkey
150:Henry Louis Gates Jr.
148:
139:Ferdinand De Saussure
79:The Signifying Monkey
74:Henry Louis Gates Jr.
525:"Signifying Nothing"
37:") is a practice in
33:(sometimes written "
475:Joseph G. Schloss,
458:Gena Dagel Caponi,
130:Origin and features
536:Under Construction
423:Gates 1988, p. 44.
279:Critical reception
154:
346:The Straight Dope
311:Signifying Rapper
232:Call and response
168:signifying monkey
161:African mythology
59:signifying monkey
16:(Redirected from
569:
534:Rappe, Michael.
512:
511:
503:
497:
496:, March 7, 2013.
486:
480:
473:
467:
456:
450:
439:
433:
430:
424:
421:
415:
408:
397:
390:
379:
368:
362:
355:
349:
338:
186:African-American
178:
21:
577:
576:
572:
571:
570:
568:
567:
566:
542:
541:
520:
518:Further reading
515:
505:
504:
500:
488:Sarah Florini,
487:
483:
474:
470:
457:
453:
440:
436:
431:
427:
422:
418:
409:
400:
391:
382:
369:
365:
356:
352:
339:
335:
331:
301:
281:
272:
234:
217:
176:
132:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
575:
573:
565:
564:
559:
554:
544:
543:
540:
539:
532:
519:
516:
514:
513:
498:
481:
468:
451:
434:
425:
416:
398:
380:
363:
350:
332:
330:
327:
326:
325:
318:
307:
300:
297:
280:
277:
216:
213:
135:Rudy Ray Moore
131:
128:
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
574:
563:
560:
558:
555:
553:
552:Communication
550:
549:
547:
537:
533:
530:
529:New Criterion
526:
523:Myers, D. G.
522:
521:
517:
509:
502:
499:
495:
491:
485:
482:
478:
472:
469:
465:
461:
455:
452:
448:
444:
441:Tom Kochman,
438:
435:
429:
426:
420:
417:
413:
407:
405:
403:
399:
395:
389:
387:
385:
381:
377:
373:
367:
364:
360:
354:
351:
347:
343:
340:Cecil Adams,
337:
334:
328:
324:
323:
319:
317:
313:
312:
308:
306:
303:
302:
298:
296:
293:
289:
287:
278:
276:
271:
270:Black Twitter
266:
262:
260:
254:
249:
247:
243:
242:hip hop music
239:
233:
229:
224:
222:
214:
212:
208:
203:
200:
196:
189:
187:
183:
179:
171:
169:
164:
162:
157:
151:
147:
143:
140:
136:
129:
127:
125:
121:
117:
113:
109:
105:
101:
97:
93:
89:
85:
81:
80:
75:
70:
68:
64:
60:
56:
51:
48:
44:
40:
36:
32:
19:
535:
528:
507:
501:
493:
484:
476:
471:
459:
454:
442:
437:
428:
419:
411:
393:
371:
366:
358:
353:
345:
336:
320:
309:
294:
290:
285:
282:
273:
263:
256:
251:
235:
220:
218:
209:
205:
198:
191:
181:
174:
172:
165:
158:
155:
133:
77:
71:
52:
35:signifyin(g)
34:
30:
29:
124:catachresis
55:connotative
546:Categories
447:Adams 1984
329:References
244:and other
228:The Dozens
112:metalepsis
96:synecdoche
47:figurative
43:denotative
31:Signifyin'
18:Signifying
316:Schooly D
305:Epideixis
238:antiphony
175:signifyin
173:The term
104:hyperbole
76:wrote in
63:trickster
557:Rhetoric
299:See also
215:Examples
195:Saussure
120:chiasmus
92:metonymy
88:metaphor
410:Gates,
396:, 1991.
108:litotes
464:p. 141
259:sample
122:, and
116:aporia
110:, and
98:, and
376:p. 52
177:'
100:irony
84:trope
230:and
199:sans
61:, a
45:and
314:by
548::
527:.
492:,
401:^
383:^
344:,
118:,
106:,
94:,
90:,
69:.
466:.
449:.
414:.
378:.
361:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
