{"id":2504,"date":"2021-08-22T13:01:43","date_gmt":"2021-08-22T18:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/?p=2504"},"modified":"2022-07-16T17:34:15","modified_gmt":"2022-07-16T22:34:15","slug":"defining-language-dictionary-com-adds-black-lingo-to-listings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/defining-language-dictionary-com-adds-black-lingo-to-listings\/","title":{"rendered":"Defining language: Dictionary.com adds Black lingo to listings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>By Amber B. Courtney<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>NABJ Monitor<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"qme\" dir=\"ltr\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/n5n9zjpsP2\">pic.twitter.com\/n5n9zjpsP2<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Je suis Fatty-Gay (@JustCall_MeJo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JustCall_MeJo\/status\/1289566326151766018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 1, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Black words\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dictionary.com\/browse\/zaddy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201czaddy,&#8221;<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dictionary.com\/browse\/finna\">\u201cfinna\u201d<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dictionary.com\/browse\/chile\">\u201cchile\u201d<\/a> have been added to Dictionary.com. It\u2019s true. You can look it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These words, common to Black language, already had made their way into the vocabulary of White people within the last few years on social media, and now have been officially recognized by the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, which publishes Dictionary.com.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These words have been a part of Black linguistics for decades and were popular among African-Americans way before non-Black people knew the words existed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-rounded\"><a href=\"http:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Black-lingo-John-Kelly.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Black-lingo-John-Kelly-1024x683.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2516\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Black-lingo-John-Kelly-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Black-lingo-John-Kelly-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Black-lingo-John-Kelly-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Black-lingo-John-Kelly-1536x1024.png 1536w, https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Black-lingo-John-Kelly-2048x1365.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>John Kelly, the managing editor of Dictionary.com, says the site was simply doing its job.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s our job as a dictionary to document and describe the English language as it is constantly changing,\u201d he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dictionary.com does not strive to act as gatekeepers of what is English and what it isn\u2019t, he said, but to simply document words as they are used, no matter where they stem from.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have to do our best to keep up with language as it changes,\u201d Kelly said, \u201cand that includes taking inputs from different places, monitoring slang, including new definitions, and updating old definitions.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dictionary.com\u2019s history with Black language has not always been so inclusive. In 2020, the entry for \u201cblack\u201d included the synonyms \u201cdark,\u201d \u201cdusty,\u201d \u201csinful\u201d and \u201cdevilish.\u201d A controversy followed because one of the definitions of the word described people of color.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Random House then introduced \u201cBlack\u201d with a capital B as a separate description of a person\u2019s race, leaving \u201cblack\u201d with a<strong> <\/strong>lowercase<strong> <\/strong>b with the controversial synonyms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kelly said the online dictionary includes more than definitions. It also includes etymology, where the word came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe want to document language and that includes giving credit where credit is due,\u201d he said. \u201cSo many words originate in the Black community but are miscredited to white teens on Tik Tok. If we are going to accurately<em> <\/em>describe the English language, giving credit to its origins is part of it.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though many agree that Black language should be acknowledged by the dictionary, attempts to recognize Ebonics, or the entire system of African-American vernacular, raised a linguistic firestorm two decades ago.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1996 the Oakland, California, school board claimed that Ebonics, the dialect spoken by its majority population of African-American students, was a different language than standardized English, and they would take that into consideration when teaching their students. This sparked debate among writers and journalists, many who criticized the move.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Columnist Theresa Wilson wrote in the Iowa State Daily in 1997, \u201cMy heart tells me that Ebonics is not a language. Ebonics is not black English. It is bad English.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even now Instagram users responding to an informal poll were divided. Among the 70 users who responded, more than 70% agreed that Black language belongs in the dictionary, but that left 29% who disagreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEbonics isn\u2019t actually English. It\u2019s a ethnic-cultural thing,\u201d Diamond White wrote. \u201cI would consider Ebonics more of a dialect than actual English language.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>White suggested that adding Black words to Dictionary.com was an attempt to be \u201cwoke,\u201d crediting \u201cWhite-guilt. I think it is Dictionary.com trying to be more inclusive to the Black community. I think it is them trying too hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the poll respondents suggested a separate dictionary.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMark Twain showcased Southern diction in his famous novels \u2018Huckleberry Finn\u2019 and \u2018Tom Sawyer,\u2019 really showing the evolution of the English language,\u201d wrote Ashlyn Benson. \u201cI think Ebonics should hold as much validity as the novels they were showcased in. However, I don\u2019t think Ebonics should be featured in a standardized dictionary unless it was a dictionary that only featured Ebonic words.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Such dictionaries do exist. A staple in Black culture has included the popularization of Urban Dictionary, a website that allows for users to share popular slang words with their personalized definitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many who agreed with recognizing Black language suggested that those who disagree are anti-Black.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPeople undervalue Black people all over the world, even when they are the creators of great things,\u201d Robyn Lewis said. \u201cThey probably said the same thing about the traffic light before they found value in it.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kelly of Dictionary.com, agrees that having Black language in the dictionary solidifies its validity and value.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe words that are in the dictionary have effects on real people,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cWhen a group sees the language they use represented in the dictionary, it\u2019s validated. It shows that their language is real and it matters.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not just a matter of validating language that exists, according to Zaniah Shobe, who wrote a widely regarded paper on Black language while an undergraduate at the University of Louisville.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her paper was protesting the idea that speaking \u201cBlack\u201d equates to speaking poorly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I talk Black,\u201d she wrote, she felt as if those around her reacted as if \u201cI clearly do not understand where I am at and somebody needs to tell me to talk right if I want the job, scholarship, even the respect I deserve. Being a human is not enough and especially not being a black person will I get the respect I deserve unless I sound white.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shobe, reached in August, recalled that in the freshman English class in which she wrote the paper, \u201cmy teacher didn\u2019t mind if we spoke with Ebonics. I wanted to highlight that if one person can accept it, why can\u2019t everyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;She says that part of the reason for choosing her topic was to signify a need for change in the way Ebonics is viewed. \u201cThe Black community plays a huge part in everyday life, so why can\u2019t we (and our language) be fully accepted?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>By Amber B. Courtney NABJ Monitor The Black words\u00a0\u201czaddy,&#8221; \u201cfinna\u201d and \u201cchile\u201d have been added to Dictionary.com. It\u2019s true. You can look it up. These words, common to Black language, already had made their way <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/defining-language-dictionary-com-adds-black-lingo-to-listings\/\" title=\"Defining language: Dictionary.com adds Black lingo to listings\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,224,239],"tags":[323,320,317,319,321,322,318],"class_list":{"0":"post-2504","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-archives","8":"category-nabj-21","9":"category-race-culture","10":"tag-african-american-vernacular","11":"tag-amber-b-courtney","12":"tag-black-ebonics","13":"tag-black-lingo","14":"tag-dictionary-com","15":"tag-john-kelly","16":"tag-whew-chile"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2504"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2520,"href":"https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2504\/revisions\/2520"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabjmonitor.com\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}