in his new book situates the critic of comparative black literature, ''at a sort of crossroads, a discursive crossroads at which two languages meet, be these languages Yoruba and English, or Spanish and French, or even (perhaps especially) the black vernacular and standard English.'' The word ''signifying'' is situated where Henry Louis Gates Jr. If you hear the word used by a black person, chances are you'll need something more than a dictionary to understand what the speaker means. IF you look up ''signifying'' in a dictionary, you'll find a set of definitions. They do it to preserve the traditions of 'the race.' '' - From ''The Signifying Monkey.'' Why do they do this? I think they do it to pass these rituals along from one generation to the next. ''It is amazing how much black people, in ritual settings such as barbershops and pool halls, street corners and family reunions, talk about talking. THE SIGNIFYING MONKEY A Theory of Afro-American Literary Criticism.
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