Stunt 101 (Part 2)

Total time for this activity: 20 minutes

You listened to the song Stunt 101 by the musical group G-Unit in Module 2, when you analyzed the sounds of African-American English. You will now listen to the song again, this time with a focus on vocabulary.

Listen to the song several times. In Part 1, try to identify as many words as you can from the song that exist in AAE but not in SE. Try to determine the approximate meaning in SE based on the context and what you have learned so far during the course.

In Part 2, try to identify as many words as you can from the song that exist in both AAE and SE, but have a different (or additional) meaning in AAE. What do you think each word means based on the context and what you have learned today?

Part 1: Words that exist in AAE but do not exist in SE

Examples:

  1. My neck stay blinging (“full of jewelry”)
  2. I’m finna drop that (“about to”)

Part 2: Words that exist in both AAE and SE, but have a different (or additional) meaning in AAE

Examples:

  1. Yeah, I like this. This is tight. (“cool” or “good”)
  2. My wrists stay rocked up (“full of diamond jewelry”)
  3. Your sneakers look right, yo (a discourse marker with no clear equivalent in SE)

Reflection activity: After today’s session has concluded, reflect on what you have learned from this activity. Which type of words do you think are more challenging for English learners who interact with speakers of AAE: words that exist in AAE but not SE, or words that exist in both AAE and SE but have a different (or additional) meaning in AAE? Why do you think this is the case?