Linguistics of Rap, and the Effect on the Youth

1. Linguistics of Rap, and the Effect on the Youth By Andrew Calder

2. Introduction • Rap music is huge all around the world today. • Has a big influence on the youth. • The linguistics of rap and the way that rappers change words and phrases has always been something that interested me. • I’m going to talk to you about… • My research questions • The seven articles I used in my literature review • A discussion of my thinking process • Ultimately my conclusion

3. Research Questions • Main question: What is the grammatical make up of rap music and how does it effect the youth? • Sub questions: • What are some places that rap is starting to be popular, where has it been popular for awhile, and how does rap effect the way people speak there? • Is the influence of rap is good, bad, or indifferent to the way children learn literacy and verbal skills in school?

4. Literature Review • Marcyliena Morgan (2009) • what hip hop music was all about, and how it is actually a language in itself • African American English (AAE) • Christopher Jones (2011) • rise of hip-hop music in Quebec, Canada and how it is changing the language • Tanya Djavadzadeh (2010) • the history and development of rap music in the city of Houston, Texas

5. Literature Review • Mary Christianakis (2011) • uses the tools from the hybridity theory to study how urban fifth graders made language hybrids using rap and poetry to participate in classroom literacy. • Yearlong study with 2 conclusions: • “standard-based and canon-driven writing models maintained literacy and language borders through antihybrid practices based in antipopular ideologies.” (Christianakis 2011) • “negotiate and challenge linguistic and ideological constraints that hemmed in classroom literacy.” (Christianakis 2011) • WilliamOlivo (2001) • the clear non-standard spelling in the raps, which were used intentionally for various reasons. • African American Vernacular English (AAVE)

6. Literature Review • Cynthia Januszka (2010) • many educators belief that rap music can be used to get through to these kids, and help their literacy and improve stuff like their vocabularies. • study they do looks at the effects of using a culturally responsive reading strategy on the fluency, decoding, and comprehension skills of African American students. • Darin Howe (2011) • denial that many people have of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) • The two main parts of the negation system he looks at are “ain’t and negative concord.” (Howe)

7. Discussion • Grammar of rap • Wide variety of styles and differing levels of popularity in certain areas • Effect on the children in school

8. Conclusion • Linguistics and grammar of rap do not follow standard English intentionally for the reasons discussed previously. • There is different styles and levels of popularity all over the world, and it effects how people talk there in those areas. • Rap does have some effect on school aged children.

9. References • Christianakis, M. (2011). Hybrid texts: Fifth graders, rap music, and writing. Urban Education, 46(5) • Djavadzadeh, Tanya. (2010) Houston Rap Music- Changes, influences, Southside. Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas, Nov2010, Vol. 41, p11-16, 6p • Howe, Darin. "Negation in African American Vernacular English*." Web. 5 Nov. 2011. • Januszka, C. M.The effects of using rap music on the fluency skills of 2nd grade African American students. Dissertation Abstracts International, A: The Humanities and Social Sciences • Jones, Christopher M. (2011) Hip-Hop Quebec: Self and Synthesis. Popular Music & Society, May2011, Vol. 34 Issue 2, p177-202, 26p • Morgan, Marcyliena. ""Nothin' but a G Thang": Grammar and Language Ideology in Hip Hop Identity." Making Sense of Language: Readings in Culture and Communication. New York [u.a.: Oxford UP, 2009. Print. • Olivo, W. (2001). Phat lines: Spelling conventions in rap music. Written Language and Literacy, 4(1), 67-67-85.