The Global Impact of Black Vernacular Tradition and African American Vernacular English

Drew Soileau Dr. Harris ENGL20ENGL2017-6512517-65125 4/22/2026 The Global Impact of Black Vernacular Tradition and African American Vernacular English Oftentimes going unnoticed, black vernacular traditions and language, particularly African American Vernacular English, have had a significant influence on modern cultural practices by shaping music, media, and cultural expression across the globe. Vernacular tradition originates from African traditions and primarily pertains toward Black people , but it is also a tool used by different ethnic groups, religions, and traditions. Black languages influence how communities express emotions, feelings, talents, and many other important aspects of their lives. Vernacular tradition and Black language started as a cultural system rooted in shared experience among enslaved Africans and their following generations. Over the course of many years, it has evolved to have a global effect on cultural style and expression, especially in music and media. These traditions have had a lasting effect that continues to shape the way people express themselves and connect with each other. DeFrantz, Thomas F., and Anita Gonzalez. “From ‘Negro Expression’ to ‘Black Performance.’” speaks on the influence Black language and tradition has had on global expression. The article explains that these forms of expression are absorbed into various global cultures, serving as a creative force that is utilized in many different artistic styles. According to the authors, “Cultural infusions from other parts of the world collect and mingle with the multitude of African performance genres to create a great diversity of styles.” (Defrantz, et al.). This statement reflects on the main idea that Black vernacular tradition is a staple in other cultures from around the world, and is used to develop these cultures, creating diversity. One of the most significant ways Black vernacular traditions and Black language has influenced modern culture, is through music and media. Before the media even existed, it was harder for anyone to become mainstream, especially for African Americans. Black trends and music were common among Black people, but never really made their way into the popular spotlight. One of the main influences Black vernacular tradition has on other aspects is through music. Music has always been a staple in Black vernacular tradition because it is a special way to communicate and tell stories. Black music is an example of something that was only popular within the Black music market and wasn't really mainstream early on. This is due to the music industry heavily leaning toward white artists while Black artists got limited exposure to the radio. A very popular song to come from the 1950s was Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog,” which is always seen as an Elvis Presley song. What people don't see is that it was never written by Elvis and was originally recorded and written by Big Mama Thorton, who released the song in the early 1950s. It was only popularised by Elvis because of the state of the music industry and society at the time. As Scott Tong mentions in the document “Elvis” reminds viewers of Big Mama Thorton’s blues hits, including the original “Hound Dog”, “Due to segregation and racism… musicians like Thornton could not access the mainstream audiences that performers like Presley could.” (Tong), it is clear that Black artists such as Big Mama Thorton heavily influence music that is sung by other ethnic groups. Another part of music that has been altered by Black vernacular tradition was a genre called Nu Metal. Nu metal is a very popular subgenre of metal from the early 2000s that included bands like Linkin Park, Korn, and Limp Bitzkit. Nu Metal has been heavily impacted by Black music and is built around rap-rock fusion. For example, rap music is heavily involved in the Nu Metal band Linkin park, along with other Black music aspects like the use of sampling and electronics. Although Nu Metal did not originate from Black musical traditions, it was still strongly influenced by Hip-Hop culture, which is a Black American creation. Another element of Black music that is represented across many ethnic groups and genres is “Call and Response”. Call and response is a musical and cultural pattern where one voice or group is answered by another voice or group through singing. This is also seen in the band Linkin park most often occurring between the two lead singers, furthering its vernacular influence. Call and response has also altered religion across the globe. Christianity and indigenous spiritual traditions are a couple examples of religions containing some aspect of call and response. According to Ecther Viola Kurtz, author of Call, Response, and Compromisso: Ethical Practice in Capoeira of Backland Bahia, Brazil,“Scholars of African diasporic music and dance forms widely recognize call and response, or antiphony, as a prominent structure—one of the most foundational ‘mechanics of delivery’ in Black music and dance.” (Kurtz) This quote confirms that call and response is seen across the globe and originates from Black musical traditions. With the development of media and societal norms, Black people started to get more chances at becoming mainstream, but they still were not getting credited for their creation. With the introduction of the internet, African American Vernacular English started to become popularized and used among not only Black people, but other ethnic groups as well. Although Black language was becoming popular, it still wasn't labeled as African American Vernacular English. According to Christian Ilbury and Rianna Walcott from ‘Gen Z language? Y’all mean AAVE’: The appropriation of African American Vernacular English as ‘TikTok Language’, “Sociolinguistic research has long documented the appropriation of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) across media genres… [and] the recontextualisation of… AAVE features as ‘TikTok/internet language’” (Ilbury and Walcott). This quote further illustrates how the internet helped spread African American Vernacular English into mainstream media, but also acts as a double edged sword due to people not knowing where it originated from. Another common usage of African American Vernacular English via media is through advertisements. As explained by Ilbury and Walcott “The appropriation of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) across media genres including film, music, and advertising…” Many companies have used slang that was created by African American Vernacular English to promote their products and fit in with the new vocal trends. Social media has acted as an excellent way of popularising Black language and vernacular tradition across the globe, but oftentimes, people go uninformed about these vocal traditions and often do not know the origin of them. Ultimately, Black vernacular tradition and African American Vernacular English have had many ups and downs when it comes to being put in the mainstream spotlight over the years. This has led to many people not knowing how influential Black traditions are to modern day music and media. From the alterations and popularisation of music to the common usage of African American Vernacular English in social media, these vernacular traditions have always shaped the way people among different communities have expressed themselves, communicated, and represented their identity.While the use of Black language often goes unnoticed, its changes are still prominent online and in person daily. Works Cited DeFrantz, Thomas F., and Anita Gonzalez. “From ‘Negro Expression’ to ‘Black Performance.’ ”Black Performance Theory, edited by Thomas F. DeFrantz and Anita Gonzalez, Duke University Press, 2014. Ilbury, Christian, and Rianna Walcott. “Gen Z Language? Y’all Mean AAVE: The Appropriation of African American Vernacular English.” Journal of Sociolinguistics, 2026. Kurtz, Esther Viola. “Call, Response, and Compromisso: Ethical Practice in Capoeira of Backland Bahia, Brazil.” Journal of the Society for American Music 19.1 (2025): 42–63 Web. Tong, Scott, et al. “Elvis Reminds Viewers of Big Mama Thornton’s Blues Hits, Including the Original ‘Hound Dog.’” WBUR, 30 June 2022 Vukelic, Tatjana. “Black Vernacular Tradition and Folklore.” Yearbook - Faculty of Philology, 2022. vol. 13, no. 19