[Review of] H. Samy Alim and Geneva Smitherman. Articulate While Black: Barack Obama, Language, and Race in the U.S.

Authors

Lisa Doris Alexander

Orginal Publication Date

2012

Journal Title

Ethnic Studies Review

Volume

35

Issue

esr/vol35/iss1

First Page

181

Last Page

183

Abstract

In his introduction to Articulate While Black Michael Eric Dyson frames Barack Obama as the Orator-in-Chief and the authors would certainly agree with that assessment. Alim and Smitherman argue that in order to have an open and honest discussion about race in the United States, we must look at its linguistic dimensions; we need to language race, to view the racial politics of the United States through the lens of language (xviii). This book seeks to untangle how we talk about race and what assumptions are being made based on a speaker's use of language.

Rights

​Copyright ©ESR, The National Association for Ethnic Studies, 2012