ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part focuses on representations of ‘White’ speech in the stand-up routines of Black and Latino comedians. It explores comedic performances, focusing on ‘The N word as an emblem of survival identity in African American comedy.’ The part examines the history the N word in both of its prominent phonetic realizations and homes in on nigga in the work of African American comedians. It also explores style in two sermons by an African American pastor, one delivered to a largely Black audience in his home church, and the other as a guest preacher to a largely White audience in another church. The part addresses relationships between language varieties spoken by Black, Latino, and White people, especially as represented in the comedic performances of Black speakers—a matter whose importance John R. Rickford recognized early on in ‘Ethnicity as a sociolinguistic boundary’.
