Learning about the Gullah Geechee language

 Learning about the Gullah Geechee language



I stumbled upon Sunn m'Cheaux and his work while killing time on TikTok. I wanted to make sure my For You Page was diverse and included creators of color so I followed him. I found how he connected language to racial issues fascinating. Prior to TikTok, I had no idea how much I seriously enjoyed those parts of linguistics. The short video lessons opened my eyes to concepts I had never had presented to me before.

For example, Sunn m'Cheaux made a post (see video attached at the top) on July 10, 2022 about the use of the word "throwed" in Usher's hit song "Confessions" (see video attached below). He explains that "cross-over" (white) audiences misheard the lyrics because "throwed" was not a formally recognized word at the time the song came out. 

Watch this 

These are my confessions

Just when I thought I said all I can say

My chick on the side said she got one on the way

These are my confessions

Man I'm throwed and I don't know what to do

I guess I gotta give you part two of my confessions

If I'm gonna tell it then I gotta tell it all

Damn near cried when I got that phone call

I'm so throwed and I don't know what to do

But to give you part two of my confessions


I'm not, personally, familiar with this song. And Sunn m'Cheaux said that "cross-over" listeners (like myself), when puzzled by the word, assumed that it was the word "thrown". This changed the meaning of the song. I didn't need to know the song or even the meaning of the word to get something profound out of the TikTok video.

Sunn m'Cheaux made a point at the end of the video about linguists that stuck with me. He said, "Dictionaries do not create words for people. People create words for dictionaries."

I use this lens as I listen to the language my children use. And...Urban Dictionary is my friend.

Works Cited:

Sunn m'Cheaux. "Usher's Confession: "Throwed" Linguistics". TikTok uploaded by Sunn m'Cheaux. July 10, 2022, https:www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRPp9MjC/

Usher - Confession Part II Lyrics. AZLyrics.com: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/usher/confessionspartii.html

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