With the Fire on High

Emoni inhabits a world with its own distinct slang, or non-standard use of English. For example, her peers talk about “the hood,” meaning neighborhood, “players,” meaning men who try to have multiple sexual relationships with women, and “swag,” meaning confidence. It is also present in non-standard construction of sentences. On top of these examples, there is Spanish-influenced slang—so for instance, Emoni uses ’Buela, short for abuela, meaning grandmother, and the “Papi store,” slang for the locally run convenience store; and she uses peppers her speech with Spanish words such as “viejos” for old men and “niña” as an affectionate term for a young woman.

This non-standard or non-formal use of English has an ambiguous status in the text. On the one hand, like all colloquial language use, it expresses and cements a group identity. Using Black Philadelphia and Spanish slang, Emoni affirms her sense of connection with those groups. On the other hand, it is a means of exclusion when those who do not know, or cannot use, the slang are marked as different and excluded. Additionally, those insider groups face exclusion themselves in certain ways, hampered from participating in aspects of society that expect standardized uses of English. This is why Emoni chooses to give her daughter a name, Emma, that is not associated with any specific culture or sub-culture. It is also why Emoni is trying to cut out swearing in front of Emma. She believes this effort will give her the best chance of success in broader society.