Black English: a linguistic phenomenon in "The Gilded Six-Bits" by Zora Neale Hurston

The focus of this thesis is the “Black English” system, as a historical, linguistic, social, and literary phenomenon. Born as a means of survival of a people torn from their land to be enslaved, Black English acquires unique characteristics, from phonetics to semantics, capable of making it not only a perfect literary tool, but also the symbol of a culture rich in folklore and rhythm. This potentiality will draw the attention of the anthropologist and writer Zora Neale Hurston, who, after careful research on-field, will include Black English in her works. In this way, she will both crystallize a merely oral system in written language and preserve her people’s culture. On the one hand, the analysis of “The Gilded Six-Bits,” a short work that tells the story of a young African American couple threatened by the white capitalist world’s influence, allows for the comprehension of the political and social (as well as aesthetic) cut of her Black English use. On the other hand, the related translation analysis of the text points out the obstacles that a translator finds in passing from this language, deeply interwoven with history and hidden meanings, to another system.