Danny Vinyard

Language Analysis of the Movie American History X
(emphasis on social accents and Black English)
Jessica Weber, Fabian Rätzer, Fall 2007
When hearing about the group-project task, we instantly thought about analyzing some
language aspects of the movie “American History X”.
This movie offers a wide range of speakers of diverse social classes and therefore shows
explicitly their distinctive usage of language and social accents. In the following chapters we
concentrate on the differences of Standard American English and Black English, placing
particular emphasis on phonological and grammatical distinctions as well as the specific
usage of terms. Besides, different social accents play a significant role in our determination
of the traits of special accents of American English.
At first it has to be said, that the movie's events are set in Venice Beach (near Los Angeles).
The area is well-known for its multiculturalism. Cheap rents attracted African Americans as
well as European immigrants in the past (including a substantial number of Jewish refugees
from Hitler's death camps). The movie “American History X” reflects, how people of diverse
cultures and social classes encounter. The Story tells about a former Nazi, who is released
from prison after serving only three years for murdering two young black men. Upon being
released, he finds that his younger brother has embraced his old ways in his absence and
has become an active white supremacist. The movie concentrates on the decision to quit
with one’s racist past whilst trying to keep the former Nazi's brother from becoming like him.
It is characterized by clashes between several social groups and races.
Derek Vinyard
Characters
Derek is the main character in the movie and an important figure in the Nazi gang “the
Disciples of Christ” (D.O.C.). He gets charged with killing two black men and is sentenced for
three years in prison. During his prison stay, Derek makes the acquaintance of a black
inmate, with whom he works in the prison laundry room. After Derek's father has been killed
in the line of duty by an African American, Derek's view of mankind is altered, but while in
prison, he discovers that there is good and bad in every race. The task before him now is to
convince his younger brother Danny of his newfound enlightenment. Derek is educated by a
series of figures and is therefore a case study of how persons may be easily influenced by
others. His character is based on an actual person.
Danny Vinyard
Danny is Derek’s 14 year old younger brother, student of Venice Beach High. He admires his
brother and wants to impress him by writing a paper about Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”. He
idolizes Derek and the group he has started before his incarceration. Danny is easily
impressionable and therefore follows Derek’s footsteps, always influenced by Cameron’s and
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Seth’s propaganda. However, after Derek tells him about his stay in the prison, he opens his
eyes and wants to improve his lifestyle and get rid of the past.
Dr. Bob Sweeny
Bob Sweeney (approx. mid-forties), African-American, is the principal of Venice Beach High
and former history teacher of Derek. His college education is noticeable in his usage of
language (clear pronunciation). He fights for Derek and Danny, not wanting to give them up.
Bob Sweeney went to visit Derek in the prison and then becomes his mentor, helping him to
break with his past. He helps Derek to understand his actions and makes him understand
that he sets an example for his younger brother and influences him on everything he does.
Seth Ryan
Seth Ryan went to school together with Derek and is his best friend, before Derek wants to
get out of the DOC gang. He is a hard-core neo-Nazi. His job is exterminator; he does not
have a college education. Seth looks up to Derek and Cameron. He is a follower of the scene
and is influenced strongly by Cameron. Seth believes everything without questioning what he
is being told.
Lamont
Lamont is an uneducated Afro-American in his mid-twenties and the only real friend of Derek
in the prison. He was convicted of stealing and physical injury and sentenced for six years.
Lamont is a perfect case study for a user of Black English.
Murray Rosenberg
Murray is the Jewish boyfriend of Derek’s mother. Because of his opinion about racial
discrimination and his background, he is chased out of the Vinyard's house by Derek after a
heated discussion. Murray has an academic background and teaches at the local high school
and uses proper, standard American English.
Analysis of selected dialogues
1. Dialogues between Derek and Lamont in Prison
(emphasis on Black English and explanation of certain slang words)
Lamont:
“Oh come on man, look! Everyday I watch ya go thru these sheets like you wanna get to the
end of 'em. God, nigga, will you chill the fuck out??
Goddamn! No matter how fast you get thru 'em, man, they just keep bringing 'em in and
bringing 'em in and bringing 'em in. And from the… they ain’t gonna do a damn thing but give
you a fucking heart attack. And you know what? That’s cool with me! But you know, you give
me a goddamn heart attack, too!
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I know, I know, I’m just a dumb stupid nigger, right? What do I know? I know I ain’t do wanna
get mad at those damn sheets, though. As a matter of fact, the only sheets I get mad at…I
tell you.”
(Putting sheet like KKK)
“Alright, boy, this what we gonna do: we gonna hate some niggers. That’s what we gonna do
today, we gonna hate that goddamn niggers, that’s all we gonna do is hate some niggers all
day. I don’t even know what a nigger is, but you know what, we gonna hate them. My cousin
Derek is in the pen right now, working next to a nigger, driving him nigger crazy!”
(Watch scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk_ZNCeVWiY)
BE SAE
I ain’t do wanna Incorrect grammatical construction; “ain't”
usually substitutes “am not”, “isn’t”, “aren’t”
or “didn’t”
this what we gonna do No use of the auxiliary verb “to be”
we gonna hate No use of the auxiliary verb “to be”
pen Amer. slang for prison
nigger, nigga Slang word, usually with negative
connotation for African American, as well
used by Afro-Americans for “buddy”
Expressions and keywords in other dialogues:
“a'ight” or even only “ay” Alright
what you in for form of “to be” dropped
Cause in the joint, you the nigger Amer. Slang for prison
peckerwood Term used primarily in prisons regarding
skinheads, also racist term for white man
in general
don’t tell me this smell don’t remind Wrong grammatical use of the verb “to
you
do” ► don’t instead of doesn’t
Yo, wuz up D.? Hey, what’s up Derek?
Just take it easy on the brothers, ay? Term for black males, mostly used by
The brother
African Americans among each other
Cracker The opposite of the word “nigger”, an
insult to whites
(Watch another example in the scene on a basketball court:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lU5Qa4aYSA&feature=related)
In these dialogues the use of Black English emerges. In addition to the above mentioned
words and grammatical alterations, there is especially one characteristic standing out: the
phonology.
Listening to the dialogues (see link to “YouTube”), it is noticeable that Lamont and the other
Black English-speakers tend to lengthen the words, meaning to put a bigger emphasis on the
vowels in many words. Examples are: mad (maad), man (maan), right (riight), boy (booy).
The weakening of consonants at the end of some words is a very characteristic feature used
in Black English. Even though all native speakers of English have the tendency to reduce the
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sounds of consonants, it is even stronger developed in the speech of African Americans. For
example: remin' (remind), tha' (that), worl' (world), peckerwoo' (peckerwood) or ou' (out).
These examples reflect the difficulties in understanding Black English speakers. Even native
speakers have problems to follow their speech and to figure out some individual words.
2. Dialogue between Dr. Bob Sweeney and Danny in Sweeney’s office
(social accent)
In contrast to the typical non-educated Black English speaker, Sweeney represents a person
using Standard American English.
Sweeney:
“We will discuss current events right now. Call it American History...X. We meet once a day.
The first assignment: prepare for me a new paper due tomorrow.
Danny:
“Oh c’mon, Sweeney. It took me a week to read “Mein Kampf”. That isn’t fair!
Well, what do you want me to do it on?”
Sweeney:
“Your brother.”
Danny:
“Oh god man, please tell me you’re joking.”
Sweeney:
“No I’m not kidding. I want you to analyze and interpret all the events surrounding Derek’s
incarceration. How these events helped shaped your present respective concerning life in
contemporary America. The impact on your life, your family’s. Whatever you want to say,
Dan. I’ll be the only one reading it. But if it is not on my desk tomorrow morning you are a
ghost at Venice Beach High. Are we clear?”
Danny:
“Yeah, I’m clear.”
Here it becomes obvious that the social position influences the way of speaking. Sweeney’s
speech is well-conceived and he does not use any slang words or expressions, which are
typical for all other African Americans in the movie. As a principal, Dr. Sweeney has a higher
social position; his choice of words and the clear pronunciation are appropriate and in
comparison to Danny they are quite demanding. Danny’s family background and his socially
rather lower class show in his behavior and the way of talking: “Oh c’mon, Sweeney!”, “Oh
god man, please tell me you’re joking”.
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3. Conversation between Seth, Danny and his sister Davina
(social accent)
Davina:
Are you still here Goodyear?
Seth:
You calling me a blimp you fucking democrat? Come in here Danny.
Danny Vinyard:
Seth... Hey man you going to Cam's party tonight?
Seth:
Is Davina's ass watertight?
Danny Vinyard:
You're fuckin' sick man.
Seth:
Alright, relax let me ask you a few questions.
Danny Vinyard:
I'm not in the mood I got a lot of homework to do.
Seth:
Tell me some of the shit you've learned fuckass before I pistol whip you!
Danny Vinyard:
Ok, I believe in death, destruction, chaos, filth, and greed!
Seth:
Cut the shit, Danny, come on. Tell me what I wanna hear asshole.
Danny Vinyard:
You mean that shit about your mother man?
Seth:
You wanna get fucking beaten Danny?
(Davina laughs)
Seth:
I'm not fucking talking to you Davina why don't you shut up?
Seth:
Who do you hate Danny?
Danny Vinyard:
I hate anyone that isn’t a white Protestant.
Seth:
Why?
Danny Vinyard:
They’re a burden to the advancement of the white race. Some of them are alright I guess...
Seth:
None of them are fucking alright Danny, ok? They're all a bunch of fuckin’ freeloaders.
Remember what Cam said “we don't know 'em. We don't wanna know ‘em. They're the
fucking enemy.” Now what don't you like about them? And say it with some fucking
convictions!
Danny Vinyard:
I hate the fact that it’s cool to be black these days.
Seth:
Good.
Danny Vinyard:
I hate this hip-pop fuckin’ influence on white-fuckin'suburbia.
Seth:
Good.
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Danny Vinyard:
And I hate Tabitha Soren and all their Zionist MTV fucking pigs telling us we should get
along. Save us the rhetorical bullshit Hillary Rodham Clinton cuz it ain't gonna fuckin’
happen.
Seth:
That's some of the best shit I have ever heard come out of your mouth, damn!!
Davina Vinyard:
Danny, no. I feel sorry for you, Danny. And I know you don’t believe any of that shit, right?
You don’t…
Seth:
Shut up Davina!
Davina Vinyard:
No you shut the fuck up! Get out of the fuckin’ house now you piece of shit please go!
All the three characters taking part in the scene above represent the same low social class
and attract attention by the numerous uses of devaluating expressions and cusswords in
general (marked grey in the discussion). Especially noticeable is the constant use of the f***
word; the characters seem to be familiar with that kind of speech. If these expressions were
cut out, the whole conversation would appear in a different light; the people would be
considered to be more educated:
You calling me a blimp you fucking
democrat?
Are you calling me fat?
Is Davina's ass watertight? ??? Unknown
fuckin’ sick stupid
some of the shit something
fuckass before I pistol whip you before I get angry
cut the shit stop it
asshole -
shit about your mother those things about your mother
get fucking beaten get into trouble
fucking -
fuckin’ freeloaders parasites
fucking enemy/fucking convictions enemy/convictions
hip-pop fuckin’ influence on whitefuckin'suburbia
hip-hop influence on white suburbia
MTV fucking pigs MTV colleagues
rhetorical bullshit rhetorical speeches
it ain't gonna fuckin’ happen it is not going to happen
best shit best things
shut the fuck up shut up
get out of the fuckin’ house get out of our house
piece of shit idiot
The discussion with the use of Standard American English:
Davina:
Are you still here Goodyear?
Seth:
Are you calling me fat? Come in here Danny.
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Danny Vinyard:
Seth... Hey man are you going to Cam's party tonight?
Seth:
Is Davina's ass water tight?
Danny Vinyard:
You're stupid man.
Seth:
Alright, relax let me ask you a few questions.
Danny Vinyard:
I'm not in the mood I got a lot of homework to do.
Seth:
Stop it! Tell me something you've learned, before I get angry!
Danny Vinyard:
Ok, I believe in death, destruction, chaos, filth, and greed!
Seth:
Danny, come on. Tell me what I want to hear, buddy.
Danny Vinyard:
You mean those things about your mother man?
Seth:
You want to get into trouble Danny?
(Davina laughs)
Seth:
I'm not talking to you Davina, why don’t you shut up.
Seth:
Who do you hate Danny?
Danny Vinyard:
I hate anyone that isn’t a white Protestant.
Seth:
Why?
Danny Vinyard:
They’re a burden to the advancement of the white race. Some of them are alright I guess...
Seth:
None of them are alright Danny, ok? They're all a bunch of parasites. Remember what Cam
said: ’We don't know them. We don't want to know them. They're the enemy.’ Now what don't
you like about them and say it with some convictions!
Danny Vinyard:
I hate the fact that it’s cool to be black these days.
Seth:
Good.
Danny Vinyard:
I hate this hip-pop influence on white suburbia.
Seth:
Good.
Danny Vinyard:
And I hate Tabitha Soren and all their Zionist MTV colleagues telling us we should get along.
Save us the rhetorical speeches Hillary Rodham Clinton because it is not going to happen.
Seth:
That are some of the best things I have ever heard come out of your mouth, Dan.
Davina Vinyard:
Danny, no. I feel sorry for you, Danny. And I know you don’t believe any of this, right? You
don’t…
Seth:
Shut up Davina!
Davina Vinyard:
No you shut up! Get out of our house now, you idiot, please go!
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[…]
Murray:
What are you doing Derek? This is your family.
4. Dinner scene at the Vinyard’s house
(Racial Jewish expressions)
Derek:
Right. My family. My family! So you know what? I don’t give two shits about you or anybody
else so what you think. You’re not a part of it and you never will be.
Murray:
That has nothing to do with it.
Derek:
Oh, it doesn’t? You don’t think I see what you’re trying to do here? You think I’m going to sit
here and smile when some fucking kike tries to fuck my mother? It’s never gonna happen,
Murray. Fucking forget it. Not on my watch. Not while I’m in this family. I will fucking cut your
shylock nose off and stick it up your ass before I let that happen. Fucking come in here and
poisoning my family’s dinner with your Jewish nigger loving hippy bullshit. Fuck you! Fuck
you!! Yeah, walk out! Asshole. Fucking Kabbalah reading motherfucker. Get the fuck out of
my house!
(Watch scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkMSThG7Sr8&feature=related)
Definition of Jewish terms in the movie:
kike Derogatory term for a Jew
shylock Someone who lends money at excessive
rates of interests ► Jewish people were
always said to work in financial
professions and to be well-organized in
dealing with money and goods
Kabbalah (reading) Kabalah refers to a doctrine of esoteric
beliefs and practices that supplement
traditional Jewish interpretations of the
Bible and religious observances
Pastrami Special brand of ham, introduced to
America by the Jewish kitchen; signature
dish of the local Jewish cuisine
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Bibliography:
- “American History X” movie at alluc.org
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1564035643569751368
- Homevideos http://homevideos.com/revnclas/251b.htm
- The Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120586/quotes
- Urban Dictionary http://www.urbandictionary.com/
- Wikipedia.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_history_x
- YouTube, diverse extracts of the movie www.youtube.com
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