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Naming

Black American
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The act of giving, reclaiming, speaking, or preserving names as identity and power.

Detailed Definition
Naming is vital in African American poetry because slavery, racism, and exile often stripped people of names, histories, and recognition. Poets use naming to honour ancestors, restore the dead, claim identity, reject imposed labels, and make the invisible present in language.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem restores the name of someone erased by slavery or violence; Naming appears when a speaker rejects an imposed label; A poet lists ancestors’ names as an act of remembrance; The poem treats naming as identity, dignity, and power
Additional Notes
Naming is especially important in African American poetry because histories of slavery, racial violence, and cultural erasure often involved stripping people of identity, lineage, or recognition. Poets may use naming to honour ancestors, restore forgotten individuals, reject imposed labels, or assert selfhood. Students should analyse when names are spoken, withheld, repeated, or reclaimed, since naming often functions as an act of memory, resistance, and dignity.
Also Known As
Renaming Name reclamation Nominatio
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