Signification and African‐American rhetoric: A case study of Jesse Jackson's “common ground and common sense” speech

This essay identifies African‐American patterns of signification and develops a theoretical framework for examining the political discourse of black rhetors who rely on these patterns. “Common Ground and Common Sense,” a speech presented by Jesse Jackson to the 1988 Democratic National Convention, serves as a case study to illustrate tropes that characterize African‐American patterns of signification. Tropes include: set expressions/call response formulas, “lies"/tall tales, and common sense stories. Implications for African‐American political candidates who rely on these patterns are discussed. The study concludes that popular and scholarly critics must go beyond white standards for communication in order to understand African‐American politicians who utilize the patterns of signification identified in this essay.

Key concepts:

• Oral traditions
• African‐American patterns of signification
• oral thinking
• set expressions/call response formulas
• “lies”/tall tales
• common sense stories