A question sort of involving race....

[Bella_Madre]

Does anyone know what it's called when a public speaker or a minister begins to speak in rhyme when they get really passionate about what they're talking about (usually in the Black community). A professor/ minister once told me there was an official term for it and now it's driving me crazy that I can't remember it...

[Bella_Madre]

Bump

[tiffyhamm]

are you talking about 'whooping'?  when i used to go to church, our pastors whooped a lot.  some like it, some don't....it involves call and response type preaching as well.

[Bella_Madre]

That might be it! It sounds right.
Is that where the preacher might ask for an "a-men" or something like that?

[tiffyhamm]

 

Quoting Bella_Madre:

That might be it! It sounds right.
Is that where the preacher might ask for an "a-men" or something like that?

yeah, some simply call that "call and response", but whooping involves a lot of call and response in addition to a lot of chanting, melodies, yelling, clapping, etc...it usually happens at the closing of a sermon or it leads into a song. 

[LauraKW]

I've never heard that term before. That's my something new for the day. I love the cadence.

Quoting tiffyhamm:

 

Quoting Bella_Madre:

That might be it! It sounds right.
Is that where the preacher might ask for an "a-men" or something like that?

yeah, some simply call that "call and response", but whooping involves a lot of call and response in addition to a lot of chanting, melodies, yelling, clapping, etc...it usually happens at the closing of a sermon or it leads into a song. 

[momof2ex1]

What about talking in tongues?

[EireLass]

BUMP!

[JonJon]

I don't know that only black ministers or public speakers do that or that all of them do it.  I think it's merely an individual choice or speaking style.  I never heard a minister do that the few times I went to church as a child.

I was in church when Jesse Jackson was there as a guest speaker saying things like, "You have to believe it before you can achieve it.".  I think of him as the most famous at doing that and it seems to me that way of delivering a message should have a name but I haven't the slightest idea what it would be.

So under what circumstances did you find yourself having that discussion with a black minister?

[JonJon]

Call and response was called "signifying" where I come from.

I looked up signifying online and as usual, the white person defining it got it all wrong and wrote that signifying is a synonym to the "dozens" which is to playfully and sometimes not so playfully deride someone. 

It has never been my experience that signifying is a negative thing but a confirmation of or agreement with something being asserted by someone else.

I might sound as if I'm explaining to you but I'm explaining to anyone reading this who doesn't know.

Quoting tiffyhamm:

 

Quoting Bella_Madre:

That might be it! It sounds right.
Is that where the preacher might ask for an "a-men" or something like that?

yeah, some simply call that "call and response", but whooping involves a lot of call and response in addition to a lot of chanting, melodies, yelling, clapping, etc...it usually happens at the closing of a sermon or it leads into a song. 

[JonJon]

BTW:  A professional minister as opposed to what, an UNprofessional minister?  A NON-professional minister?