The Politics of Presence: Linguistic Validation and Language Ideology in the Poetry of Langston Hughes

The sociolinguistic techniques Langston Hughes used to subvert the prevailing
language ideologies of the early 20th century are examined in this research paper.
Black artists were under tremendous pressure to demonstrate intellectual equality
during the Harlem Renaissance by using “standard” English. Hughes, on the
other hand, took a radical “descriptivist” stand, defending the “low-down folk’s”
speech and inherent beauty. This study shows how Hughes used certain aspects of
African American Vernacular English (AAVE), such as negative concord, aspectual
markers like a-prefixing, and phonological elision, not as “broken” English but as
complex poetic devices through an examination of classic works like “Mother to
Son.”The research paper analyzes how Hughes’s command of various linguistic
registers enabled him to show that the Black community was not a monolith but
rather had a diverse linguistic repertoire that included everything from formal, epic
voices to casual “kitchen-talk.” Hughes successfully overturned established social
hierarchies by approving the vernacular voice and claiming that lived experience,
not just formal education, is a direct source of cultural authority and profound truth.
Hughes’ poetry is a masterwork that demonstrates how language is inextricably
linked to identity, power, and the affirmation of human dignity.