Two people run into each other and one says to the other: "You making it today?" Does that question, in that context, have a clear meaning? (If so, which one? Is it a greeting?) Or that context is not enough to make the question understandable? Thank you.
You making it today?
- Thread starter percivalpc
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My wife was walking along the street (in a small town in the U.S.) and a man who passed in the opposite direction said something, with the intonation of a yes/no question, which she heard as
"Jamaican it?"
Later, thinking about it, she realized it must have been "[Are] you makin' it?"—yes, a greeting, in the form of a question not requiring an answer, like "How [are] you doin'?"
The man was African-American, so maybe it's a greeting typical of AAVE. (I would appreciate it if someone can confirm this.)
"Making it" can mean "getting along in life satisfactorily", so the question is like "Is everything okay with you?"
"Jamaican it?"
Later, thinking about it, she realized it must have been "[Are] you makin' it?"—yes, a greeting, in the form of a question not requiring an answer, like "How [are] you doin'?"
The man was African-American, so maybe it's a greeting typical of AAVE. (I would appreciate it if someone can confirm this.)
"Making it" can mean "getting along in life satisfactorily", so the question is like "Is everything okay with you?"
Cenzontole (cool name), that was a great answer, 'cause the line I brought is from a character (Jama, from Elmore Leonard's novel Djibouti) who's American but, curiously, pretends to be African. He's been living for some time in Africa and may have absorbed, even deliberately, some AAVE expressions. So, your answer was an insightful one. Thanks a lot.
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African American Vernacular English does not come from Africa. That would be like learning a Brazilian dialect while living in Portugal.
If you said "You making it today?" to a random friend, they would likely say "Was I supposed to make something today?" or "Yes, I made that bread we talked about." or something like that.
The context isn't nearly enough to conclude anything about what's meant. It could mean, "Are you going to get to the [meeting / class / some other event or gathering]?" Or, "Are you constructing/creating [something we'd previously discussed]?" Or something entirely different . . .
Why do you think the spelling came out as "Jamaican", Cenzontle? Did your wife spell it out to you?