The distinctive dialect, speech patterns, or language variety spoken in Harlem, New York.
From 'Harlem' plus the suffix '-ese,' which is used to create nouns describing languages or dialects (like 'Portuguese' or 'Burmese'). This word emerged in the 20th century alongside greater study of American English dialects.
Harlemese, or African American Vernacular English as it developed in Harlem, influenced everything from hip-hop to mainstream American slang—entire generations of speech patterns radiated from those few Harlem blocks.
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