Name: _______________

‘The Upshaws’ – acknowledging Afro-American speech

Pre-video activity

1. Let’s first acknowledge the summary of

the series, so when can understand what
really happens:
“A working-class Black family in Indiana
strives for a better life and a happy home
while juggling everyday struggles in this
comedy series.”
— Official Netflix synopsis

Image 1. ‘The Upshaws’, available in Netflix.

Extracted from ‘Rotten Tomatoes’,
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_upshaws

a. First of all, here you have a map of the States. Could you guess where
Indiana is? Let’s see who approximates the most:

Image 2. Map of the USA without state names. Extracted from ‘Wikimedia Commons’,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_USA_without_state_names.svg

b. Do you think there will be much difference between a white family

and this black family? (in terms of language, but also modus vivendi1)

1
Modus vivendi: “a way of living or getting along” (Collins Dictionary, 2010)
Name: _______________

2. FAMILY TREE & ITS RELATIONSHIP

Lucretia

Bernard & Regina Upshaw

Tasha Lewis
(previous
relationship)

Levin (13 years Bernard Jr. Aaliya (13 Maya (6 years

old) (adult) years old) old)

Bernard and Regina Upshaw work and live in Indianapolis, where they are raising 13-
year-old Aaliya and 6-year-old Maya. Their adult son Bernard Jr., who was born while
they were high school sweethearts, also lives nearby. But their lives can get complicated,
thanks to Bernie's failure to follow through on some of his responsibilities, and due to the
fact that he has a 13-year-old son, Kelvin, from a previous relationship with Tasha Lewis.
It doesn't help that Regina's sister Lucretia, who helped him get his car repair business
started, is his biggest critic. But there's a lot of love among all of them, and they still come
together as family.
Name: _______________

Video activity – ‘Joy Ride’ (P.1, episode 4; 0’-8’)

“As Regina tries to land a better job at a different organization, Bennie's friends get in his
ear about her looking to level up her life without him.”

1. First, let’s watch the chosen part without subtitles, to see till which point you
can understand what is happening.

Image 3. ‘The Upshaws’ introductory song. P.1, ep. 4 (0’-8’)

a. Make a list of the facts (in order) you have understood, adding up as much as
possible.
2. Now, let’s rewind it with subtitles.
a. Compare your understanding now with the list you priorly made.
b. Add whatever you think is important, or you’ve understood the second time
3. Answer the following questions (listening comprehension):
3.1.Which job is Regina applying for?
a. Chief finance at the same organization
b. Chief Administrator at the same organization
c. Chief finance at a different organization
d. Chief Administrator at a different organization
Name: _______________

3.2.What does Lucretia do when Regina asks her for advice in relation to her
outfit?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
3.3.Which of the following ideas does Regina have in order to impress her
interviewer? (you can choose more than one option)
a. March into her boss’ office and quit
b. Take a dump on her desk
c. Chew on her boss’s desk
d. Show up late
e. Remark her outfit
f. Wear jeans
3.4.What job application does the interviewer offer Regina?
a. A promotion with more salary
b. Same position, with less salary
c. A promotion with less salary
d. Same position, with more salary
3.5.Where do the ‘men’ go out tonight?
a. Trivia night
b. Simply, to a bar
c. Poker night
d. Drinking night
3.6.Bernard asks his son (Bernie Jr.) about a possible girlfriend, because…
a. …he is interested in his emotional life.
b. …he loves salseo.
c. …his wife doesn’t want his son to turn up as his father.
d. …he is being forced by his wife’s sister.
3.7. Bernie Jr. and Lucretia talk about a problem with her ‘building
manager’ situation. What is the problem there?
a. Miss Adelman finally died
b. Miss Adelman wants her rent control
c. Ernest, from 3B, wants Bernie evicted
d. Ernest, from 3B, ignores Bernie’s eviction notes
Name: _______________

Post-video activities

1. Do you think there is some kind of difference between the ‘American’

speech? Taking into account pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and even
discourse management; depict to what extent you consider ‘Afro-American’
English more difficult to understand than other varieties of Englishes around
the world.

Image 4. Distribution of the ‘World Englishes’ around the world.

Name: _______________

2. Translate the following sentences in Spanish or Catalan. All of them have

been extracted from the video.

Original sentence or term Translated sentence or term

You gon’ get that job

Pump me up, daddy.

I’mma march into my boss’ office and

quit

‘You is right’

A quickie.

Don’t try to body-shame me.

‘Ain’t nothing nerdy about that’

AA

This is very cliché

bougie

MBA

…because they enjoy students’ loans.

Trying to better myself, asshole.

You’re not dangling out that window, are

you?

You was done.

I be saying stuff
Name: _______________

Like we criminals

to tiptoe

3. Now I propose to you the following activities:

a. Do you think that Afro-American speech is kind of ‘discriminated’ not
only in American English varieties but also in translation? In other
words, do you think that the way ‘negroes’ speak is very often considered
slang, incorrect, or even ‘vulgar’? Write an opinion essay about the
‘standardization of a language’, and its pros or cons (180 words).
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
b. Would you be able to translate a part of this sequence into Spanish or
Catalan, without marking a lot this ‘discriminated’ speech? Do you think
you are able to translate it in an informal speech without making it sound
so vulgar or slang-style?
- If you like it, we could even try translating the subtitles into Castilian
or Catalan
- OR even dubbing it! (What do you think? I could prepare an activity)

Image 5. Dubbing process of a series.

Name: _______________