This pancocojams post presents a definition of and theories about the sources of the African American colloquial expression "Ah sookie sookie now".
This post also showcases selected sound files or videos that include that expression or the phrase "suca suca". An addedum to this post also includes information about and links to the "sucu sucu" musical genre.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/what-sukey-jumps-means-information-song.html for a related post on the meanings of the word "sukey jumps" and three "Sukey Jump" music examples.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
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May 14, 2021: In re-reading this post, I realized I hadn' mentioned the signature use of the word "Azucar!" by Cuban American Queen of Salsa music Celia Cruz. I added a comment in this post's discussion thread below. Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/01/seven-videos-of-queen-of-salsa-celia.html for the 2013 pancocojams post entitled "Seven Videos Of The Queen Of Salsa, Celia Cruz."
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DEFINITION FOR THE EXPRESSION "AH SOOKIE SOOKIE NOW"
"Ah sookie sookie now" is an African American originated colloquial expression that is said in appreciation of the physical body of another person or persons.
From http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sookie+sookie+now
"sookie sookie now
an expression of admiration, or satisfaction, especially in regards to the shape and beauty of a female
A beautiful girl with a tight body walks by and you look at her and say "Ahhhhhhhhhh sookie sookie, now!!"
by jojo Oct 24, 2003
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Although it's less common, females can also say "Ah sookie sookie now!" in appreciation of a male's sexy physique. For instance, in the song "I Do" by the R&B/Hip Hop group Blaque, young women sing "ah sookie sookie now" in appreciation of attractive men.
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POSSIBLE SOURCES FOR "AH SOOKIE SOOKIE NOW"
Theory #1
The 1970s colloquial expression "ah sookie sookie now" has its source in the 19th century term "sukey jumps". "Sukey jumps" is a long obsolete 19th century and early 20th century African American English referent for country dance gatherings for Black folks and the fast paced dance music that was performed at those gatherings.
Those dance gatherings were named "Sukey Jumps" as a reference to the Black women ["Sukies"; "Sookies"] who would be enthusiastically dancing [jumping all around] there. The phrase "ah sookie sookie" could have evolved over a period of time from men's appreciation of the attractive females (the "Sookies") they saw.
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Additional comments about the meaning/s of the referent "sukey jumps" can be found by clicking http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/what-sukey-jumps-means-information-song.html.
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Theory #2
The phrase "ah sookie sookie now" comes from the phrase "suca suca". "Suca" derives from the French word for sugar "sucre". Therefore, "suca suca" ("sookie sookie") means "sweet sweet". Men seeing a sexy, physically attractive female might respond with the exclamation "Sweet sweet" (as in "Sucre sucre").
The phrase "suca suca" is found in the Zap Mama recording of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian song "Iko Iko".* A sound file of that song is found below. The New Orleans, Louisiana connection between "suca suca" and "ah sookie sookie now" is reinforced by the fact that King Floyd, the singer who recorded the song "Groove Me" which begins with "ah sookie sookie now" is from New Orleans. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Floyd
In previous posts [on the Mudcat Cafe Folk & Blues forum]*, I wrote that "ah sookie sookie" may have derived from the Spanish word for sugar "azucar". Hat tip to Mudcat blogger Q who pointed out that if that phrase came from any Latin language source, given the greater French influence in New Orleans, that Latin language source would have been French rather than Spanish.
*There are countless theories about the meaning/s of the phrase "iko iko" and the meanings of other words & phrases in that song. Click this page of my cocojams website for several theories about the meanings of the song "Iko Iko": http://cocojams.com/content/text-analysis-iko-iko.
**I also previously wrote that the referent "sukey jumps" may have come from the West African (Akan language) female name "Akosua" (female born on Sunday). I now retract that theory, in large part because that name isn't pronounced the same as the word "sukey". If I'm not mistaken, the Akan pronunciation for "Akosua" is ah-KOH-su-ah.
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FEATURED EXAMPLES THAT INCLUDE THE EXPRESSION "AH SOOKIE SOOKIE NOW"
[This isn't all the records that contain the phrase "ah sookie sookie" or similar spellings. If you know the title for other records, please add them in the comment section. Thanks!]
Example #1: Ah Sookie Sookie Now!
Abi Jenkins Published on Nov 25, 2012
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This is a clip from the hit record "Groove Me" by King Floyd.
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Example #2: King Floyd-Groove Me.flv
davedrummer7Uploaded on Sep 7, 2010
Here's a comment from this video's viewer comment thread http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZG9Sclq_54:
On this day in 1971 {January 16th} King Floyd performed "Groove Me" on the late Dick Clark's 'American Bandstand'...
Three months earlier on October 24th, 1970 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #6 and spent 20 weeks on the Top 100...
And on January 2nd, 1971 it reached #1 {for 4 non-consecutive weeks} on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart
King Floyd passed away on March 6th, 2006 at the age of 61...
R.I.P. King Floyd and Mr. Clark {1929 - 2012}...
-sauquoit13456, 2013
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Example #3: Blaque - I Do
[Update: August 3, 2021 -This sound file is no longer available on YouTube.]
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OTHER SONGS THAT INCLUDE THE PHRASE "SUKI SUKI NOW" [Revised January 9, 2016]
- Big KRIT - Sookie Now (feat. David Banner) - Returnof4eva [Download MP3]
-Outkast's "Hootie Hoo"
WARNING: These records include the "n" word and some profanity. Also, the comments on these YouTube examples' discussion threads may contain profanity and other objectionable language.]
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ADDITION: December 13, 2013
Example #4: STEPPENWOLF - Sookie Sookie 1968
SpindleRecords, Uploaded on Apr 13, 2007
Rare 1968 Live Performance
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Thanks to Unkown, July 11, 2020 and Anonymous, August 4, 2021 for informing me and others that Steppenwolf's 1968 record "Sookie Sookie" was a cover of Don Covey's 1965 record "Sookie Sookie".
Unfortunately, this format will not allow me to add a YouTube sound file of that song, but here's the link to one published example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8geTmxYTwg&ab_channel=MarcLeroy Sookie, Sookie - Don Covay (1965) (HD Quality) published by Marc Leroy, Jul 5, 2014.
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FEATURED RECORD THAT INCLUDES THE PHRASE "SUCA SUCA"
Zap Mama Iko-Iko
annathebest94, Uploaded on Aug 10, 2008
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The title of Zap Mama's version of this song is also given as "Suca Mama".
"Iko Iko" is a Mardi Gras Indian song. There are countless theories about the meanings of that title and other words & phrases in that song. Click http://cocojams.com/content/text-analysis-iko-iko for a page about that song which is found on my cocojams cultural website.
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ADDENDUM
In researching this post, I learned about the Cuban music and dance form called "sucu sucu". Could "sucu sucu" (also) be a source for the African American colloquial expression "ah sookie sookie now"?
Click http://www.cubanow.net/articles/what-was-sucu-sucu-cuban-music for an article about "sucu sucu".
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the recording artists who are featured on this post. Thanks to those whose comments I quoted in this post, and thanks to the YouTube publishers of these sound files.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Suki Suki is a Japanese phrase, meaning to love or like some or something. Blacks also started using the term Skoch or sukoshi mean a little amount, which probably came from Black merchant marines frequenting Japan.
ReplyDeleteJose Greco
Great Excuses Blog
Thanks Jose for that sharing that theory. I know that its possible for a word or phrase in one language to be the same as or similar in spelling and in punctuation as a word or phrase in another language, but have different meanings.
DeleteI'd be interested in knowing if there is any documentation for those theories that you cite.
Jose is correct.
Deletezap mama song reminds me of a beetle juice song!
DeleteWhich song in the Beetlejuice movie are you thinking of, Unknown?
DeleteJose is mostly correct, except for the use of these words is in no way limited to blacks and never has been. Sukoshi is particularly common in the Midwest among whites. Suki desu (好きです) and sukoshi (少し) have been in broad use by American servicemen returning from Japan and Okinawa since the end of WWII. Boondock is an example of a Filipino word that entered English in the same way, although probably earlier than the war. Incidentally, Americans almost always pronounce "suki" incorrectly. There is no stress accent on the first syllable or on any other syllable in Japanese. As for documentation, why bother? The 1% of the citizenry that bother to serve their country know this to be a fact from personal experience and simple observation. No documentation required for the same reason I know a doghouse is for housing a dog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, anonymous. I appreciate the information that mostly confirms what commenter Jose wrote.
DeleteI understand that anecdotes are a form of documentation, but I wonder if the phrase "ah sukey sukey" was known before the end of WWII. If so, then the Japanese word "sukoshi" that Jose shared means "a little amount" may not be the source for African Americans' use of "ah sukey sukey" in various songs.
Also, the "a little amount" meaning for "sukoshi" that Jose gave doesn't fit the meaning of "ah sukey sukey". That phrase refers to "cat calls" males might make when they see a sexually attractive woman.
You wrote that "sukoshi is particulary common in the Midwest among whites". That's another reason why I'm not yet sold on your (and Jose's) theory that that Japanese word is the source for the phrase "ah sukey sukey".
great job!
DeleteWhile Americans do almost always mispronounce suki, they don't pronounce it as sookey. The words look like they would be said similarly, but they aren't, and if the word did indeed come from Japan it would have traveled by speech rather than text. There's no reason in that context that Americans would make up a new word when suki already sounds so similar to a word used in English - ski. If they were saying "Ah ski ski now" then I'd think it came from Japan as that would fall in line with the other words that were borrowed (the parts that aren't very noticeable by American ears would be dropped, as in the case of sukoshi becoming skosh), but as it stands, I really don't think so. I think this is a case of two similar sounding words with similar meanings coming into usage in both America and Japan with completely separate origins - much like the word "yo" (used as a greeting in both America and Japan).
DeleteHello, s0nicfreak.
DeleteThanks very much for commenting.
I agree with you that the two words suki and sookie (sukey) * "is a case of two similar sounding words with similar meanings coming into usage in both America and Japan with completely separate origins."
*For those who may not know this, in the context of the phrase "Ah sookie sookie" (ah sukey sukey) which is used in R&B songs, the word "sookie" (sukey) rhymes with the word "lookie" which is mostly only used in "child talk".
any attempts to claim ownership of this phrase by blacks is yet another attempt at afro-centrism. I have been in Japan since 1992 and have researched this throughout the years. Sorry, but this phrase belongs to the Japanese.
ReplyDeleteGreetings, Jerry.
DeleteWhat you are saying may indeed be true. I'm not an etymologist, but I know that there needs to be documentation for word origins. I also know that a word or phrase may sound the same or similarly and be spelled the same or similarly in different languages but have different origins and meanings.
Best wishes.
Hello Anonymous,
DeleteI doubt that you will see this, as it has been years, but I wanted to address you apparent condescension.
As a Black person who also speaks Japanese, you are referencing two different phrases and trying desperately to erase the way that it is used by a number of Black Americans, only because you know there is a similar sounding word in Japanese.
The AAVE version of "ah, sookie sookie now" likely has very little to do with ”好きです”. And if it does have roots in the Japanese word, then it has certainly grown and changed, you know, the way that most vernaculars, and dialects do.
So, yes 好きです belongs to the Japanese. But please try to be less obtuse when referencing phrases that just sound similar, but have absolutely developed their own rich history and usage by another group.
Greetings, Noelle.
DeleteThe Unknown/Anonymous commenter who wrote that comment in 2016 attributing the African American Vernacular English associated/originated saying "ah sookie sookie" saying to Japanese may not read your comment disputing that. However, other people will read it.
I thank you for that.
wow 1992? u must be an expert or something... anyway, the new orleans suca suca theory seems best to me, with the most documentation and closest meaning and pronunciation, as well as regional influence... probably combined over time with other influences, the least of them being the japanese one. lol. def a black phrase when used in the manner that we are speaking of: to announce approval of another person's appearance...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment asadULTRAwalker.
DeleteFor those reading this, your comment is at least in part a response to Jerry Carroll's comment.
Like you, I doubt the Japanese origin of the phrase "ah sukey sukey" as used by African American males to praise an attractive woman.
I totally agree asadULTRAwalker, this usage and pronunciation seems most likely to have traveled from French Creole and into the rest of black culture ,who knows how long ago. Just because it is similar to a Japanese word or phrase doesnt mean anything to this usage being discussed.
DeleteThanks for your comment, Brenna.
DeleteI appreciate your input and I agree with what you wrote.
As a woman named Sukie, I can tell you it was originally an English nickname for Susan. It was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. I know that for a time it became a common name given to female slaves in America. Trust me, there are plenty of Sukies in the United States - just google the name and you will find out for yourself.
ReplyDeleteGreetings, Sukie McCormick
DeleteThanks for sharing that information.
Sometimes there's more than one origins & meanings for the same word or for the words with the same or similar sounds.
I believe this is the case with the word/name "Sukie", particularly in the phrase "Ah suki suki!" as found in several R&B songs. In those songs, the word "suki" isn't a nickname for Susan. Instead, "Ah suki suki!" is a man's expression of admiration when he sees a woman who he considers to be physically attractive.
Using proper nouns as regular nouns isn't unheard of though. We call men who buy prostitutes "Johns", or a "Becky" is a shady white girl. Saying "Sukie" towards a girl could be a similar thing.
DeleteThanks for your comment, Anonymous.
DeleteI continue to believe that the word "suki" in the saying "Ah Suki Suki" that is found in some R&B songs is a compliment to a female regarding her sensuous appearance, and not a name or nickname.
All of that is bull, at least on the Black American front. The phrase means that there is either gossip or trouble brewing.
ReplyDeleteThe best example of this is from Kim Fields' character, Regine, on "Living Single". It was her catchphrase on the show, which also references her earlier tv career, as Tootie from "The Facts of Life". Tootie's catchphrase was "Awww, you in trouble."
I don't know where all the extra came from, but it's wrong...at least on the Black hand side.
Thanks for you're comment, Anonymous.
DeleteI appreciate you adding it to this post.
Perhaps the term "Ah suki suki" (however it is spelled) had/has more than one meaning.
I stand by my opinion that in various songs "Ah suki suki!" is an expression of male admiration for an attractive woman.
You are very close with your opinion. I am very well versed in multiple languages and can tell you folks here have confused the Japanese "Suki" with Sookie. Mostly because they are pronouncing Suki wrong. I found this blog because I had King Floyds song stuck in my head. I know I am a year out from most post but hope this helps you out.
DeleteThanks,Rob O for your comment.
DeleteI deleted your other comment because it contained a curse word and this is a family centered blog.
Best wishes!
I found this blog because I heard the phrase " ah, suki suki now" on the TV show "Living Single". It was used similar to "uh oh,there's gonna be trouble" or " OH NO YOU DIDNT!". I have picked up using it in this context, since I just love the sound of it , haha.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to find that it's in songs with a different meaning but remember hearing them now.
It makes me wonder if maybe it might mean "danger" or "trouble" as in a good looking woman is tempting. Just a thought. I dont know what the source of that meaning would be.
I was also wondering if it is more common in any certain part of the US. I live in South Carolina and have never heard it. Of course I AM white, but I'm not totally isolated. Lol.
Brenna, thanks for your comment.
DeleteI've heard "ah suki suki now" in some records.
I'm also familiar with "ah suki suki" used as a "complimentary" saying said by men when a physically attractive young woman passes by them. On those occasions, "ah suki suki" means something like "There goes a good looking woman".
I'm familiar with this saying in New Jersey and Pennsylvania around the 1970s and later. However, I doubt if that saying is only used in the Northern part of the USA. I think it is probably used by Black people more than by non-Black people.
I don't know that the meaning is "danger" or "trouble" (as in the men are warning themselves or the women that saying is addressed to.
Watching Henry Louis Gates climb CNN’s Van Jones family tree on PBS’ Finding Your Roots on 3/28/23, was surprised to hear Van toss off a Ah, Sookie Sookie Now after hearing some fascinating information, so I came here to find out its meaning/usage.
DeleteI DVRd the bit, but am unable to upload it here, so dig around for it if you’re of a mind to….
(Man, THIS is why the Internet, amiright?)
Anonymous, thanks for sharing that information about Van Jones saying "Ah Sookie Sookie Now" when he learned information about his family tree from Henry Louis Gates.
DeleteI'll be on the look out for that video.
Like you said, THIS is an example of how the internet works
.
It sure seems that almost everything is somewhere on the internet.
Steppenwolf's Sookie Sookie in 1968 was apparently a cover of Don Covay's 1966 song. Unfortunate but unsurprising that the cover by the more famous band is the main result when you look up the title.
ReplyDeletehttps://g.co/kgs/GFfEUh
Thanks for that information, Unknown.
DeleteThanks to Miszjguilloryrance for sending a comment about "sookie sookie" on December 13, 2020 at 10:09 PM. I'm quoting it because I don't post comments with email addresses.
ReplyDelete"I’ve always used this term and have had responses as “ watch out now “!! It strikes fear into people that don’t know what’s going to happen next. The expression on their face is priceless"
I thought suki suki now, was short for sugar sugar in spanish, azuquita. I named my dog zuki short for azuquita
ReplyDeleteUnknown, thanks for your comment.
DeleteIn the post about the meaning of the saying "Ah Sookie Sookie now", I mentioned the Spanish word "azucar" and the French word "sucre". Both of those words mean "sugar".
I believe "azuquita" means "little sugar". I don't know whether "Zuki" is an actual shortened form of that nickname in Spanish cultures, but I can see how you derived that nickname from "azuquita".
As a reminder to you and others, my focus in this post wasn't about the meaning of the word "sookie". My focus was on the meaning of the phrase "ah sookie sookie (now)".
As such, I still believe that phrase was/is used to by men to compliment an attractive woman.
In re-reading this 2013 pancocojams post (because a visitor comment was added to it), I realize that I didn't write anything about Cuban American Celia Cruz' use of the word "azucar".
ReplyDeleteHere's an excerpt from this article about Celia Cruz:
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4660698 Celia Cruz: Her Life and Music
May 21, 2005; Heard on All Things Considered; Felix Contreras
"For six decades, Cuban singer Celia Cruz reigned as the Queen of Salsa. Her life and colorful career are the subject of a retrospective exhibit at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
[... includes more narrative and also includes photos of Celia Cruz]
The exhibit is called "Azucar, the Life and Music of Celia Cruz." Azucar literally means "sugar," but as Perez notes, it served Cruz as a "battle cry" and an allusion to African slaves who worked Cuba's sugar plantations."
Here's a comment that wrote in 2008 about Celia Cruz in a Mudcat discussion thread about Zap Mama's version of "Iko Iko"
Deletehttps://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=88125
...In a number of her songs, Celia Cruz shouts the word "Azucar!, the Spanish word for "sugar". Shouting "Azucar!" became a signature feature of Celia Cruz's songs. Fans of Celia Cruz also adopted that custom, in a demonstration of their delight in this wonderful Latin vocalist, and in appreciation for her music. Celia Cruz's signature use of the word "azucar" can be interpreted to mean that the music is sweet {It's good to the ears, heart, and spirit}, and/or "life is sweet".
Given this information, it now seems likely to me that Celia Cruz's use of this word was the source or at least one of the sources for the phrase "azucar azucar mama" in the Zap Mama version of "Iko Iko"."..
"Sookie Sookie" by Dave Covey, 1965: https://youtu.be/A8geTmxYTwg
ReplyDeleteThe Steppenwolf version is a less soulful cover of Covey's song. Let's give Covey credit.
Thanks for sharing that information, Anonymous. Unfortunately, I can't add a sound file of Don Covey's record to this post. However, I added a hyperlink for a sound file after the sound file for Steppenwolf's cover record.
DeleteBest wishes!
As Black American, I can remember my mom saying this all of the time when I was a kid. She always used it as a compliment. So, if we had chosen an outfit that she especially liked, or if we had done something good in school the response was "aw, sookie sookie now". When speaking to a number of my other Black friends, they have expressed similar experience. Obviously none of us speak for all Black people, but I thought I would share anyway.
ReplyDeleteI also speak Japanese, and I think people are being, frankly silly by trying to force the way it is used by African Americans into being the same thing as Japanese. My Poppy, who served in the war came home with a few new Japanese phrases that he did use on his children frequently. But "Suki" or sookie" was not one of them.
It's September 2023, and a friend just posted a picture of herself on FB. My immediate response was 'Ah suki suki na' but I came to Google for correct spelling and found this years long discussion. Awesome!
ReplyDeleteMy friend looks sensational in her dress and my response was in harmony with the blogger, though I'm not a guy. I support her sexy vibe and anyone that I know understands the meaning of it as such. She looks sweet! She looks fine! She's doing her thing, strutting her stuff and looking good with it.
I'm 53 and have known this phrase from a young age. Never knew anything about Japanese wording. I also don't know why I spelled it as I did. It came naturally. But I'm also a former English teacher and international traveller.
Although 'suki suki na' has reference to romantic love expression in Japanese, the pronunciation is different and I had no idea about that before researching it today.
The "na" for me means now and it's purely from Nigerian Pidgin English. So I will change my spelling to sookie sookie and move on with my day.
But this thread has been massively interesting and educational!
Adrienne Ijioma, thanks for your comment. I'm glad you came across this blog post.
DeleteI've noticed the similarities between Yoruba and other traditional languages from Nigeria and Japanese. I'm not a linguist so I don't have any ideas why that is.
Also, unfortunately I don't know understand any spoken or written language besides English.
The African American Vernacular English (AAVE) saying "Ah sookie sookie now" is documented at least from the 1960s and may be given as "ah sookie sookie" or "ah sookie sookie na" , but I believe that the word "na" in those examples (pronounced "nah") is a mistaken attempt of approximating the way some Black Americans say "now". By the way, "sookie" rhymes with the words "look-key". (A similarly spelled English word "sooey" is a shout for pigs to come to the caller.That word is pronounced like "sue-e" [with "Sue" pronounced the same as the female name]
As an aside, I have reminding myself that the "na" that I come across in Nigerian Pidgin English and other West African languages doesn't mean "no" like it does in African American Vernacular English (and from that source, other forms of English). I don't know why "na" (or "naw") came to mean "no" in AAVE.
Adrienne, please check out other pancocojams posts on Nigerian culture and other subjects. Your insights and contributions would be greatly appreciated.
Please any other replies you may have received as I corrected my reply to you several times.
Best wishes from your sister from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
I don't know why I keep making mistakes with this comment. :o)
DeleteI meant to write "As an aside, I have to keep reminding myself that the word "na" that I come across in Nigerian Pidgin English and other West African language doesn't mean "no" like it does in African American Vernacular English"...