16) According to Henry Louis Gates, Jr. what is signifying? How does it differ from Hurston's definition of signifying?

 

According to Henry Louis Gates, Jr. signifying is the term to represent a black vernacular.

This idea stems from the thoughts of Ferdinand De Saussure and the process of signifying—"the association between words and the ideas they indicate."

The practice derived from the Trickster archetype found in much African mythology, folklore, and religion. a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and societal norms.

In practice, Signifying often takes the form of quoting from subcultural vernacular, while extending the meaning at the same time through a rhetorical figure.

while ,

Hurston defines the essential elements of signifying as "crayon enlargements of life," "a contest in hyperbole," "passing around pictures of their thoughts,".