Ebonics
EbonicsBy: T. Duncan
E-mail: [email protected]
Ebonics, or Black English, was recently a controversial topic in the United States, when the Oakland School District school board attempted to classify ebonics as a completely different language from Standard American English (SAE). There was further controversy when the school board stated that ebonics was genetic. This report will explain Ebonics and its origin, as well as the Oakland school board case. There are over 20 million blacks in the United States today. It is hard to tell exactly how many people speak Black English because it is not the language that all blacks in America speak, and also there are other races that speak Black English to some extent in certain areas of the country, mainly urban areas and in the South. In addition, white people, especially in urban and Southern areas, speak Black English to some extent. It is called Black English, nevertheless, because most of the people who employ it are African-American. In America, most black children first learn Ebonics before SAE from their parents and their environment. Once they get to school though, some will encounter many types of problems because classes are taught in SAE. It is easier to adapt to the dialect or language your peers use so if they are taught in an area where many of the children use SAE, they will most likely adapt with few problems. Some blacks will speak in Ebonics at home and in many informal situations and then they will use Standard English when they are in situations that call for "proper" English. There is a tendency for young black men to use Ebonics far more than older blacks. Black people nowadays use Black English more than the older generation because they feel more pride in their heritage and culture because of the equality movements back in the 60's. There are still obviously people who think of Ebonics as inferior or improper English though. Ebonics is not improper or inferior, it is simply a variation on Standard English. It is clear that Ebonics has gained respect because it has a title other than "Negro Non Standard English" or "Negro Dialect", the names that Black English were formerly know by . Black Americans have gained more respect in American society. Hopefully, Black English will also get the respect that it deserves. Next the origins of Black English, or Ebonics, will be explained. Ebonics is a combination of West African languages and Standard American English. The West African languages were incorporated into the English language when Americans brought slaves from those areas. The slaves, while on plantations, would not be taught anything and usually they were mixed on purpose with slaves who spoke a different language so that they could not easily communicate and organize rebellion. The slaves improvised and created a pidgin language so that they could communicate with each other as well as their masters. The pidgin language became known as a plantation creole as the children of the people...
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