Comments on: Ebonics becomes official in one school district

By: James

James — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:01:34 +0000

Dear Ah Me Seh So,
If you were to build a time machine, travel to pre-emancipation usa, and speak the popular “ebonics” to ourancestors, they would look at you like you had just gone green. Drift back a few years to jive. Where’s jive? Where are those lingual usages now? Shouldn’t modern ebonic verbatim at least — at least — share some lingual equivalence to the associations used just one quarter century ago? What we’re calling ebonics is just a creative fad, like clothing styles. If we start adopting modern “ebonic” words, our descendents will be unable to entirely understand what we wish to convey through literature. The reason is easy to understand, and it’s the very reason why we need language agreement and rules in the first place. It’s not about being “smarty” or “superior,” “snobbish” or any “less black.” The fad words and grammar styles of “ebonics” fluctuate like mad, and differ from region to region. How much jive can you understand? How much jive do you think our kids can understand?

By: Ah Me Seh So

Ah Me Seh So — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:13:35 +0000

Slang is much different than “Ebonics” or Black vernacular English. Speaking Ebonics does not automatically mean that a person is not intelligent. We should be prouder of the languages we developed whilst were in bondage. It is a link to our history and our ancestors. Even in our struggle, we introduced words into the English language, and our oratory style and pacing is often admired and imitated. Please study the different definitions of Slangs, Creoles, Patois, Dialects, and languages. It will put this effort into proper perspective. When students arrive in my English class, I take note of their spoken language. If they are already speaking “Ebonics,” it is imperative that I, the teacher, have a working knowledge of the history, grammar, and syntax involved in forming an “Ebonic” sentence. This can be used to show the student the difference in verb tense between BVE and standard English. Additionally, I have seen “black” students placed in lower level classes for incorrectly conjugating verbs, whilst children of other ethnicities, who might have trouble using articles or prepositions, are not. The prevailing thought seems to be that faulty conjugation is more significant of an error. Most linguists understand that culture influences usage. Let’s take a long hard look at the way we speak, but let’s do it without all “inferiority” baggage, that should be left in the 20th century.

By: brees fan

brees fan — Sun, 10 May 2009 03:12:16 +0000

Don’t many other foreign languages contain many diffrent dialects (not sure if that was the word I was looking for)… I cant see why slang would need to be taught in schools unless it was greatly impacting the students test scores and they only spoke in ebonics. Then its is the schools fault for not being able to teach proper (or standard) english…

By: Constance

Constance — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:44:44 +0000

I for one, use slang on a daily basis, with my friends and around my family, but i dont think that it should be used in the school district.. but i dont think calling it ignorant is correct either, people of all regions use different words and meanings, but just because a particular group use a certain type of slang does not mean all of them are ignorant.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 22:00:27 +0000

I totally agree with you Book. There is no such thing as proper English. I believe that it is important for us to learn to speak Standard English. It shows intelligence and it will be needed in the professional world. But everyone uses slang. It’s a regional thing. Some people choose to use their own terms or way of saying things. Or some that are a part of a group may choose to do so as well. And if anyone knows me, I speak with an accent and I hardly use slang unless I am around close friends and family. I hardly use slang at all, really. But from area to area, slang is very different. You can not teach this because it will take deeper research just to teach someone this. In fact, I’m really insulted because it’s like these people are trying to teach blacks to talk black. And let’s keep them talking ignorant, yay! Lol. I totally disagree with this. I feel that we all should get the same education and don’t mind the way we talk. This is America and we all have accents and certain ways of expressing ourselves verbally. Yes, it may not be so standard, but it’s a part of a person or group. It can’t be taught. It’s original and just a part.

By: book

book — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 18:55:23 +0000

There is NO SUCH THING as PROPER english, there is STANDARD english…

I’d rather take an “Ax or Ask” class …

Teaching “ebonics” will make the children dumber because every bodies slang and aren’t the same,

they tried it before in N.O in 1994-95 where they tried to make us learn random slang from California. I was in 4th grade that year.

in New Orleans we stay things like this

“O-Mike, I’m Goin’ to da sto’-yeh, You Comin’”..

“O” is to get the persons attention

at this point’ im telling you what im about to do

“yeh” is to let you know that its a fact

and then Im asking you if you’ll come ..

kinda like saying “Hey mike, I’m on my way to the store, would you like to come?”

LOL …

Listen to our politicians then never use standard english .. they use Big words and Gibberish to explain what they’re doing ..lol

By: S. Cain

S. Cain — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 02:55:22 +0000

I ain’t trippin’, but y’all gots to recognize!

By: S. Cain

S. Cain — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 02:50:30 +0000

I do think we ought to seriously consider adopting the term “AIN’T” as the contraction of “AM NOT” in formal English.

The shorten form of “WILL NOT” is “WON’T”, not “WILLN”T”!!!…

We do not say “AMN”T”, after all…it is inexistent in English.

Languages are full of linguistic corruptions and adaptations.

The issue is making it strictly first person. We ought not to say “you ain’t” when “you aren’t” works perfectly well.

I also believe the contraction “Y’ALL” is perfect in describing ‘plural you’.

Y’all and ain’t- two words to consider real English after all.