Re: EBONICS ONCE AND FOR ALL

[Stephen Arrants <arrants -at- BRIGHTWARE -dot- COM>]

>---------
>From:  Vikki Shine[SMTP:shinev -at- STD -dot- TERADYNE -dot- COM]
>Sent:  Friday, December 20, 1996 11:11 AM
>To:    TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>Subject:       EBONICS ONCE AND FOR ALL

>A quote taken from the e-mail message sent by Wayne Douglass from
>Lori Olszewski, Chronicle East Bay Bureau...

>"Linguists recognize that Ebonics has origins in the West and
>        Niger-Congo African languages spoken by slaves. It has distinct
>        grammar and syntax patterns tied to those roots, such as the
>        absence of forms of the verb ``to be.'' "

>Have the slaves not been freed? To want to create a separate
>course/language or whatever; to make an exception because of African
>heritage. Come on. I know this is a tech writers forum; but we write the
>accepted language in America.

Well, it isn't a separate course of language, just a recognition that
the students operate with a different dialect of English.  The proposal
is to
use both Ebonics and Standard English in the classroom, and to bring the
students up to a common level of Standard English.

>This is the nineties; while in "Rome, do what the Romans do." A separate
>language, I think not. A common language is the key to breaking down
>barriers.
>It appears to be me that the real problem is taking time to learn the
>language properly, whether it be at school, or more importantly at home
>where the language is learned first. Let's move on.

It isn't a separate langauge, but more a dialect.  No one is talking
about creating separate, Ebonics-only-and-only-Ebonics classes. The need
is to bring the students up to a common level of spoken/written Standard
English.

I think that the school board recognizes that a common language is
important--that's why they're proposing this course of action.

Personal aside.....I grew up in Northern Quebec, and didn't learn
English until I was in grammar school. We learned by the teachers
translating our French
back to us as English, and insisting that we repeat what they'd said. If
we used a French word or phrase, we didn't get marked down for it, just
corrected and
the conversation moved on.  Now, the English I speak is quite
understandable to Americans, though I do have the odd Canadianism thrown
in.
I don't think it has hurt me in my career.
Folks understand what I say, even if I don't use the words or phrases or
constructions they do. I think most of us can understand what is being
said by a speaker of Ebonics (judging from the samples I've seen in the
papers down here in the California Bay area).

steve arrants