Ebonics In African American Schools

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The term ebonics is a combination of the words “ebony” and “phonics” used to describe the non-standard English or dialect spoken by members of the African American community. “The term was created in 1973 by a group of black scholars who disliked the negative connotation of terms like “Nonstandard Negro English” that had been coined in the 1960’s when the first modern large-scale linguistics studies of African American speech-communities began.” (Green, 2002) Ebonics is still commonly used among people however, although rich in culture, it has been found to negatively affect students in school as they move up in higher education. Whether or not ebonics is an official language has been debated vigorously but even so, the failure to declare it as such is reflected in the various students who are constantly held back in today’s schools. …show more content…
Often times, slaves who did speak the same language were separated and placed into different groups because if they were able to communicate with each other there was a chance they would rebel against their masters (African Americans). As depicted in many movies and textbooks, African Americans were not allowed to learn how to read or write. In fact, they were punished severely if found breaking the rules. However, slave owners did need to communicate with their workers, which is how a pidgin language came about. A pidgin language is a “simplified mixture of two or more languages that speakers of different languages could use to communicate with each other” (African Americans.) According to Mary Berger, the word “ask” in English easily became “ax” in pidgin. As African Americans settled in America, the existing black Americans quickly adapted to the terms frequently used and thereafter, Ebonics

African American Vernacular English and Ebonics Essay

At its most literal level, Ebonics simply means 'black speech' (a blend of the words ebony 'black' and phonics 'sounds'). The term was created in 1973 by a group of black scholars who disliked the negative connotations of terms like 'Nonstandard Negro English' that had been coined in the 1960s when the first modern large-scale linguistic studies of African American speech-communities began. However, the term Ebonics never caught on among linguists, much less among the general public. That all changed…

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TH 1 Ling Essay

they should not allow their students to use Ebonics (also known as African American Vernacular English and Black English) in the classroom, that the students need to use real English.” Questions 1. Why is Ebonics not considered “real English”? 2. What are the linguistic origins of Ebonics? 3. What makes a language or dialect suitable to be taught in American schools? Preliminary Investigation According to the Linguistic Society of America, the word “Ebonics” was coined by “a group of black scholars…

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American English Vs Ebonics Research Paper

Standard American English vs Ebonics Going to your everyday typical places such as restaurants, malls, grocery shopping, and coffee shops you see many different cultures. Everyone dresses, eat, and even talks differently. When you approach different crowds you see younger people talk differently amongst themselves or when they speak to others they may sometimes speak full SAE (Standard American English). However, the big topic of controversy of today is how SAE vs ebonics is used today in the modern…

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surrounding Ebonics, sociolinguist John Rickford describes the African American vernacular language as, “not just slang, but an English dialect, sharing a lot with other English varieties, but with some pretty distinctive features of its own” (“Suite for Ebony and Phonics” 2). (Bridge) Rickford’s definition of Ebonics is distinguishing and stabilizing, and it allows for the Oakland School Board to propose a resolution establishing the language as the mother tongue of their African American students…

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BIBLIOGRAPHY American Psychological Association. (2003). Guidelines on multicultural education, training, research, practice, and organizational change for psychologists. American Psychologist, 58(5), 377–401. Baker, P. B. (2005). The impact of cultural biases on African American students' education: A review of research literature regarding race-based schooling. Education and Urban Society, 37(3), 243–256. Boykin, A. W., Tyler, K. M., & Miller, O. A. (2005). In search of cultural themes and their…

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