[Bonnie23136]

I am amazed that people use ‘Ebonics’ to label the language supposedly used by African Americans. What language were they using before this term became in vogue in Oakland, CA? Black English has been around since people of African descent, especially in the South, have been in this country trying to use the language of the dominant culture. Keep in mind that Africans spoke their native languages upon their arrivals and had to learn English as adults. What they heard spoken by many whites wasn’t exactly the King’s English or standard English. Therefore, the mixture of the language included rules of the natives’ language meshed with their understanding of the rules of the dominant culture’s language. Interestingly enough, the mixing persisted among Africans in the South and has followed them down through the years. What we have now is a modern form of that pidgin – mixed language – that has been studied by researchers for years. Black English, a.k.a. Ebonics, is not new. I should add that not only African Americans speak ‘Ebonics.’ Listen to any speaker whose native language is something other than standard English. They speak a form of a mixed language, too. Ever heard of Spanglish? I was not offended when the Oakland schools came up with the term ‘Ebonics.’ I was rather amused at the thought, and a naive one I’d say, that people could create a language by creating a term. Does that elevate it to official status now? I think not. And for the record, ‘Ebonics’ was never presented in the classrooms.

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Name : Bonnie23136, Gender : F, City : Indianapolis, State : IN, Country : United States, 

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