Today’s blog post will explore what is and what is not
Ebonics, a language spoken among a large proportion of Black Americans in the
United States. Yes, language. Ebonics has a bad reputation as it is
considered a substandard version of standard English. The reality is that Ebonics is actually a distinct
language that shares some characteristics with standard English but has several
differences that separates it. This blog
post will address those differences, as well as the origins of the language,
and its importance among Black Americans today.
The term Ebonics was coined by Dr. Robert Williams and his
colleagues in 1973. They came up with
the term, which combines the words ebony and phonics to come up with a term that literally means “black
sounds”.
Prior to the inception of this term the language was often referred
to as “Nonstandard Negro English”, which carried with it negative ideas
and prejudicial attitudes about not just Black American English but also Black Americans generally.
Ebonics has
existed for a couple of centuries in the United States. Linguists who study the language’s
history do not agree on a specific origin, but they do identify
that it is derived from several different languages, specifically English and West African
languages. This identification is based
in part in phonological analyses that recognize and distinguish specific sounds that
exist among Ebonics speakers that are similar in sound to West African
languages spoken. Furthermore, the
history of the language and its speakers also lend itself to supporting this
notion of a West African influence.
Despite the coining of the term by Williams and colleagues
it took linguists a long time to settle on whether or not Ebonics was a formal
language. This debate came to a
hasty conclusion due to the act of the Oakland School Board in the 1990s. The school board recognized Ebonics as a separate
language that should and would be incorporated into the teaching curriculum of
the school system. This well-meaning
act, which was based in pedagogical (educational) studies and data, was misunderstood
by the general public who interpreted this move as a means of providing poor
education to the students in the district, inspiring linguists into action to
explain what was actually happening: which was using a separate language that students understood to teach them.
You see, aside
from the phonological differences in the language Ebonics has a distinctive
grammar system that separates it from standard English, and it is this grammar
system that also lends itself to the misinterpretation of the language being a “poor
version of English”. For example, it is normal
in Ebonics to use double negatives, whereas in standard English it is not. The use of double negatives is a grammatical no no in standard English. There are several other discrete differences
in the grammar systems of Ebonics and standard English that separate the two languages further. There are also specific focal terms found among
Ebonics speakers that are not used by standard English speakers. For example, the terms “ashy” (referring to
dry skin) and “kitchen” (referring to the kinky hair at the nape of the neck)
are common among Ebonics speakers and reference their shared African
identity.
Ebonics is still spoken today, particularly among Black
Americans. It is a central part of many
Black Americans’ identities. The focal
language aspects of the language demonstrate the values and meanings of what it
means to be Black, thereby holding with it aspects of their culture. The ability to speak Ebonics
is a point of pride, but this pride can be taken too far as some have said that Black
Americans who speak standard English are acting white and giving up their Black
identity. The reality is that the two
languages are separate and distinct. Individuals
who can speak both fluently are in essence bilingual speakers who can navigate
the social and cultural worlds associated with both groups speaking each language. This skill can
be very advantageous today.
Language is one of the key elements of any culture, and
therefore the study of Ebonics can provide insights into Black American culture.
Ebonics is not a “poor version” of standard English, but a separate language
with millions of speakers throughout the United States. So next time you encounter a situation where
Ebonics and standard English speakers are talking recognize that while the
languages are similar they are also distinct and provide insights into the
multicultural history and culture that exists in the United States.
References
Rickford, J.R. No Date.
“What is Ebonics (African American English)?” Linguistic
Society of America.
13 comments:
Sense "The ability to speak Ebonics is a point of pride and those black Americans that speak in standard English are not acting white in my opinion or are they giving up their Black identity." The black individuals who are able to do both will be able to excel in any group of individuals they are surrounded by make connections that other individuals cannot.
Excellent point, Julian. It's a point that many multilingual speakers make, and one that I stress to everyone, particularly when we discuss language and culture in class. Being able to communicate with various groups of people-be it in your own language or a different one-makes one prime to be very successful.
If Ebonics and English are two different like the blog says then why do people say it’s broken English or bad (poor) English? This goes back to what we learned in class about ethnocentrism. When someone thinks their way of life is the only way instead of cultural relativism, when someone accepts it as another persons culture. People that can do both are multicultural in my opinion.
—Monya’ Smith
You are correct, Monya'. It also ties back into another concept that we haven't discussed yet: racism. We will explore that concept and the reasons for racism, prejudice, and discrimination in the future.
This article was interesting because I would have never guessed that there was an actual term for the way we as African American got our "slang" or dialect from. I like that the word Ebonics is formed from the two words ebony and phonics to create a word that basically means "black sound". What I do not care for is how all though it may not be the "proper" form of speech people were so against it being brought into the classrooms, or how some also called it "non standard negro English which gave people who did not understand Ebonics a negative viewpoint. I like the fact that Ebonics was brought into schooling. That people were actually open in trying to accept that this could be a solution to learning, by making it easier for the student to comprehend lectures.
-Mariah White
Reading this blog and also listening to you talk about it in class I have more of an understanding of what Ebonics . I say that to say that I didn’t hear of the terms until being in your class and I had more of an understanding when reading this . I would say that I talk with “Ebonics” but I also talk like any regular “English” person . I’m very happy that I was raised in California where we talk Ebonics coming from the part of California I’m from , but when we went to school they excepted us to talk “proper English” as my teachers will call it . In class they would call us out for not talking “proper English” when I was younger I thought they was bullying us for being black but in the real world talking like that will only get you so far and also you will have to go through a lot of obstacles to prove you are smarter than the next person even if you talk differently.
— T’Liyah Townsend
I see what the blog is saying how the laguage or (ebonics ) came from history points of view and the back ground on it , like the way 2 individuals speak one african american can speak both slang as many people call it or with intelligence , many african american people get called out on how they dont talk the same as other african americans or how others say lost their black card or other names but i think they have 2 languages slang or just talking proper for me i think its a time and a place to use or switch on and off with those skills .
Hi my name is Avery Davis,and I think this blog is so interesting. I think Ebonics should not be used in a professional setting. I am not saying that you can not be professional using Ebonics it just does not sound professional.
This post is interesting because i never knew what ebonics was until now. My granny use to tell me and my sister we were speaking ebonics when we speak slang
-Kyla Thomas
I have thought about this a lot growing up, as far as what ebonics means and how others perceive myself and my community when it is used. Sometimes I see people calling out slang or ebonics on social media, claiming that they must correct, or can't stand a person who uses certain terms because the person insists on sounding unintelligent. Personally, I pride myself on being both educated and a user of ebonics. I find this really effective when I bring the science I love to my community. It is so much more digestible and easier to converse about it. Nothing wrong with that.
Tori Spencer
Growing up I remember hearing all the negative connotations of AAVE and it's only been until recently that I've seen the shift of thinking on the language. I really appreciate that my ancestors are finally being recognized for their tenacity to evolve after being stripped of their African culture. It's truly overdue considering black people learned their oppressors Spanish, English, and french while colonizers learned their nothing and called them inferior.
-Gavin G
It was interesting to learn more about ebonics. I did not understand it was a separate language. After reading this I have a better understanding how it is a separate language than English. Thank you for the Enlightenment.
Elaine christopher
Ebonics is a whole linguistic system with its own syntax and vocabulary, not a subset of English, as the author points out in this post. To encourage language variety and combat linguistic prejudices, this acknowledgment is crucial. Also, it reveals the rich linguistic legacy of African Americans by tracing the roots of Ebonics to the impact of English and West African languages. Gaining insight into these historical and cultural factors enhances our awareness of ebonics as a distinctive way to convey heritage and identity.
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