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On the discussion of Ebonics in class today, I noticed a lot of similarities between the way Ebonics is spoken and the way people from the rural south speak. Many of the words were pronounced the same, and some were words that I use, as a Southerner. I also noticed the “compressed phonetics” used in Ebonics is also used by Southerners. It made me question, is Ebonics limited to just Black people? And are some dialects spoken by Southerners that are similar to Ebonics a language of it’s own?
Mr. Dr. Williams asked in class why it was hard for us (as a class) to swallow the Ebonics topic. I think it is hard for us to swallow and get a better understanding of is because we were all taught as children how to speak in Standard English in school. At least when I was young in my schools, there was no understanding of other languages and dilects. You were supposed to learn proper English. It’s valuable for us as future teachers to be learning this now so when we are teachers we can teach the children that speaking your own language while learning a new one is a good thing, and is valuable to their future.
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Hi Ash, this Jessica G.
I think that it’s so hard for me to swallow because one I was raised by a mother that stressed proper English from the time I could speak “baby-talk”. but the second reason is becasue I look at Ebonics as another set back for the Black race. I know Ebonics is not just spoken by Black people but most people relate Ebonics to Black people. I feel like Ebonics just feeds into the stereotype of black people not being able to talk. But after today’s activity and being on the Beta team I can look at Ebonics at its own language and i can respect that my future students may really value it and I need to make them feel comfortable by not dispelling their language as if it is not one. because when the Alpha team called our language primitiive and gutteral, it kind of hurt my feelings because iliked our little language and I felt like we actually worked pretty hard to master it.
Hey Ashley,
I agree, I do not think that Ebonics is limited to just Blacks. Also, we refer to Ebonics as “Black English,” but we do not have a name for the non-Standard English that Southerners speak. I wondering if not naming the Southern talk causes it to be more accepted by the mainstream, leading the “Black English” to become negatively stereotyped …