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From: aawest@CritPath.Org (Anthony West)
Subject: Re: Ebonics?
Message-ID: <E30BD0.9C1@CritPath.Org>
Date: Thu, 26 Dec 1996 06:00:35 GMT
References: <32bd5677.2990666@news.hal-pc.org> <E2uqAE.Aqp@CritPath.Org> <32BE7490.744B@netvision.net.il>
Organization: Critical Path Project
Lines: 78

In article <32BE7490.744B@netvision.net.il> Avi Jacobson <avi_jaco@netvision.net.il> writes:
>Anthony West wrote:
>> 
>> Black American English is clearly a dialect, not a
>> separate language. "Dialect/language" status is a technical
>> red herring irrelevant to the real problem here.
>
>Too bad you didn't reach that conclusion _before_ making a pronouncement
>on the issue.
>
>> Pretending [divergent speech varieties among Black and non-
>> Black Americans] isn't happening has not been a success.
>> Perhaps it's time we called a spade a spade,
>> linguistically and pedagogically.
>
>Did you really think your little racist pun would go unnoticed?
>
>Avi Jacobson
>
The prime issue behind the "Ebonics" label is not one
of abstract linguistic taxonomy. It should have nothing
to do with racism or anti-racism. It is a matter of
sociolinguistic and language-learning theory applied to
a serious national problem.

Most African-Americans now live in regions where the
local variety of English spoken by all non-Afro-Ams is
sufficiently different from Black American English that
mtutal comprehension is impaired. "Standard American
English" will remain standard. There is no economic
incentive for most SAE-speakers to learn BAE as a 2nd
language/dialect/variety.

Yet a significant number of BAE-speakers in these
regions is remaining monolingual in BAE, even after 3
to 4 generations of schooling in SAE. Their
monolingualism is not breaking down "naturally."

It creates a community of speakers who communicate
imperfectly with the non-Black majority. The speech of
that majority must determine access to jobs, markets,
credentials and esteem. Young BAE monoglots are being
shunted into low-paid jobs where SAE is of small
value. They are competing with 1st-generation
immigrants from non-English-speaking countries for
these scruffy opportunities.

BUT the children of immigrants are getting enhanced
education - an elaboration of TOEFL - the idea behind
which is that teachers will address them in their
native tongue *in order to make a better transition to
SAE*.

"Bilingual education" programs are controversial. BUT
IF they are effective for Cambodian- or Spanish- or
Kreol-speaking children, they ought to be effective
for BAE-speaking children as well.

Since most immigrant communities seem to adopt SAE
naturally by the 2nd generation, even without special
measures, bilingual education for them is arguably a
luxury we can dispense with. Yet they're getting it.

BUT IF many Afro-Am children are not developing
practical bilingualism naturally, because of unique -
and injurious - social barriers, THEN it is wise for
society as a whole to take special measures to break
down their monolingualism. They need them more than
anybody. Yet they're *not* getting them.

That's my take on the Ebonics movement's main point.
Based on my experience, I'd try it. What we're now
doing with Black kids in schools isn't working. In
fact, we can't make it much worse, can we? I'd try
anything, starting tomorrow.

-Tony West      aawest@critpath.org
Philadelphia
