ebonics blog

Major controversies rose from the Oakland Ebonics Controversy in 1996. These included teaching techniques, governmental funding, the linguistic validity of Ebonics, the question of whether Ebonics is a dialect or a language and questions of racism in education.
The question of whether Ebonics is a dialect or a language is most central to the controversy as some people simply could not comprehend the idea that Ebonics was another language. They argued that most of its components in the dimensions of grammar and pronunciation are widely shared with English, either with standard American English, or with Southern White English, or with vernacular dialects of English around the world. This means that Ebonics is simply another dialect of English as it can be in the most part, easily understood by English speakers unlike German, Italian, Chinese, etc can.
On the other hand many people supported the Oakland School Board by calling Ebonics another language. They said that it possesses its own grammar elements and rules, which make it just like any other language.
Teaching techniques and governmental funding are closely intertwined in this controversy if Ebonics were to be accepted as another language. Additional funding would have to be provided for the training of teachers in Ebonics, as they would have to learn the ins and outs of it.
Racism in education also sprouts out from the question of whether Ebonics is a language or a dialect. People argued that it was just another way of segregating the black population and that it is another way of saying how the black race is different.
In conclusion I believe the policy to teach Ebonics as a separate language at Oakland was central to people’s arguments about Oakland’s educational proposals as it produced more arguments about other issues, which inflated the controversy even more. People ignored what was firstly just a new way of improving educational standards in the area and condemned it instead. Reverend Jesse Jackson said, "I understand the attempt to reach out to these children, but this is an unacceptable surrender, border-lining on disgrace." The majority of people’s views mirrored Jacksons which eventually led to the fall of the proposal.