Ebonics Controversy

In the Journal of Black Studies, Ebonics is defined as, “A language (dialect) that is spoken by Black Americans living in low-income communities that has some specific characteristics observed in the phonological and grammatical system” (310). This definition shows the reader what “is really at the heart” of the Ebonics controversy. Is Ebonics a valid language or is it just a dialect. The Oakland Ebonics Controversy of, 1996, was when many people began to ask themselves if Ebonics was truly a language.

A dialect is an accent that one obtains usually from where they are raised. This dialect may affect ones language, but not a language unto itself. This is why the definition above can be misleading. The Journal of Black Studies first puts that it is a language and then adds that it is also a dialect. So which is it?

It sounds similar to English in the fact that it uses the same words and many of the same grammar techniques. English speakers can also usually understand quite readily what a person speaking Ebonics is trying to say. However, Ebonics has techniques that are specifically for this language/dialect. Do these rules make it a language? My answer to this question would be no.

I personally believe that Ebonics is just another dialect. One can still have a dialect, but know the Standard English. Southerners, for example, uses phrases and words that are not used in Standard English, but refrain from using such phrases in places like school. This is because we have been taught when and when not to use our slang or jargons. People who speak with the dialect of Ebonics should be viewed the same way. They should learn what the Standard is, and be able to use it for school or business situations. Just because you might have a different way of saying things does not mean it is a totally different language.

Da Ebonics Controversy

In the 1996 Ebonics controversy in California, the most important problem that was affecting the whole community was the power and the use of government spending. During this difficult time, there were questions raised because of the idea of paying school teachers more money. This would only happen if the teachers would learn the history and aspects of Ebonics. As you would expect, parents of these school children were enraged that school teachers would get paid more just by attempting to learn Ebonics. They were furious because no one knew where this money would come from to fund this action. The money that would have to be paid to the teachers would have most likely been obtained by taxes. One might not know, but the part of California that is in the middle of the Ebonics controversy is relatively lower class and lower middle class. The reason that economics had to do with this controversy is because money is hard to come by in this area. Also, there was a big question, “why do teachers get paid more for just simply trying to speak Ebonics”? Because of all this facts and situations the parents of these children were mad, along with celebrities such as Bill Cosby. I believe that this is the most influential aspect in the whole Ebonics controversy. I believe this because in this particular California community money is a big problem. It is hard to get the money and there is not a large amount of it in the community. The idea of the poor paying more money to teachers is ridiculous, not only are they paying teachers better but also to others to as the taxes would be raised. In conclusion, the most important point to the Ebonics controversy was government funding because of the angry that is had persuaded and issue of money.

Extra Credit Forshizzle.

Out of all of the problems with the Oakland Ebonics Controversy of 1996, I personally think the route of the problem had to do with the linguistic validity of Ebonics. By this I mean that many standard English speakers seemed to look down on Ebonics and consider it a lowly language. The reason they believed it to be lowly was because many of the grammatical rules almost make it sound incomplete or unintelligent. Also, many standard speakers who have racist roots look down upon the black society who speak Ebonics. Through typing, I’ve realized that racism is an even deeper context in regards to the linguistic validity of Ebonics.

What makes people think one way or the other on a language; and yes, i said language. I don’t believe it is simply just a dialect, but through all of these controversies has developed into a language that can’t be understood by someone who doesn’t speak it. Many of the speakers of this language are African Americans, often ones who live in “the hood” of their city, and don’t have much of an education, wear baggy clothes, and in general are looked down on. Living in the south my entire life, I’ve seen first hand the racism that still exists, and can definitely understand how that racism could effect the opinions on Ebonics.

The reason I think this sparked problems more than anything else is the underlying hatred involved. I don’t think the average person would care about Ebonics being taught in school if it had to do with government spending. Also, to the average American, I just don’t think there’s enough time in the day for someone to worry about whether or not Ebonics is a language or a dialect. It just doesn’t really matter.

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.

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