Ebonics Essay - 852 Words

Ebonics Ebonics, which stands for Ebony + Phonics is a new term that Linguistics use to describe Black Dialect or Black English or many of the other names that it has been given for more than 350 years. Ebonics is a language that is a combination of proper English and a combination of African languages. This combination pattern was formed on how certain words are pronounced such as, this and that, would be pronounced dis and dat in Ebonics. In most Ebonics words with the Th. sound has an D sound. These are just some of the many patterns that were created when Africans were forced to learn the English language. History states that around 1619, during the slave trade, ships collected slaves not just from one nation but†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Around 1858, over 400 slaves from Africa were brought to Georgia none of them knowing how to speak the English Language.† (Smitherman, 1994, p10) Being that these two groups merged together they adapted each other’s lang uage whether it was correct or incorrect. On the East Coast of America, â€Å"the Blacks spoke a different degree of Ebonics†. (Lewis, 1996, MSN) In 1744 The New York Evening Post read, Ran away...a new Negro Fellow named Prince, he cant scarce speak a Word of English (Fisher, 1996, MSN) In 1760 an ad in the North Carolina Gazette read: Ran away from the Subscriber, African Born, speaks bad English.(Stoller,1996, MSN) In 1734, the Philadelphia American Weekly Mercury read: â€Å"Run away; he’s Pennsylvania Born and speaks good English, These articles show where each person came from and what there English was like. It is obvious that masters kept tabs on how well their slave could talk. It was one of the ways that the masters could identify their slaves when they had many of them. They also used the slaves that new good English to translate or explain what the other slaves were saying. In the Mid 1800s slaves tried to use their language to help them escape from slaver y. They would sing spirituals, which their masters could not understand. Harriet Tubman and many others communicated in Ebonics, which their masters couldntShow MoreRelatedEbonics979 Words   |  4 PagesEbonics, which stands for Ebony + Phonics is a new term that Linguistics use to describe Black Dialect or Black English or many of the other names that it has been given for more that 350 years.. has been in the news recently but it is definitely not a new topic. brbrEbonics is a language that is a combination of proper English and a combination of African languages. Because of this combination a pattern was formed on how certain words are said such as this and that, would be pronounced disRead MoreThe African Vernacular English1850 Words   |  7 Pages Ya’ll be thinkin’ ebonics be messin’ wit Standard English, but it be enrichin’ it in a lotta ways. If you did not quite understand the first sentence, here is a â€Å"proper† translation; many people believe that African-American English negatively affects Standard English, but it actually enriches it in various ways. Black English, Ebonics, ghetto talk, slang, and Black Vernacular are all different words or phrases used to describe the African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) language. There are certainRead MoreAfrican American Vernacular English (Aave)1503 Words   |  7 PagesPsychologist Robert Williams coined the term Ebonics in 1973. He combined the words ebony and phonics to create Ebonics, black speech sounds. In Ebonics: The True Language of Black Folks, he asserts Ebonics as the â€Å"linguistic and paralinguistic features which on a concentric continuum represent the communicative competence of the West African, Caribbean, and United States† (Williams 24). However, over time Ebonics gained a negative connotation. Ebonics is associated with slang, marginal and deficientRead MoreReflection Of Ebonics1741 Words   |  7 Pagesoutsiders. In my life, Ebonics had revealed an unique aspect of how my parents and distant relatives influenced my understanding of the Afrocentric dialect of the English language. In addition, it revealed how I communicate to my family and friends and the distinction of my reading between Ebonics and Old English during my high school years. Not to mention, for those who may not know what Ebonics is, Ebonics was the first dialect of the English language by African- Americans. Ebonics also known as AfricanRead MoreEssay about ebonics1044 Words   |  5 Pages Ebonics means black speech (a blend of the words ebony black and phonics sounds). The phrase was created in 1973 by a group of black scholars who disliked the negative connotations of terms like Nonstandard Negro English that ha d been coined in the 1960s when the first modern large-scale linguistic studies of African American speech communities began. However, the term Ebonics never caught on amongst linguists, much less among the general public. That all changed with the Ebonics controversyRead MoreWhat is Ebonics? Essay1197 Words   |  5 Pagesthe socially acceptable or proper form of language. Even though blacks willing learned English, the African-American community language has always been distinctive, and only for blacks to embrace and understand. The Black American English known as Ebonics became a topic of controversy in 1996, and is still debated as a critical language for African-Americans. Who says the only language in America should be English and why is it important for African-Americans to have their own language? National identityRead More Ebonics In Schools Essay1071 Words   |  5 Pages Ebonics in Schools Many black individuals have played their part in Americas history. Has the Oakland School gone too far by wanting to teach a black slang language in school. In this paper, you will see the peoples, teachers, and the students opinion as well as the Senate. A lot of people are speaking out on the subject, especially actors. Arsenio Hall replied to reporters â€Å"When I heard somebody from Oakland say the word genetic, on TV, I ran into the kitchen so I didnt have to be mad at anybodyRead More Ebonics Essay example615 Words   |  3 Pages Ebonics The other day I was talking on the subject of Ebonics. I feel Ebonics should be a language. I mean black adolescents that are seen as stupid and non-educated mostly use it. The talk compelled me to do some extensive studying on the subject. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Ebonics is the new academicianamp;#8217;s jargon or buzzword for what we used to call amp;#8220;Black English.; Ebonics comes from the root word Ebony that means black or dark. So since Ebonics is considered Black EnglishRead MoreEssay about Ebonics3741 Words   |  15 PagesEbonics INTRODUCTION The main topic of this paper is the USA, and I have chosen to concentrate on a fairly new issue, the language know as Ebonics. There have always been changes in the English language. This is how the language came about and evolved from standard British English to American English. During the last few years, as the world has become more sensitive to the rights of minorities, women, animals, etc. a new form of changes has taken place. These changes have becomeRead More Is Ebonics a Language? Essay example918 Words   |  4 Pages Ebonics Is (or Is Not) a Language nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Before getting into any great detail concerning the complexity of what language is and its relationship with the term Ebonics, Ebonics must first be defined. It is considered to be best described as â€Å"black speech† and therefore can be referred to as an â€Å"undefined language.† Many consider language to be a spoken tongue belonging to a nationality of people, so in general, and for the sake of clarity in this work, language is a general