How come people on Yahoo dislike ebonics?

Question

I'm black and I sometimes speak ebonics...I take AP Human Geography, and ebonics is a dialect, not a language. People say it is 'a disgrace to the English language"...what about Southern dialects? Are they disgraces to the English language? I don't understand why people say they are fed up with it if it is just a dialect.You don't have to be a fundamentalist...you can go outside the box.

The first guy says it's "a mockery of English"...IT'S A DIALECT...and it may not be meant for you to understand.

Answer 1

Hard to understand.
Mockery of English.

P.S. I'm not a guy.
:)

Answer 2

Southerners do not turn their dialect on and off at will. They speak that way all the time. If you sometimes speak it and sometimes don't, then it is not really a dialect for you. It is a deliberate choice of pronunciation. And as for your comment:

The first guy says it's "a mockery of English"...IT'S A DIALECT...and it may not be meant for you to understand.

If it is not meant for everyone to understand, then it is not a dialect, but rather a type of code. People do not deliberately use dialects so that others won't understand them. They use them because that is the way the language is pronounced in the region they are from.

The reason people are fed up with it has to do with the nonstandard pronunciation of common words (such as ax instead of ask). As a result, many people find it difficult to understand. It sounds uneducated as well. You certainly would not go in for a job interview at a high-class establishment speaking Ebonics.

Answer 3

It's hard to classify ebonics... it's controversial, but many linguists consider it a "creole," or a language that isn't an official language but it has a set form and structure, as opposed to a pidgin of, for example English and French that has no set form. Since the Oakland School Board passed a resolution concerning the teaching of ebonics in 1996, many people have come to an understanding with it. However, there are still racists and ignorant people who will deny its important place in our country's culture.

Perhaps another reason some people have an aversion to ebonics is because many rappers sing about some pretty repugnant topics using ebonics, thereby giving ebonics a bad name. The only exposure some people have to ebonics is some guy rapping about bitches and hos and drug deals. It can be passed off as an expression of self, and the hard situation an artist was brought up in, etc., but it still doesn't change the fact that he's rapping about bitches and hos and drug deals. I personally like rap but I can see why a lot of people would find it offensive.

Answer 4

Ya, dialect if fine as long it is used were appropriate. It is important to be able to speak and write appropriate English. Ebonics may not always be appropriate, or should I say, the most beneficial dialect to use.

Southern dialect's, most of the words are the same, or close enough to understand by a typcial English speaker, save some... very difficult to understand speech types, which I have run into, like what his name on "King of the Hill." Wouldn't you hate to sound like that to someone?

Best wishes.

Answer 5

I don't dislike it at all. But to be honest it is really hard for me to understand it. I'm sure it's a beautiful and unique dialect and I wish i could understand it better. Whoever says it's a disgrace to the English language don't know that the Englishmen consider American English a disgrace to the English language... =) it's a matter of opinion and not fact.

Answer 6

People often get upset about Ebonics due to a false sense of self worth and a complete misunderstanding of what Ebonics represents. People who understand what Ebonics is all about do not dislike Ebonics. People who use the "disgrace" word are showing their lack of intelligence and worldlieness. Don't let their personal problems give you an inferiority complex.

Answer 7

Hey, sweetie, my son is also taking AP Human Geography. I hope you are doing well in it, it looked like an interesting course!

Why people don't like Ebonics, just my opinion, being an old woman, for me it is difficult to read! When the majority of people are brought up reading proper English, everything else isn't as comfortable for them.

Answer 8

Your question implicates people on YAHOO. What people? When? How? In what context?

The answer may be that YAHOO is internet.....TYPED = written language. A DIALECT (like AAVE, a.k.a. "Ebonics") is generally spoken. As colloquial speech, it is perhaps just as good as any other dialect. But as WRITING it is far too non-standard to be considered acceptable.

Answer 9

I'm pretty sure that ebonics is not a dialect.

French and Italian are romance dialects (geography driven)

Castillan (from Spain) and Ranch Spanish (common latin American Spanish) are dialects (originally Socially driven)

To my knowledge ebonics is just slang. That means incorrect, or improper use of english words, and also includes shortened,twisted, or made up words to express ideas.

Ebonics is perfectly fine for socially talking with friends however it is improper to use in a legal or professional enviroment.

I have no objection to it.

Answer 10

Ebonics is fine, but like the Southern accent, I don't believe it should be taught in school. In Oakland, CA, they tried it and failed. English is a marvelous language and its literature is the greatest in the World. Learning how to use it correctly is never wrong.

Answer 11

sometimes people can't get past slang and use it to discredit you and prove that you are ignorant because of your race (ebonics being the proof).

my general rule of thumb is to keep ebonics among friends who know and understand that its just slang but that I am an intelligent and highly educated woman who is versatile and can go back and forth.