a mod deleted the original thread just a minute ago, and I just felt I needed to get my post across to the thread starter. i'm not the one who asked this question, but maybe I can provide some insight.
as long as we can keep this respectful of every human being i dont see there being a reason we cant have this discussion. could you please move this to the OT forum though, my fault. being open about this kind of **** is one way to break down barriers.
i'll tell you what I know about ebonics. it shares most of it roots with the southern accent of american english as blacks were brought over as slaves to that region. it has alot of similarites to southern speech. originally there was some creole spoken by slaves (a mix of african and english language) but that got phased out.
blacks miagrated to the north during the underground railroad and after the civil war bringing this accent with them. because they weren't really mixed with whites they retained their dialect. even today minorities make up a lot of the poor class and live pretty seperate from whites. not for racial but economic reasons. this dialect isnt just used by blacks anymore, but a lot of different groups of poor people. slowly our speech is getting intergrated more than ever.
its a natural thing. the only thing it has to do with style is when people introduce new words unique to the urban culture. but a lot of this slang is pretty understandable by white youth now due to rap music and pop culture.
so it isnt a question of "using your own voice". thats just the way they learned to speak. a lot of black people I know can speak in a more "white" way because thats whats taught in school, whats used on TV, on the job, ect.
Last edited by final.wrath : 11-01-2006 at 11:26 PM.
i know you only have the best intentions in explaining ebonics, but unless you are an accredited source of the African American community, people will think you are a racist. i mean in life everything is about "perceptions and not intentions." everything must be done politically correct or there will be ramifications.
i know you only have the best intentions in explaining ebonics, but unless you are an accredited source of the African American community, people will think you are a racist. i mean in life everything is about "perceptions and not intentions." everything must be done politically correct or there will be ramifications.
sorry but I have to report you.
then you have a very simple minded view of racism. keeping this kind of **** under the rug doesnt help anybody. obviously they wouldnt ban me for trying to explain this to hall and oates, who i didnt realize was banned. did he even say anythign racist or what?
Why do posts randomly get deleted on this board? I had a very insightful reply right after TMacs that contained no cursing, name calling, racism, or any of the like and mysteriously gone
the original thread was clearly aimed at getting flamed, this one isnt.
i attend one of the most diverse law schools in the country. about 40% of the student body is black, and so are most of the professors. i have the utmost respect for my professors, they are very intelligent and educated. i find it funny however when they sometimes slip into a "black" dialect when we are sometimes discussing an issue. one of my professors is also a judge, and she cracks us up whenever she slips into what she calls her "sista girl" mode, where she starts waving her finger and bouncing her head.
ot: why do black people have an unusual accent
