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Re: Ebonics
On Sat, 21 Dec 1996, Timothy C. May wrote:
> _government publications_, I think this problem is solved by anarchy. Short
> of anarchy, I don't see how any government larger than a truly tiny core
> set can possibly pubish official documents, ballots, traffic signs,
> driver's license tests, and so on, in the several dozen languages that the
> basic brown types are now clamoring for.
But Tim, you've just hit on the perfect solution! How 'bout each year the
CPunks lobby for another language to be protected? When no law can be
passed without being first translated into over 1000 languages, lawmaking
will be impossible, and our work will be done.
Seriously, though, most of the discussion of the Ebonics issue on this list
has been based on a dangerous misconception. At no point has _anyone_
suggested that courses be taught in Ebonics, that Ebonics be taught as a
language, or that all faculty be fluent in Ebonics.
What _has_ happened is that Ebonics has been added to the list of languages
which some students are coming into the school program speaking better than
they speak English. Ebonics just goes alongside Spanish, several dialects
of Chinese, and a number of other languages whose native speakers may get
help from the school district in learning English.
I think this approach is foolishness, as it stigmatizes and seperates a
group who are not already cut off from the rest of the community, unlike
speakers of other designated languages. (Unlike Laotian or Spanish, a
`native speaker' of Ebonics can understand `standard' english). This is
a far cry from the `mandataed speaking of Ebonics' which CPunks seem so
up in arms about. No such program exists or has existed.
At any rate, as someone already pointed out, the main reason for the
designation of Ebonics as a language is that it overnight doubled the
number of students whom Oakland can count towards federal matching funds
for ESL...
--
Jim Wise
[email protected]
http://www.arch.columbia.edu/~jim
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