Poll: Should Ebonics be taught in schools?

Comments:

Craig - 25th September 2003 16:11

I voted "yes" but it should only be taught as a stepping stone to learning Standard English and phased out early.

tdol - 25th September 2003 17:55

As long as more standard forms are taught alongside, I can't see the problem If it is encouraged without alternatives, then I think it is merely limiting the scope for the students' futures.

Casiopea - 26th September 2003 17:15

I can't believe 21 speakers voted "No". Hmm, says a lot for the education system. What're they teaching?

Brian - 3rd November 2003 21:26

Ebonics has already been qualified by linguists as a genuine, authentic language/dialect. Only people who are threatened by a multi-cultural society who object. It does not have to be taught instead of standard English, but in addition to - making the student multi-lingual. A good thing all the way around.

Joan - 15th November 2003 01:49

A good thing all round strikes me as positive, Ferrie.

Trenton Davis - 12th January 2004 14:22

to me ebonics should not be taught because it is not a language it is a culture of change.

JT - 15th January 2004 01:28

Is there a risk that by teaching it,you might restrict a student's potential if they don't also speak a more standard English- a strong dialect, or even separate language, is not much use in international dealings.

Hen - 28th January 2004 10:02

Something strikes me as strange in Ben's post. If they're not sure whether it's a language or a dialect, how sure is the qualification?

lynda - 10th March 2004 18:59

umh i think it should be though in school as an elective, i mean students can chooose if they wanna take it or not. becasue its not only a language its a culture.

Tam'e - 13th May 2004 20:11

yes because it is something everyone uses on a daily basis

Breyannarobinson - 9th March 2005 02:28

I think so very much because we would understand way better

voyager3n1 - 29th March 2005 11:21

I think that we could save a lot of money and stimulate national pride by teaching only in English. I love foreign languages and speak a little German and Itilian but I believe we need a common language.

Miah - 3rd May 2005 01:40

I think ebonics is a very big part in african american history and should be properly shared to the world. Properly introduced, instead of all the perceptions that are brought with people that speak ebonics. If it was taught in schools, the perceptions would be set straight. I speak ebonics and i feel that it should be taught as a part of african american studies.

MrTrilby - 1st February 2006 13:06

It shouldn't be taught in lieu of standard English. It's pointless to teach dialect as it changes so often, anyway.

mbsnodgrass - 11th February 2006 20:47

I voted no because if it were to be taught, then it would just be contributing to the cause. One cannot speak ebonic in a corperate environment, so why should it be taught in our only to be "untaught" for purposes of communication outside of the speakers comfort zone. However, I would agree with what others have said previously that it could be taught as an elective or part of African American culture/ history.

debbie mays - 7th April 2006 02:08

i think it should be taught, my culture, african american speak alot of ebonics, which is broken english language. many people don't have the opportunity to attend college and learn the correct english language and all they know is what they hear. In many cultures a a certain language or relationship evolves in that culture and you learn the language and that your way of communicating. I think it should be taught so that people will learn the correct way and how people get to this language, is it a cultural thing, not able to speak or pronounce letters and words correctly?

Cyrus - 30th October 2006 03:55

Ebonics is not a language it is a dialect. Many people argue that one should not use ebonics when in fact they are absolutely correct. Ebonics has worked it's way into all school systems including colleges. One thing that is a major problem is that ebonics is kind of becoming a fad, " It's cool to talk slang," I mean, celebrities do it right? This style of talking is not nearly as "ghetto" as people make it to be. As we all know parents these days are getting younger and younger and most of them drop out of school leaving them limited to the ways they train their children. No one can teach a child or speak correctly if they can't do it correctly themselves.

Ursula - 15th November 2006 16:17

No, how patronising!

RonBee - 25th November 2006 06:57

"Should Ebonics be taught in schools?" As what? A foreign language? If the kids already speak it it doesn't need to be taught to them. Instead, standard English is often a foreign language to them. *That* is what they need to learn. They need to learn how to communicate in the bigger world rather than just with those in the 'hood. ~R

Matt - 31st January 2007 02:02

Miah wrote "I think ebonics is a very big part in african american history and should be properly shared to the world. " I wasn't aware that English was native to Africa, er, africa.

warkita - 13th February 2007 17:51

Ebonics should not be taught in schools. One reason is a child has to come up in a world that is based on technology and everyhting is changing day by day. In the corporate world a child that has learned ebonics will know that is okay to speak it, but in that type of workd it hurts the chances of getting the job that the person deserves.

CHOMAT - 19th February 2007 12:37

An old subjunctive form : the assertive form : It is advisable Ebonics(should) be taught in schools. It is advisable my son (should)LEARN ebonics.

Black Man - 1st March 2007 21:33

Ebonics is NOT a language, simply a dialect of English. It has NO place in formal education, even as an elective. When one learns a language, French for example, you are taught proper French - not a dialect of it. What's next? How about l33t in our schools? R0m30 4nd Jul13t anyone?

luke bobsmit - 8th July 2007 09:55

i am in secondary school and would know about this. It should not be taught because the time used to teach Ebonics could be used to learn more useful subjects such as mathmatics ans science. speaking is only a form of communication and there are other ways to say what you have to say! :)

Erin - 15th September 2007 04:42

Ok, first of all, just to say this again...Ebonics is not a language. It is a dialect of English. I am a teacher and for those of you that do not know, the retention rate for teachers is about 3 years. We have so much on our plate. We are mentors, counselors, instructors and parental figures to children. We are forced to teach to standardized tests, only to keep up with countries like Japan and China. I personally believe that standardized tests do not actually measure a child's achievement acturately. I have digressed, but my point is that if you make teachers learn ebonic for the sake of teaching a few children that actually speak it, our nation will not only lose new teachers, but quite possibly older ones as well. Think about a job interview down the line. With a large company chose the person who speaks well to represent their company or the one who speaks Ebonics. I think we all know the answer to that one.

ricky - 10th November 2007 06:38

Ever seen Idiocrasy

BURM - 3rd December 2007 23:19

Ebonics is the new deal PEOPLE GET WITH THE PROGRAM HOW will WE the people LEARN NEW STUFF IF WE CANT realize what we are saying and learn FROM IT BITCHES

Rachel - 14th December 2007 17:22

I don't think people should teach Ebonics in school, because it makes people seem uneducated when they use Ebonics. It makes people seem illiterate, and it means tey don't have other choice of words.

Anna - 21st February 2008 01:38

If it is OK for kids to learn ebonics, then they should also teach southern dialect in schools as well. A lot of people who speak "hillbilly" are often thought of as uneducated, too, but it is just as much a way of speaking for many southernersas ebonics is to many blacks..

Ron - 29th February 2008 02:42

The idea of language is to communicate ideas, To relate, and grow. A language with the evolution cycle of a flu virus would be unknown from one generation to the next. There is no reason anyone who has learned the basic phonetic sounds cannot speak english. Powerful ideas come from vast vocabularies and skilled grammar not from slang and profanity. The mind and the heart are judged by the lips. Ignorance has never given anyone power

Brooke - 3rd March 2008 22:13

As soon as I hear an individual speak ebonics, I put up a guard of "I'd better not say anything negative to this person or she will think I am a racist." I don't even hear what the person says because I am "trying not to judge" that person for making up pronunciations that I, somehow, am required to accept. If I began pronouncing "accept" as "expect" should I assume to be understood, too?

rashaundra - 14th March 2008 01:37

ebonics would be a good way to explain to students about their street slang and how it all got started

jones - 18th April 2008 22:53

no it shouldnt be taught in schools. ebonics is not a language, nor will it ever be classified as one. When a person is speaking in ebonics, they sound ignorant. teaching ignorance would only show how american society is only worsening. have a great day (:

iesha nelson - 22nd April 2008 17:32

ebonics should be a language. It's a creative way to speak just like any other language

DaveBlank - 9th May 2008 03:41

What is there to be taught? To speak Ebonics all you have to do is never learn proper english

shea - 29th August 2008 01:13

No. "Ebonics" is a lazy ignorant form of the english language. Do people actually get ahead in life using this language, no. They just sound like straight up trash.

Jason - 27th September 2008 09:19

Ebonics has its merits, but should be taught, if anywhere, in places of higher education, not the public school system.

Jassen - 22nd December 2008 02:11

I say no. Its ignorant, and lazy to speak using ebonics. It is just a product of poor education.

Jerome - 6th January 2009 20:48

Naw ya'll cee I fink dat ebonix wud be gud fer ouh chillen to lern is skool, so dat if dey ax sum guy on da cohneh in souf cennral, den dey ken get the way on dah rohd to find dem sum gud places to eat or sumfin. it wud aso be upliffin to da affican amercan peeples so dat dey now dat dey make a valabl contrabuton to socite. evrybody speek it anywy, so wy not?

Kenneth Howard - 20th February 2009 07:15

No. At my former high school, my English teacher would call out students who dared speak ebonics in her classroom and read their overall grade out loud. There was a trend; many of the individuals who spoke ebonics were getting D's and E's in standard english. Do we really need to promote poor speech in lieu of proper English? And seriously, if poor speech was a part of culture, I would distance myself from it immediately. The only reason it can be considered a part of African American culture is because many such individuals could not pursue higher education until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which "encouraged" desegregation of public schools (as well as many other steps, but I'm only concerned with Title IV for now). Now, seeing as how everyone has access to the same education, why are so many individuals not taking advantage of said education and not learning to speak properly?

Michelle - 27th February 2009 06:17

I think Ebonics, or "African American English," should be used as a way to teach fluency in Standard English. Speakers of AAE should be treated as bilingual speakers. AAE has syntax, phonological, and grammatical rules that are universally consistent with languages all around the world. Yes, it is a cultural practice but also a completely legitimate language as proven by many linguists.

Scarlet - 29th March 2009 00:58

I don't think that ebonics should be taught in school because some students have enough trouble with learning english correctly already. If you throw in another "dialect" of english it will only confuse them further. IF ebonics does make it's way into our schools then it should only be offered as an elective for those who can keep the two forms correct.

Greg - 5th July 2009 22:12

I speak ebonics and I do realize that it isn't proper English but it is part of my culture and personally I think it shows how ignorant americans are that are so against the culture of another race. Last time I checked I could've swore that Amrica was suppose to be culturally diverse and if that's the case then everybody should be accepting of the way others talk. When I talk to people who speak proper english I dont assume they're smart because I've met several people who spoke proper English and they were dumb as bricks...and for yall dumb asses who say its just an ignorant way of speaking english you sound dumb maybe if yall crackers would've gave us respect and treated us like people instead of property we wouldn't hate yall bastards as much as we do

michelle - 10th July 2009 04:41

we should not just take it as a language .it's also a culture.maybe we can give the choice to the students.

Eric - 25th July 2009 23:49

People are already getting more stupid as time goes passes on their own, I don't see why we should speed up the process with a moronic bastardization of the English language.

arizona mildman - 2nd August 2009 14:12

Ebonics is not a language just because a handful of black people at one time in histroy declared it so. It is street slang. If it were a language it would have a book that one can learn from. Street slang changes. Casion, for instance, is used by people in New Orleans, we aren't going to try to change the system to make it a prerequisite. If this is accepted, any deviation of English would be considered a language. It is constantly changing so one can't "learn" if. And one never sees a help wanted poster, "must speak ebonics".

Joe Knight - 21st November 2009 19:18

Sure it should, if you want to continue to be considered lowlife fools. Our language is English, learn it!

Riku - 1st December 2009 19:04

No it shouldn't be taught in school. It is not even a language,

Leroy - 16th December 2009 19:39

They definitely shouldn't teach dis here in skoo. Only uneducated peeps speak dis here. w0rd!

Doris Singh - 24th December 2009 05:28

iIs not a proper form of english Its street thug

morgan - 3rd February 2010 19:12

I would be pissed if this was offered to my children in there school. Im black and was raised in the "hood" and I speak plain English. Ive found from my life experiance that people who speak ebonics, know how to speak w/ out the dialect they just choose not too. I admit when I was growing up and was less mature, I used it too alot. Now that I have my own children and have a respectable job and have matured I do not feel the need to make myself appear "gangsta". I just dont understand why anyone would want there children to learn a language which the majority of the "language" is referring to or associated w/ dagrating women, drugs, shooting people, or just simply changing a preexisting word's meaning and distorting it a little. I think that the only people who could possibly want there children to learn such a language are people who dont care if there children move up in the world, and maybe would like for them to be a successful drug dealer or pimp, becuase that is the only occupation in which it would be useful.

morgan - 3rd February 2010 19:28

...and another thing. To the people who said that "the only people who voted no are just afraid of a multi cultural society" well Im am black and proud of it. Actually I am a perfect combination of black and white just like our president, and I love to learn about AUTHENTIC African culture. Not the taco bell version of it. And learning a second language, I mean come on. Imagine if you worked at I dont know, Walmart, anywhere that there are people of all races. You are a cashier and are speaking to a white person who is checking out in perfectly plain English, but you see a black person who obviously uses the "black dialect" and you suddenly address him/her like "wassup ma nigga....dat all you gettin....aight holla". I mean, I dont think anyone is going to be impressed w/ your "second laguage" much less the person you spoke it to.

christie.cowan@yahoo.com - 17th February 2010 21:39

I think they should not because most people still think Black English is Ebonics and it is not. Thank you.

Juice - 2nd March 2010 16:37

I feel that if we begin teaching our children to speak ebonics not only would we let them down, in the future, but we would just make sound like idiots. How people talk to their friends is one thing, but I personally don't want my son to sound like that, and I won't hire your's if they sound like that either. This is the reason I voted for Obama and not Jesse Jackson years before, because he sounds like an idiot, Obama sounds like a genious. Would you want Obama to go to the UN sounding like a thug. How many more interpreters would we have to hire?????? Louis Farrakan- Speak wise or sound ignorant.

Panda-Chan - 26th March 2010 00:08

NO NO NO NO you can learn it from your friends. you should be learning proper English in school

Chelsey - 27th June 2010 16:51

They should be taught normal and good English, instead of trying to sound like idiots all the time!! teachers in my school even have to correct those who obviously cant talk right... I am only about to be in fifth grade and I even have to correct them.

Waffle - 3rd September 2010 07:32

Tey shouldn't teach skudspeak in schools cuz it makes you sound like a skud. Any time a yellow walks by me with or without orange shoes, i straighten and speak proper. But if i drop a group, of course i'm gonna use monsterspeak. It makes you sound like fearsom beast. Damn the skurks and skwrads that try to throw skudspeak at me, they know how to speak proper, they just do that grease thier palms, and I ain't about to let em. If you wanna be an orange shoe, learn to speak proper, cuz if you don't everyone will think yous a skud, and will kek at you. Peazy. (BTW, this is a dialect of speaking used by a small minority in southern california. I speak it and i will not teach it to my kids, i would rather use that time to teach them something that will make them successful. A "real" language like Japanese will look good on a resume, and I want my kids to be happy, not poor.)

ac - 22nd November 2010 06:51

i think ebonics should be recognized but not taught. what i mean is it should be recognized in historyor cultural classes but not taught as a language. its a dialect of the english language. it is also limiting the knowledge of a child. imagine someone walking into a job interview using words like finna. this dialect makes people sound uneducated and silly. they are nonsense words. imagine people like out president using this language...i dont think soo

Lisa - 28th November 2010 19:28

NO! I have a child in the public school system. If they teach ebonics in public school, I'll jerk my child out of the system so fast it will make your head spin.

Thomas - 18th March 2011 17:45

Obviously not, it's not even a language, just learn it from your friends. They don't teach Cockney in schools, or Occitain. These are two dialects that evolved with a culture. It also makes you sound uneducated.

sade - 25th March 2011 20:42

- i voted "no" ebonics should NOT be taught in schools . ebonics was the worst era that happen to ppl in urban areas . the whole country is passing america by because of ignorant ideas like this. ebonics didnt work out in the end before and it wont work now . im in the 10th grade now and i can see that the generations that was taught it has been affected by it badly . i refuse to be apart of another statistic . i will succeed .

Ruba - 4th April 2011 18:01

i think they should have the right to talk and learn the language they grew up around, it's like kicking someone out of the house they own.

pdevlin - 23rd May 2011 20:40

Absolutely not. My mother's first language was Italian, and when she went to school, everything was taught in...standard English. And guess what, she was fluent in it in no time. Blacks, Russian immigrant, Hispanics etc. should all be taught standard English. I am so sick of the whining from people who don't want to learn and then complain about then end results.

Calvin - 2nd June 2011 03:01

Why not if you were to teach lets say an Italian English you would teach him in Italian or vice-versa

Calvin - 2nd June 2011 03:16

You do not have to accept the culture to learn the languauge if I learn Ebonocs I will be able to speak 3 languauges Latin,English and AAVE. It is an English creole languauge with African and English and Dixie and American influences. It was used as early as 1692 and in 1996 became it's own languauge like Afrikaans those of you who disagree

T - 9th August 2011 01:55

No. There is no standard for Ebonics. The dialect changes drastically like fashion does ("modern day" ebonics.) You would never use this language in anything but rap music or poetry. "They bitches be fine." "Why you axing me bout it." There's a flow to this dialect that throws off any definition. Anyone with an understanding of English can use the internet and watch tv to learn Ebonics anyway, if they had the interest. No use paying money for it. Should we be teaching Chinese English "Chinglish" in school too? That would be more useful where I live - Vancouver Canada.

T - 9th August 2011 01:57

On a side note, personally it would be hilarious to see anyone other than that of African descent to try to teach this slang

Bob - 18th August 2011 18:06

For decades, the indigenous people of South Africa were legally limited to learning Afrikaans in schools under Apartheid. Afrikaans is a form of pidgin language that includes words and bits of language such as Dutch, English, Bantu, Swahili, and other indigenous language words including slang. This language is basically limited to South Africa. One of the main reasons for this was to prevent the indigenous people from attending higher education institutes and universities. It was also a way to keep native South African people from attaining higher educational qualifications in other countries where languages like English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, etc. are the primary language of instruction, in effect relegating them to low skill, low wage jobs. In the context of the foregoing, ebonics is akin to Afrikaans, except that the speakers of ebonics are leading the push to legitimize or mandate its usage. In other words, self-imposing upon themselves or self-relegating themselves to the lower rungs of society's socio-economic ladder and limiting their life chances. Seriously, how stupid is that? Ebonics should be available as a formal course to people who might have to work in the ‘hood or places where a large number of people speak it. So ebonics course(s) should be utilized by school of social welfare students, e.g. Masters of Social Welfare candidates, linguistics students or those in the medical, legal/police/public service fields . Otherwise why teach a language/dialect that in effect keeps people in economic slavery?

Bre'ana - 7th November 2011 22:41

I voted " yes" because i belive that just like the civil rights movement African American Vernacular English is black history all the same and should be included in the learning process like any other languge.