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".

Alli - 10th November 2009 02:43

I am doing a debate in AP for ebonics being a language....anyone help me out? just email me..justlisten28@yahoo.com. I could really use a point of view?

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!