Ebonics Black English African american Vernacular english

1. Ebonics Black EnglishAfrican americanVernacular english Tamika Hutchinson Loretta Kelly Meg Delaney

2. What is Ebonics African American English • A non-standard variety of English spoken by African American in the United States, specifically in urban and rural communities.

3. EbOnicsOrgin Ebony (black) + Phonics (sound, the study of sound) = Ebonics (Black Speech)

4. Ebonics Origin Cont. Ebonics is a term that comes from African slaves, particularly in West Africa, the Caribbean, and North America. Some linguists believe, that the development of AAVE is closely connected to that of Southern White English.

5. The Evolution of aave • Nonstandard Negro English (1960s) • In 1973 the term, "Ebonics" was created by psychologistRobert Williams and a group of black scholars at a conference in St. Louis, Missouri, on "Cognitive and Language Development of the Black Child.” • In 1975, the term appeared within the title and text of a book edited and co-written by Williams, Ebonics: The True Language of Black Folks. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWIbIA9BltQ

6. What’s in a name??? • In 1996, Oakland, California School Board recognized Ebonics as the 'primary' language of its majority African American students and decided to teach them standard or academic English. • The School Board decided African American Vernacular English was a more appropriate term because it puts emphasis on its origin from African roots and independence from English

7. Ebonics GRAMMAR Rules • Produce sentences without present tense “is” and “are” • "John trippin" or "They allright (aight)". • Don't omit present tense am. • "Ah walkin", “Ahmwalkin." Omission of the final consonant in words like 'past' (pas' ) and 'hand' (han') • Pronounce “th” in 'bath' as t or f • bat or baf • Pronounce vowels in words like 'my' and 'ride' as a long ah • Mahrahd.

8. What do people think of ebonics Positive • Allows African Americans to express themselves • Individuality Negative • Sign of limited education or sophistication • Legacy of slavery • Impediment to socioeconomic mobility

9. Do you Speak Ebonics?? • What up • Finna • Homey • BLING BLING • Crib • Holla at me • Hater • Omelet • Dime • Hood • Salty • Thirsty • Fa real • Lame • Whip • On ma mama • Steady • Ride • My bad • Thick • Raw • Tweakin

10. Who uses ebonics • Black preachers • Comedians http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZkdcYlOn5M • Singers • Rappers • EVERY CULTURE!!!! *The use of Ebonics is for a dramatic or a more realistic effect.

11. When does using  AAVE become  an academic issue? • According to Gallas et al. (as cited in Power B. & Hubbard, R., 2002, p.131), “For those children whosehome based waysof talking are not similar to school based ways of talking, or for whom the rules  of language are not clear, moving into the multiple discourses that schools  present will be more difficult.” 

12. In plain English,  please!  Essentially, if  the language students are using  outside  of school does not match rules of the academic language being used in instruction and assessment, the student may have a hard time decoding and adjusting their language to match that of the classroom. When the two don’t match, there is a disconnect and students may find themselves struggling.

13. Here is a  common example…  • Standard  American English (SAE): “That is John’s book.” – The possession is implied by the apostrophe + s. • African-American  Vernacular English (AAVE): “That John book.” – The possession is implied by whatever comes in front of the noun. • The  Issue: To the teacher grading  the AAVE version appears grammatically wrong and  the student would be marked down. To the student  to grew up using AAVE, that  response  isrule based and seems correct.

14. How  do we help our  successfully students  navigate  between AAVE and SAE?  • According to Coffey (2009)  ““[Code-switching] can involve the alternation  between two different languages, two tonal registers, or  a dialectical shift within the same language such as Standard  English and Black English.” [Others] also argue that  code-switching is “a linguistic tool and a  sign of the participants’ awareness of alternative communicative conventions.”  Furthermore, code-switching has been  described as “a strategy at  negotiating power for  the speaker” and “reflects culture and identity and promotes  solidarity.” (Code-Switching with dialects of African American  or Black English section, para.2.)

15. Code-Switching in  action…  • There are 2 approaches  that linguists go about when code switching:  The  correctionist approach The  contrastivist approach

16. The correctionist  approach  • “The correctionist approach to language response ‘diagnoses the child’s home speech as ‘poor English’ or ‘bad grammar,’ finding that the child does not know how to show plurality, possession,  and tense,’ or the child ‘has problems’ with these.’  This approach assumes that ‘Standard English’ is the only proper form of language and tries to do away  with the child’s home language. Because classrooms are not culturally  or linguistically monolithic, this approach tends to exclude  those students who are not fluent in ‘Standard  English’” (Coffee, 2009, Code Switching in Practice section, para.1). 

17. Correctionist example  Student  says: “We was walking to  school today.” Correctionist  says: “Wrong.” We is plural and was walking is singular. This violates Standard-American English rules of subject-verb agreement, which all American-English speakers must  follow. The correct answer is: “We were walking to school today.” 

18. The contrastivist  approach  • “The primary principle of the contrastivist approach is that ‘language comes in diverse varieties.’ This ‘linguistically informed model’ recognizes  that the student’s home language is not any  more deficient in structure than the school language. In this  approach, teachers ‘help children become explicitly aware  of the grammatical differences’ between the formal ‘Standard  English’ and the informal home language. ‘Knowing  this, children learn to code-switch between the language of  the home and the language of the school as appropriate  to the time, place, audience, and communicative purpose.” When  an educator prepares a student to code-switch,  the student becomes explicitly aware of how to select  the appropriate language to use in the  given Context” (Coffee, Code  Switching in Practice section, para. 2). 

19. Contrastivist example  • Student  says: “He go to the store yesterday.”  Contrastivist  says: “That’s very good. Tell me what part of the sentence tells us when that happened?” (Yesterday.) “Now tell me if we took out the word ‘yesterday,’ how we couldsay that sentence and still know it happened in the past? (He went to the store.) 

20. What’s best?  Most linguists recommend  moving away from the correctionist approach.  Coffee (2009) suggests  following these steps: • Recognize the vernacular patterns in writing and use this to teach a whole class lesson on the differences between the “Standard English” version and the home language. Maybe use a chart to show the differences. • Initiate conversations about how people speak differently in diverse settings. • Engage students in a role-playing activity where they imitate different people they know within the community, and have students examine the differences in the way these people speak. • Demonstrate how to self-correct written work for a formal purpose, and when students feel more comfortable, encourage them to read their work aloud. • Try to be more accepting of the fact that everyone code-switches. Remember the way we respond to a friend’s question might be completely different than how we would answer the principal or superintendent’s queries. • Introduce dialectical language through literature. Culturally rich literature is available at every grade level.

21. Teenagers View of ebonics? • www.ebonics-translator.com/ebonics_dictionary.php • Not Bad/Not Good- It Just Is! • Black Slang/Speech • Be Cool/Express Themselves • Urban Dialect/Many Cultures • Slang Dictionary • Black English Links

22. Code switching Website: • http://www.learner.org/workshops/hswriting/workshops/workshop5/codeswitching.html • Rebecca Wheeler/Expert In Code Switching Language Varieties/Contrastive Analysis “Flossie and the Fox” by: Patricia McKissack Flossie/AAVE Fox/Standard English * Support Materials

23. Contrastive Analysis http://www.ascd.org/publications/classroom_leadership/apr1999/Using_Ebonics_or_Black_English_as_a_Bridge_to_Teaching_Standard_English.aspx • Using Ebonics to Teach Standard English 1. Word Discrimination Drill 2. Home/School Drill 3. Response Drills

24. Other Teaching Resources • http://books.google.com/books?id=3bdbxPpzexQC&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=How+can+teachers+help+african+american+children/ebonics+learn+ • Drama Role-Play Tape Record/Playback • Cartoon/Superhero Role-Play

25. Position Statement By NCTE • http://www.ncte.org/cee/positions/diverselearnersinee • NCTE/National Council of Teachers of English • 8 Beliefs for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners in English Education Each Belief Provides Suggestions for Lessons