Dawn Thomas
It was unfortunate that Ernie Smith was considered to have a language deficiency and the teachers thought it was related to physical or mental abnormalities. Because of his language, which he refers to as Ebonics, he was destined for failure in the school's eyes. He seemed to have negative experiences from the beginning of his schooling due to his language. He says that urbanized blacks and whites associate language usage with intelligence. We are taught to speak Standard English and when you do you are looked upon as well educated. Language issues seemed to follow Smith throughout his life. Due to his language, he was indicted and had no idea this would happen because of his belief that there was no such thing as a bad word. Fortunately, his life turned around and some good came out of his past experiences. He can help black and white students because he has been through the experience. I believe there is not a better person to help others than one who has walked in the shoes of others. After reading this chapter, it seems to me that Ebonics is a dialect. Different regions of the country have their own dialect. I have personally experienced this by living in different areas. I lived in the mountains of North Carolina where they have their own dialect. I lived in South Boston, VA and their dialect is quite different. I believe that Standard English is the language that should be taught in our schools. People can have their own dialect or language but they should be able to speak SE. It's like a professor of mine once said, "I speak differently at home than I do in the classroom." He said that was alright as long as he knew how to speak SE. I don't believe Ebonics should be taught in schools but I do believe that teachers should be aware of language differences. A teacher should look carefully before saying a child has a language deficiency. I have taught a classroom of children where 89% of the them were black. I knew they had some dialect of their own but I did not label them as deficient and I spoke and taught SE.
I agree with Dr. Bill Cosby that this non-standard English is not acceptable and it will take you nowhere. He said you can't be a doctor or a pilot with that kind of language.
In reading chapter one, I did not realize that language could have such an impact on the way a child feels. This young lady was learning the English language and her peers were laughing at her. I found it interesting when she became an actor that she felt like she was experiencing life in two languages. It seemed to help her with the conflict of language that she experienced earlier in life. I wouldn't have realized that acting would have helped her but it does make sense when you think about it. It's something I haven't thought about because I did not have a language conflict when I was a child and I don't enjoy acting.
Comments (8)
So, if SE is the desirable venue for communication, I guess my question is how to salvage identities in the process?
You cite that a professor (who is in an extremely privileged position) said that he is able to code-switch easily. What about those who do not? What is the role of teachers in this situation?
Bill Cosby of course is also in a majority. He is a very rich man who has crossed cultures in his later life. His earlier work is a celebration of Ebonics!! And, not everyone is destined to be pilots or doctors.
Just some feedback for you to think about.
Prof. Alecia Jackson
Posted by Prof. Alecia Jackson | May 24, 2007 8:33 PM
Posted on May 24, 2007 20:33
Dawn,
It is true that cultures have their own dialect and I feel this is what separates them into unique and special people. I have not lived in a lot of different areas, but I have been fortunate to have been able to travel throughout my life. Traveling is very educational and has helped me to experience first hand what it life is like for other cultures than myself.
I too have taught in a predominately black classroom where 98% of my students were black. I heard the language they were speaking, "ebonics", but never labeled them disabled for their native language. My assistant was black, so she would translate to me what they were trying to communicate. The fact that my students weren't speaking SE never once made me feel as if they were language disabled. I knew this was the language of their culture. Disabilites come from a student's inability to function academically, not from speaking the language of their culture.
Linda Younts
Posted by Linda Younts | May 24, 2007 8:37 PM
Posted on May 24, 2007 20:37
Thank you for being so straightforward and honest with your reaction to the text! I think the quote you used from Bill Cosby is an interesting one. I would agree with that statement that people who work in a "professional" field are expected to speak SE. My biggest question is: Is it necessary to speak SE in order to successfully work in these types of jobs or is the issue more of a social stigma regarding a link to intelligence from language/dialect used? Our introduction in the text showed, in my opinion, a strong correlation between dialect and how intelligent a person is viewed to be. So do doctors speak in SE because they are considered intelligent and that is the dialect that our society has determined to show intelligence? Or is speaking SE truly a necessity to perform the duties of that job? ~Allison Reese
Posted by Allison Reese | May 24, 2007 10:01 PM
Posted on May 24, 2007 22:01
You made a very interesting point about how we speak differently in the classroom than we do at home. I see how that is so true and think that probably most people do. This might explain further why our students do not realize that there is a difference and how important it is that we educate them to it. Regarding your comment about how acting provided a degree of relief for Ms. Dowdy...perhaps we as teachers might consider allowing our students do more skits and drama in our classrooms for that purpose as well.
Posted by Sara Joyce | May 25, 2007 1:17 PM
Posted on May 25, 2007 13:17
Dawn,
It was interesting that you mention Bill Cosby. I remember hearing something about his views on language/Ebonics one time. It must be easy for Mr. Cosby to feel the way he does since he now leads a privileged life and is generally well known. Perhaps we have all felt inferior or out of place in a given situation simply because our language, dialect or accent was different than others. This is not exclusive to one group of people.I enjoyed reading your post.
Posted by Renee Pagoota | May 25, 2007 3:40 PM
Posted on May 25, 2007 15:40
Dawn,
I have thought about what you stated from Bill Cosby. I am not sure how exactly I feel, but I do know that I feel the non standard english is acceptable, but maybe not in all scenarios. How you teach a child that, I am not sure. The statement of " there is a time and place for everything" comes up here. What I do think we have to realize is our world expects proper standard english at certain times. If you can code and switch your language, it is a great skill. But how do we even get the kids to have two options of speech? How do we teach this?
Posted by Sarah McMillan | May 25, 2007 4:27 PM
Posted on May 25, 2007 16:27
Dawn,
I too believe that one of our jobs as teachers is to teach standard English to our students. Students don't need to be taught the language they already possess, their home language or "mother tongue", because they acquire it naturally from their home environment. However, I think the authors of this book are suggesting that teachers be knowledgeable about Ebonics and African American culture and use this knowledge as a tool to build bridges that show students that teachers acknowledge and value their heritage and identity. According to the book's introduction, doing this will "not only allow them to excel in learning standard English, but to excel in all school subjects" (pg. 19 in the introduction). Instead of perceiving school as irrelevant to them, students will see school as a caring place that is there to help them reach their full potential as individuals who have something positive to give back to the world. Hopefully they will also view standard English as a desireable tool they need to acquire and learn how to use to their advantage, and recognize the benefits of becoming bilingual speakers who can effectively code switch from nonstandard English in informal atmospheres, to standard English in formal settings or whenever it is required.
I don't remember exactly what Bill Cosby said during the Ebonics debate; however, I think to rule out all nonstandard English as unacceptable is the same as rejecting the heritage and identity of the people who speak it as being something that is profane. Cursing and other profanities are unacceptable in school, and in my opinion, unacceptable anywhere whether the person is saying it in standard or nonstandard English.
Perhaps we all need to listen to what most of the linguists have concluded. Afterall, they study languages and know more about languages than nonlinguists: "In contrast to educators, most linguists concluded that there was nothing inherently inferior about the language of African Americans, but that problems might arise when the language of school and the language of home met" (page 20 in the introduction).
Posted by Vickie Howell | May 25, 2007 4:52 PM
Posted on May 25, 2007 16:52
"There is a time and place for everything." That is my opinion, as well. But I agree.. how DO you teach that to a child? This leads my thoughts to proper writing skills v/s text messaging and IM'ing. Like this "bleeds over" into everyday writing, won't these language experiences "bleed over" into everyday language? Where do we draw the line in the sand?
Posted by Jeanna McIntyre | May 28, 2007 4:36 PM
Posted on May 28, 2007 16:36