Close

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-EBONICS.html" title="Facts and informations about EBONICS">EBONICS</a>

EBONICS

EBONICS. [From ebony and -ics as in phonics]. An alternative name for AFRICAN-AMERICAN VERNACULAR ENGLISH, used by Robert L. Williams in his book Ebonics: The True Language of Black Folks (Institute of Black Studies, St Louis, Mo., 1975). It became internationally prominent for some months after 18 December 1996, when the board of Oakland Unified School District, California, formally resolved that Ebonics was the first language of most black American children in their area and English the second language, ‘making [Oakland] the first district in the nation to give the dialect official status in programs targeting bilingual students’ ( Mary Curtius, ‘California Educators Give Black English a Voice’, Los Angeles Times, 20 December 1996). Reports of the resolution generated great media attention and public debate in the US, much of it hostile, as a result of which the board in mid-January 1997 issued a restatement from which the assertion that Black English was a distinct language was removed. The outraged response arose largely from a belief among many Americans of all backgrounds that the board wanted to focus on black rather than standard usage while at the same time seeking additional government funds by presenting English as the children's second language and not their mother tongue (in the same way that funds are provided to help many Hispanic children). It was assumed that the board would misuse tax dollars while also depriving the children of a solid grounding in the standard language, a primary tool for their social advancement. The board, however, wished to emphasize that under-achieving black children need linguistic help to bridge the gap between vernacular and standard; one way of doing this is to highlight the differences between the two in the classroom, respecting both and constructively comparing them when teaching the standard.

Related newspaper, magazine, and trade journal articles from HighBeam Research

(Including press releases, facts, information, and biographies)

	Should black English be considered a second language?(reaction to Oakland, CA, school district making Ebonics a second language) Magazine article from: Jet; 1/27/1997; 700+ words ; ...California, school board to declare Black English as a second...claims. The board says it does...to teach Black English in the classroom. The board's plan, however...English. The board believes...children speak Black English, they would... Read more
	Bashing Black English: the pundits got Oakland wrong. (includes related article on teachers' view of Black English)(Column) Magazine article from: Commonweal; 2/28/1997; ; 700+ words ; ...published in this magazine an article on Black English explaining that the dialect, although...recommended that teachers recognize Black English as a nonstandard style of speech, learn...teachers need to learn anything about Black English in order to teach the standard to the... Read more
	Board of Association of Public Corporations.(News and Notes) Magazine article from: Florida Bar News; 10/1/2006; 17 words ; David E. Wells of Hunton & Williams was appointed to serve on the Board of Association of Public Corporations. Read more
	Together but not scrambled: a black English man, Rotimi Ogedengbe, visits Cuba and discovers that the island is not the racism-free paradise it claims to, be.(Essay) Magazine article from: New Internationalist; 3/1/2004; ; 700+ words ; ...d had a long-held ambition to get there 'before Castro dies and corporate America ushers in the age of McCuba'. But as a black English man what really drew me to Cuba was my perception of it as a model colour-blind society. I had my first experience of Cuban... Read more
	Miami FAWL's Board of Directors.(News and Notes) Magazine article from: Florida Bar News; 9/15/2006; 14 words ; Kristy M. Johnson of Carlton Fields, Miami, was elected to Miami FAWL's Board of Directors. Read more
	Rootlevel.(Technology)(Board of Trustees of Npower Michigan)(Brief Article) Magazine article from: Detroiter; 6/1/2002; 15 words ; John Lauer. founder and CEO of Rootlevel in Detroit, to the Board of Trustees of Npower Michigan. Read more
	ABOTA's Board of Directors.(News and Notes) Magazine article from: Florida Bar News; 3/1/2008; 17 words ; Diana Santa Maria was recently installed as treasurer of the Ft. Lauderdale Chapter of ABOTA's Board of Directors. Read more
	Oakland School Board approves Black English program and sparks national debate.(Oakland, CA; Ebonics) Magazine article from: Jet; 1/13/1997; 263 words ; The Oakland (CA) School Board recently voted to recognize Black English, or Ebonics, as a second language...against the Oakland School Board's plan. Rev. Jesse Jackson...He appealed to the school board to reverse its decision. Poet...Ebonics, a statement issued by Board member Toni Cook ... Read more
	Board of Veterinary Medicine.(News and Notes) Magazine article from: Florida Bar News; 10/15/2007; 19 words ; Lisa M. Hurley of Willard Hurley in Tallahassee was reappointed to the Board of Veterinary Medicine by Gov. Charlie Crist. Read more
	Hugh Cotney of Jacksonville has been elected to the board.(News and Notes) Magazine article from: Florida Bar News; 5/15/2006; 14 words ; Hugh Cotney of Jacksonville has been elected to the board of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. Read more

For more facts and information, see all related premium articles

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses

	Ebonics Book article from: The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable Ebonics American black English regarded as a language in its own right rather than as a dialect of standard English; the name is a blend of ebony and phonics . Read more
	E-40 Book article from: Contemporary Musicians E-40 Rap musician The Bay Area rap musician E-40, renowned for his fast, slick rhymes and unique Ebonics slang, attracted a cult following in the 1990s when he established himself as an independent artist with his own label. Picked... Read more
	Affirmative Action Book article from: American Decades ...The debate raged on across the country. EBONICS Late in December 1996, the local school...form of slang. As a distinct language, Ebonics (from the words ebony and phonics) could...Proponents of the plan asserted that Ebonics contained linguistic elements from African... Read more
	AFRICAN-AMERICAN VERNACULAR ENGLISH Book article from: Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language ...English , Afro-American English , Afro-American , (American) Black English , black English , Black English Vernacular (BEV) , Ebonics . Terms in SOCIOLINGUISTICS for English as used by a majority of US citizens of Black African background, consisting of a range... Read more
	McWhorter, John 1965 – Book article from: Contemporary Black Biography ...x201D; The professor and author has found himself at the center of many a controversy. Whether the issue is affirmative action, Ebonics, or the performance of African-American schoolchildren, McWhorter has resisted easy political definition. At a time when race... Read more

See all related entries