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Ebonics
Ebonics
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African Americans have been known to speak with a certain type of slang for a number of years. The definition of slang is known as a type of language that consist of words and phrase that are typically known as informal. During the mid-1900’s the term Ebonics was coined from Ebony and is now known as the language of the African Diaspora. A common misconception of Ebonics is that it is broken or sloppy English, these are certainly not true. Ebonics is contributed to certain patterns and practices due to the native tongue of African Americans. During this past years Emmy awards, Viola Davis became the first African American women to receive an Emmy for being the first black woman to win an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama. During her acceptances
Black Vernacular is “any of the nonstandard varieties of English spoken by African Americans. It is also called Black English, Black English vernacular.” In the “Black Vernacular” article, it states that “African- American dialects tend to drop the [t] from words like rest and soft. They likewise tend to drop the [r] in words like bird, four, door, and father.” In the novel, Janie said, “Ah wants things sweet wid mah marriage lak when you sit under a pear tree” (24).
As a result of many negative stereotypes associated with certain variations of English many students have adapted codeswitching. When this concept came up in the book it made me think about my own language. I realized that I code switch quite often between what is seen as Standard English and African American English or Ebonics. Usually with family or other friends that speak Ebonics I use that Ebonics to communicate, but when I am in school, in a
diatribe, is popular in schools country-wide. In its way, this is a tour de force of black English and underworld slang, as
In the essay if Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What is? by James Baldwin and Mother Tongue by Amy Tan both shows idea of uses of slang and language in different context. In the essay if Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What is? Baldwin states that how language has changed and evolved overtime, Baldwin describes how black English were used as white English, in civil rights movement where blacks were treated as slaves and the used slang language to communicate so that the whites won’t understand. This slang was taken from black language and now everyone uses to make the communication short. In the essay Mother Tongue Tan explains that how language could affect people from different culture. Tan states that how Asian students in America struggle in English. Tan also states that her mother is smart but she couldn’t communicate in English. Tan thinks that’s a big disadvantage for her mother and people coming from different countries cannot show their talent because of their weakness in communication.
Since the 1930’s until now, studies show that about 64% of kids and teens have been using slang terms in their school work. It is amazing what some of them are. Slang is used all of the time by almost all people and has changed a lot over the past decades. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses a child’s perspective to show how slang has changed from the 1930’s until today.
Being a resident of South Carolina, African-American Culture was chosen as part of the applied learning project for the Intercultural Nursing class, because African-Americans make up more than a quarter of this state’s population. According to the 2010 United States Census Bureau, the total population for South Carolina (S.C.) is 4,625,364, with 27.9% being of African-American descent. The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding and sensitivity to issues and cultural variances or phenomena that are unique to the African-American Culture. Another goal is to identify nursing interventions that are important for the nurse to consider in caring for this population. These phenomena’s include variances in social organization, communication, space, perception of time, environmental control, and biological variations associated with the African-American culture. (Giger, 2013 and South Carolina minority, n.d.)
Rickford, John R. "What Is Ebonics (African American English)." What Is Ebonics (African American English)? Linguistic Society of America, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
Black culture is the epitome of what defines America’s understanding of cool. It is difficult to define what it means to be cool without stating the influence or impact of the culture. The idea of cool developed as a social attitude implemented by black men during slavery which they used as a defense mechanism in order to cope with exploitation and injustice. It is now spread by hip hop culture which has integrated itself into mainstream society. As a result, black culture continues to play a vital role in America due to its innovative and creature nature.
Have you ever taken offense when you saw someone dressed in traditional garments from your culture? In America, this happens quite often. Some people may not recognize it and some refuse to acknowledge that it even exists. Cultural appropriation is a situation in which a dominant culture steals aspects of a minority culture’s, such as hair, clothing styles, and music.
African- American folklore is arguably the basis for most African- American literature. In a country where as late as the 1860's there were laws prohibiting the teaching of slaves, it was necessary for the oral tradition to carry the values the group considered significant. Transition by the word of mouth took the place of pamphlets, poems, and novels. Themes such as the quest for freedom, the nature of evil, and the powerful verses the powerless became the themes of African- American literature. In a book called Fiction and Folklore: the novels of Toni Morrision author Trudier Harris explains that "Early folk beliefs were so powerful a force in the lives of slaves that their masters sought to co-opt that power. Slave masters used such beliefs in an attempt to control the behavior of their slaves"(Harris 2).
Throughout American history there has always been some form of verbal acrobatics or jousting involving rhymes within the Afro-American community. Signifying, testifying, shining of the Titanic, the Dozens, school yard rhymes, prison ?jail house? rhymes and double Dutch jump rope rhymes, are some of the names and ways that various forms of raps have manifested. Modern day rap music finds its immediate roots in the toasting and dub talk over elements of reggae music (George, 1998)....
Most Americans hold strong feelings towards the term ‘Ebonics’; some adopt an attitude of condescension, while others are outright infuriated with the concept. To most, Ebonics has a very negative connotation; it implies lower-class, ignorance, and laziness. In some circles, slang and Ebonics are often used interchangeably. Some even believe that it is another language altogether, one that should be stamped out for good. It is seen as a bastardization of “proper” English. John R. Rickford’s article, Suite for Ebony and Phonics, argues that these ideas are false, and perpetuate harmful stereotypes about the community that holds
Slang is one of the most interesting parts of any language. In America, every generation has its own slang. Merrium-Webster defines slang as words that are not considered part of the standard vocabulary of a language and that are used very informally in speech especially by a particular group of people (Merrium-Webster). American Standard English has many slang words and phrases that have developed over the last century.
What does slang mean? If you look in a dictionary you will find the meaning of "Slang" which is " very informal in vocabulary and idiom that is characteristically more metaphorical, playfull, elliptical, vivid, and ephemeral than ordinary language." Slang can be found in everywhere around the world because it is part of the colloquial language that people use everyday, the expressions that you use to communicate with others. Have you ever asked to your self if foreign people understand what you say when you use slang during your conversation or why we add these expressions to our vocabulary?
The two cultures that Cady lived in is the African culture and the American culture. Cady lived in Africa for 12 years because her parents were research biologists, but Cady’s mom tenure with Northwestern University ran out. Hence, Cady moved back to the US and started attending normal high school. She was homeschooled for all of her life until she was a junior in high school. The two cultures are very different and impacted Cady differently. The African culture taught Cady values, and her morals as well. Since she was very young and lived in Africa giving to people who are in need and not taking things for granted. In the movie, it explains that Cady’s mom would give the children in different tribes in Africa a Kalteen bar to help them gain