Ogbu U.J; (1999) Beyond Language: Ebonics, Proper English, and Identity in a BlackAmerican Speech Community. American Educational Research Journal, 36 (2) 147-184.
Retrieved on December 13, 2009. From JSTOR database.
This article follows the conversation on the Ebonics decree ratified in
December 1996, by the Board of Education in Oakland, CA. This declaration has
fostered countrywide consciousness of the dialect dilemmas, experienced by AfricanAmerican children in the Oakland Public School System. The discussion
concentrated on the differences between the dialect used by African-American
students and Standard English (SE). This article is broken down into three points:
(A) To participation to sociolinguistic of speech communities.
(B) The depiction and clarification of sociolinguistic aspects that influence black
student’s implementation on SE.
(C) To demonstrate a correlation between the children’s colloquial speech,
beliefs, outlooks, and performance in schools with those of their parents and
community.
This commentary is the focus on a two-year study on a Black speech community in
Oakland, CA. Which differentiated by vernacular and the colloquial form of
speech. But some how, this community and its children are experiencing trouble,
due to the fact, that they can’t acquire and use SE because of their conflicting
convictions about Standard English.
Myhill, J (1988) The Rise of BE As an Aspect Marker in Black English Vernacular.
American Speech, 63 (4) 304-325. Retrieved on December 13, 2009. From JSTOR
database.
This John Myhill debate, concentrates on the sociolinguistic investigation on
Black English Vernacular. Its been disputed that discrepancies between BE and
other idioms of English can be attributed to the actuality that Black English
Vernacular (BEV), went through a progression of decreolization, and BEV still
contains its characteristics from the primitive period of Creole. Linguists, like
Labov, Bailey, an Maynor(1987), has stated numerous characteristics, not visible in
the earlier stages of Creole, and advocate in several ways, that currently Creole
conflict in some ways from other vernacular of English. In this essay, Myhill
investigates the deviation hypothesis by scrutinizing the speech of BEV speakers
living in Philadelphia. Ultimately, Myhill, will converse the progression of BEV
social and linguistic context; the rise of be as an aspect marker in BEV. Myhill also
explores the fact that this change has transpired due to social changes affecting the
black community, while the role it has embraced occupies the vacancy in the BEV
tense/aspect prototype.
Shores, L.D; (1974) Black English and Black Attitudes. South Atlantic Bulletin, 39 (4)
104-112. Retrieved on December 13, 2009. From JSTOR database.
Shores essay explores the existing dilemmas in social dialectology and
education. No other issues have stirred controversy like the topic of Black English.
The paper is an endeavor to answer the following question: What are the views of
the Black community on the subject matter of Black English. The feelings toward
BE varies among the Black educators in primarily Black Universities/Colleges. The
objective of Shores paper is to discover the following:
1) The disagreement about the correlation of the speech of Blacks to that of
Whites.
2) The distinguishing characteristics in the verbal communication and writing
of Black college students.
3) The approach of Black college professors about significant issues.
As an associate director and professor, Shores, pulled his experience on this topic,
and discussed his views in his essay. At one time or another, Shores, discussed the
vernacular problems of Black students; as Shores and others (academic deans,
college presidents, departmental chairmen; etc) discussed their thoughts. With
many of them having different thoughts on the topic of BE.
Palacas, L.A; (2001) Liberating American Ebonics from Euro-English. College English,
63 (3) 326-352. Retrieved on December 13, 2009. From JSTOR database.
Where did the term Ebonics deprived from? The expression Ebonics is a
combination of ‘ebony’ (black) and ‘phonics/phonetics’ (speech), was created to
refer to the linguistic characteristics which correspond to the communicative
proficiency of the West African, Caribbean, and the slaves descendants of the
United States. Ebonics in the U.S. features the Gullah language; academically it is
know as Black English, Black English Vernacular, African-American English, and
most up-to-date, African American Vernacular English. The term Ebonics was
widely used by the Oakland School Board, to refer to the “mother tongue”, of most
of its African American populace, with the intention of giving the term creditability
to be historical derivation. According to the Oakland tradition, the phrase
‘Ebonics’ should be only referred to as a variety of Ebonics which is also known as
Black English. The terminology relating to Ebonics raises certain question that will
be addressed in Palacas essay.
1) Is Ebonics a different language from English?
2) Is it a dialect of English?
3) How does American Ebonics pertain to the larger Ebonics picture?
Kochman, T (1975) Review: Grammar and Discourse in Vernacular Black English.
Foundations of language, 13 (1) 95-118. Retrieved December 13, 2009. From JSTOR
database.
Thomas Kochman, essay reviews William Labov, article entitled “Language
in the Inner City: Studies in the Black English Vernacular”. Labov’s article
explores the formation and purpose of the Black English Vernacular of southcentral Harlem in New York City. This examination was generated by Labov and
his colleagues during the period of 1965-1967. The figures from the investigation,
has been systematized into three main questions.
1) In what way can an understanding of structural variation between BEV and
the standard language help teachers of reading.
2) What are the features and level of the intervention, both structural and
functional, between the non-standard language (BEV) of the associates of
Harlem’s Black population and the standard language of the school.
3) To what degree can reading failure as a whole be accredited to linguistic
variances, such as whether linguistic would help solve the enormous
educational dilemmas of the inner city.
Labov also provides concrete information on the systematic features of BEV and the
coherent way it fluctuates from SE phonologically and grammatically. If and when,
teachers have acquired comprehension of the phonological and grammatical
patterns of BEV, the question still remains how this information might be
supportive in boosting reading of Black-American students.