DYSA African American English (or Ebonics) in the classroom
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- čas přidán 7. 05. 2012
- This clip from the documentary "Do you speak American?" demonstrates how many California schools (in the wake of the 1996 Oakland, CA Ebonics controversy) use knowledge and structure of African American Vernacular English (AAVE or Ebonics) in the classroom as a tool for teaching children (who are speakers of non-standard dialects of English, such as AAVE) how to speak and use the standard American English dialect.
I am teacher in the video. These were the students I was honored to serve back in 2002. If you are interested in a civil and constructive dialogue regarding the focus of this video, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Daniel I'm writing a dissertation in France about this same issue in the Parisian public school system. Do you have any references I can read ??? this is FASCINATING ! I wanna do this HERE in Paris ! Thank you !
Are you still teaching? What is the current climate surrounding Ebonics in the classroom, from both blacks and whites?
@@juliasimoes2559 Sorry I missed your comment a year ago. I hope your dissertation is going well.
@@cmartichick I am not teaching anymore, but I am an instructional coach in culturally and linguistically responsive teaching. In my perspective, Ebonics is currently a "third rail" in public school education - meaning very few schools touch it. After Oakland's Ebonics Resolution, the backlash was so strong (and misinformed) that many districts backed off addressing the needs of students who speak African American Language or African American Vernacular English (forms of Ebonics). Los Angeles Unified School District has a program, the Academic English Mastery Program (AEMP), that does provide teachers' support in developing their knowledge and skills in relation to this, though. Furthermore, the California Department of Education has incorporated addressing the needs of standard English Learners (SELs) in their English Language Development (ELD) framework.
@@danielrussell919 thank you! I've shown the documentary Do You Speak American? in class a few times and I always enjoy your clip. I teach ESL and it gives a good understanding to non-Americans.
For everyone who thinks they are teaching ebonics, please watch the video... they are teaching these kids how to code switch into mainstream English. they are also explaining the grammatical structures behind it. this is amazing.. learning grammar like this is something most Americans need, black or white
It is a product of mixing English vocabulary with African pronunciation and, in part, grammar, which appeared on the territory of the present US with the beginning of intensive importation of slaves. About it do not speak?
And latinos.
Thank you, Nathan. What you said is a fairly accurate representation of what we were doing.
@@compilingshaders9698 You forgot to mention that a good portion of modern day ebonics has it's roots in a lack of decent education, plain laziness, and contempt for society outside of African American culture. Not everything has it's roots in Africa.
How does it even get to a point where the grammatical rules of English become so muddled it forms a new language?? This is a reflection on the poor education system we have in America.
Look how excited these kids are to be learning. Part of their culture is being brought into the classroom without being used to devalue or humiliate them. This is beautiful. A lot of the reasons that the public school system fails Black children are socioeconomic, such as this.
Funny how you blame the school system for "failing black children" yet you "forgot" to mention that a good portion of modern day ebonics has it's roots in a lack of support in the home/poor parenting, laziness, and contempt for society outside of African American culture. Constantly blaming others for your shortcomings only makes things worse in the long run. I'm willing to bet money you'll either insult me now or insinuate racism on my part but I'm just speaking the truth.
@@rendoa556 nahh nigga, ebonics is wack af :-)
Check it out at 1:34 the teacher almost catches himself saying, "That is incorrect," but he stops and says, "That is not an accurate translation in Mainstream American English."
If you would like to know why I caught myself, it was for two primary reasons: (1) the students were playing a Jeopardy-style game and did not answer with the "correct" answer for the question, but I realized that if I said "that is incorrect," it would possibly cause my students to miscontrue an inaccurate translation of the sentence with African American Language (AAL) being "incorrect" English, which it is not; and (2) at the time, I was still growing in my linguistic knowledge and countering the implicit biases regarding language varieties that society had socialized into my unconscious thinking, so I was still prone to missteps.
@@danielrussell919 Say, why did you give that group only 400 points? You promised them 500!
@@MilkBreakMinecraft Actually, they did earn 500 points, but it doesn't show up due to the editing. What you see after they score 500 points is a cut to the following question worth 400 points that the team chose to answer next (just like in the real Jeopardy). Thanks for asking. :)
@@danielrussell919 Yeah, I thought that was the case. I was just pulling your leg! I actually really enjoyed watching you teach.
It's so cute to see kids excited about learning. I haven't felt that way in a long time.
Yes,and you also have a great teacher that loves what he do and teach them through game. We barely have teachers that know how to keep students attention. Teachers set the tone.
@@SweetBrownGirl Thank you. They were a great group of kids.
I studied English at University and these kids know more about grammar and tenses than my classmates did...
This is a very condescending comment assuming that black kids don't know much. There is exactly one black kid in the video that says something about grammar, but clearly not at a university level
@@123axel123 work on your reading comprehension before commenting maybe
@@123axel123 Actually, although it is not shown in the video, my students had an opportunity to interact with graduate students from Stanford who were studying under the renowned linguistics professor Dr. John Rickford. My students played a linguistics board game with these graduate students who were impressed by their ability to name linguistic features of African American Language such as the absence of the copula verb, habitual (durative) be, multiple negation, same voiced consonant clusters, and more.
@inappropriatemoment
I agree.
English is actively getting dumbed-down by even high school graduates and college graduates.
No one can speak correctly or type a proper English sentence, anymore.
i like how he doesn't say that's "correct" or "incorrect". he say's that's an "accurate translation". i also like how he doesn't say standard english or proper english he just says mainstream english
I agree, although "standard" (I prefer "standardized"), in a linguistic and historical sense, isn't necessarily inappropriate either.
Love this, and it's unbelievable that these kids know the rules behind it so well, what an amazing teacher! The kids can speak their dialect in their community, be proud of where they come from, yet "code-switch" when called upon to do so. Hopefully their teacher next year will be as well versed in this as their current one is (even though this is a few years old). I would love to see how these kids are performing today, although there is a significant amount of research supporting this, I'm still curious to see! Keep up the great work
Little do you know we always switch how we talk no offense just saying
Unbelievable? Not really.
I think some of you are missing the point. Ebonics (AAVE) is a dialect of American English. NO language, NO dialect is better than another. The kids in the video are speaking as they have been taught to speak. The really awesome is that they have a teacher who is FLUENT in Ebonics, who understands its structure, semantics, syntax, grammar and pragmatism, who can then assist them in understanding what is called Standard American English, which in the clip is referred to as "school English" and what is commonly referred to as the language of Corporate America. The kids in the film are no different than the kids who come to school speaking only Spanish. They have to learn the ins and outs of their language so they can learn SAE. Similarly if you wanted to learn Spanish or French, the best place to start is to gain a thorough understanding of English and then press on.
Patti Charron I think some of folks are missing the point. Ebonics (AAVE) is a dialect of American English. NO language, NO dialect is better than another. The kids in the video are speaking as they have been taught to speak. What's more, that dialect is an important part of the black culture in the US, which is why it hasn't developed any variances as other dialects do.The really awesome thing is that they have a teacher who is FLUENT in Ebonics, who understands its structure, semantics, syntax, grammar and pragmatism, who can then assist them in understanding what is called Standard American English, which in the clip is referred to as "school English" and what is commonly referred to as the language of professional or corporate America. The kids in the film are no different than the kids who come to school speaking only Spanish. They have to learn the ins and outs of their own language so they can learn SAE. Similarly if you wanted to learn Spanish or French, the best place to start is to gain a thorough understanding of English and then press on. It was awesome to see the kids in the video deconstructing AAVE and explaining how to say the same thing in SAE. They are learning and moving forward. That's all that matters.
Patti Charron It is true AAVE has its own linguistic features and differs from standard american english in structure, meaning, and sound systems. however, AAVE is not considered a variety or a dialect of English language in several ways. The characteristics of AAVE shows more about its origin.
1. Some features are traced back to earlier varieties of English such as the Irish vareity. Yet, it does not explain the drop of cupola (be) in sentences like 'he angry' and others.
2. There are also some features that show creole influence ( from Yoruba, Swahili, Mende ... etc). These are evident in non-verbal communication such as gazing, cut-eye and teeth sucking. But can not be considered the only origin since they share these features with many creole languages.
3. The lexicon of AAVE speakers gives examples of vocabulary that refer to a unique African American experience that are not slang terms or rapid turnover including expressions like "na mean" (you know what I mean).
4.. Lastly, the fact that there are educational efforts at schools to identify African American children and come up with plans to teach them Standard American English proves that it is not a slang. The huge amount of research and study on AAVE data, and not other true dialects of English, tested since the 17th century up until now also serves my point.
These characteristics only shows how AAVE is a fully-fledged independent language that is complex enough to be called a language. Also, a slang is restricted to register or formality and used for specific context, while AAVE has its own variation and registers among African American social groups.
It is not in any way, linguistically speaking, a variant of English.
Yessssss
+Sam Sam That's a shaky definition of "language." Generally speaking, linguists define language by mutual intelligibility. While I'm sure that there are AAVE words and phrases that I'm not familiar with, and I'm sure that pronunciation might throw me off a little bit, it would be incredibly easy for me to have a conversation with someone that had never studied GAE because the two varieties are, in reality, extremely similar. By comparison, in other countries such as Italy, what are referred to as "dialects" really are more like languages. If someone speaks only Sicilian and another person speaks only Italian, they will have quite a bit of difficulty having even basic conversation. I was once sitting on a plane for an hour with two Sicilian guys trying as hard as I could to understand their conversation, and I got maybe one phrase lol. The same degree of difference does not exist whatsoever between GAE and AAVE.
It's a discussion without an end because there's no airtight definition of "dialect" or "language", however, it's true that AAVE is more distant from standard English than most other dialects. The only other dialect in a similar position is Scots, and plenty of well-informed people consider that a separate language (but many other well-informed people do not).
I love this so much and the kids look so excited to learn. This is such a positive way to teach them Standard American English. Love this!
Everyone here talking about how they should drop Ebonics need to shut up because you're not even listening to whats being said here. The point is that there is a language barrier that might make learning Standardized English Harder. They are not teaching Ebonics, they are showing the difference between Ebonics and Standardized American English. Why would they need to teach them something they grew up speaking lol?
For example I grew up speaking patois and I was taught in patois how to speak English by my mum at home. This really accelerated my English learning process because I wasn't constantly being told that what I spoke was of low prestige or bad. I was being told that it was different and you use one dialect at home and one when you go to school or work.
I think what they're doing is really great because for one. The children in this video probably know more grammar rules than any of you know. It is a fact that most people don't even know the rules of their own language because you acquire it subconsciously from a young age. If i grew up in central London versus say... Wiltshire My dialect would be different solely on that basis I was surrounded by it from a young age.
So stop promoting bigotry and listen to whats actually being said. Ebonics and/ or African American Vernacular English is not a slang or an error of the standardized English it is a dialect of English with its own grammatical rules. Double negation is not demanded in Standardized English but it is in French, it is in Italian and It is in AAVE. So stop confusing difference with deficiency. There's nothing deficient or lacking in Ebonics.
no one said that they should teach ebonics in school nor are they teaching ebonics in school. why would you need to teach someone their native tounge or dialect? they are simply showing them the difference between the two.
No one said that african american kids arent smart enough. the problem is the media and people like you who give the impression that their dialects are lesser and this gives some sort of inferiority complex from a very early age. so what they are doing is empowering these children and showing them that the standard form of english and their dialect are both equally important however are different and that's all. The standard form of English is used in a professional setting and non standard forms i.e any other dialect of English is used in a different setting.
I think that this just goes to show that there are far better ways of teaching ENGLISH. You can't have one standard way of teaching children. Every Child has a different way of grasping knowledge so what's wrong with creating a programme that help children acquire English and succeed in it? if it doesn't apply to you and you learn English perfectly fine without it then great for you. but if this class helps someone,then who is it hurting really? From the Looks of it there aren't just African american kids in the class who benefit from it.
Furthermore why are people treated differently based on race?go read some history books or not even look at your news at your job applications. you live in a society that judges based on race this has existed in america probably before you were born. it's about time they cater to the needs of those who are in need if you ask me. They've been catering to those who don't need anything for far too long if you ask me. if they had a programme like this before then maybe you would have more kids loving the education process. better this than teachers telling you that you speak garbage and there is no hope for you.
Nolan Thomas ...Idiot- the comparison would be that they would be teaching your Wyoming-dialect-speaking ass NOT to sound like a rube. That's what they are doing here- teaching children to speak like mainstream Americans.
@@beefisgood32
I don't know how people could misunderstand this. It's just teaching "English as a foreign language" to black ebonic speaking children.
patois is not a language it literally means dialect in french, but i get what you mean.
@Matthew Mcchesney the kids in this video ARE in grade school.
I don't believe talking in a certain dialect makes you stupid. Honestly when I'm in class or talking with friends I speak ebonics.. aave whatever they wanna call it.
Everyone who doesn't speak it calls it ghetto.. or dumb because they don't understand it. But if YOU don't understand what we are saying amongst EACH OTHER(and I have no clue how what we say to each other affects you in any way).. how does that make ME stupid? I have a 4.0, always punctual to class and work.. yet the dialect of my region dictates me to me stupid? Come the fuck on.
+caromaro5 Unfortunately, that's the attitude of too many: "if I don't understand something, it's of lesser value than what I do understand."
I completely agree with you and so do linguists. Linguist William Labov said that Ebonics was not the problem, rather teachers' negative perceptions about Ebonics was the problem.
so heartwarming to see them so excited to learn linguistics
I just don't understand how speaking a dialect at home and socially has precluded competency in standard English. We have regional dialects here in Britain everywhere, but everyone knows when to use standard English and is able to do so. Sure, the accent with which people speak standard English here differs by region, but not being able to do so? It's just mind-blowing.
Because this is 'Murica, where too many people have a misconception that there should be only one "correct" way to speak (even though the number of dialects across the US is vast). No, there shouldn't be one "correct" way to speak. One professional way? Yes, but professional and correct are not the same thing.
If your question is sincere, then I am willing to share what I have learned. First, you have to understand the American context. Racial segregation has been and continues to be significant in the US. Language acquisition requires interaction between speakers of different languages or dialects; thus, the US's continual state of segregation limits this type of interaction. Next, linguist Willam Labov noted that it's not the students' heritage languages or dialects that are barrier to their achievement, but rather negative perceptions of educators regarding these languages and dialects. For example, many teachers hold negatively biased views about AAVE and see it as poorly learned English instead of understanding its linguistic complexities. Another barrier for some demographic groups acquiring "standard" English (which is not officially recognized) is teachers not having the requisite training on how to do so. LAUSD's Academic English Mastery Program (featured in the video clip) is a program designed to assist students in not only acquiring standard English but also mastering the more complex academic English necessary for success in academia. There may be other factors that prevent acquisition of standard English here in the US (remember that it is different from the standard English of Britain), but I hope I have helped you get started on understanding.
Speak ebonics at a job interview. Let me know how it goes.
+silicon66666 That's the purpose of educational approaches like this: it allows blacks to become fluent in Standard American English without devaluing what they already know: a structured dialect of American English that, while not considered professional in the workplace, is nonetheless just as valid as a dialect when compared to any other.
Many blacks know how to "codeswitch" between the two: they'll use Standard American English in professional settings and Ebonics with their friends and family. There's nothing wrong with that.
+ZhangtheGreat "codeswitch" so the authentic black person speaks pidgin English, and only resorts to "white English" when necessary.This explains the anti-intellectualism of the black community and the peer pressure against academic success. www.enquirer.com/editions/1998/05/28/19850.htmlI'm glad the immigrant parents of my first generation grand parents discouraged them from speaking Lithuanian and stressed good grammar.Otherwise my family would have ended up in working in slaughter houses forever. I'm grateful they chose assimilation and progress over .. "Keepin' it real 'n' shit, gnome say in? Dat be Wack,, gnome say in? Shiggity diggity, gnome say in?"
+C. John Smith Link to article got fudged.www.enquirer.com/editions/1998/05/28/19850.html
C. John Smith They DISCOURAGED you from speaking Lithuanian? Obviously, I don't know what the context of their situation was at the time (I'm assuming they had valid reasons, because losing a language is a BIG loss), but don't you find it somewhat disappointing that you were basically cut off from your linguistic roots?
There's nothing wrong with codeswitching from a linguistic standpoint. Socially, the issue gets more muddy (as your article describes, although it a seriously outdated article considering it was published in 1998), but linguistically, someone who speaks multiple dialects of English (as well as multiple languages) has the opportunity to benefit from multiple sides. I speak both Chinese (Mandarin and the regional Jianghuai dialect) and English, and I'm DAMN glad my parents had a strict "no English in the house" rule; I'd be HUGELY disappointed if I forgot my Chinese, and it would be severely more difficulty to re-learn it than to have never forgotten it all along.
+ZhangtheGreatI was not discouraged from speaking Lithuanian. My Grandma was. Gram could speak. Her and my aunt just to talk in Lithuanian at the Meat packing plant. (When they were talking about boys and stuff) But she couldn't remember much of it anymore by the time I was old enough to ask. She taught me one word.. It was pronounced "La poof da".She said it meant "frog" but by the way her and my aunt would cackle I don't think it meant "frog" Just curious how much effort do you have to put into "code switching". Your written English is great.. but do you speak with an accent.Personally I'd find "code switching" strange. I'd feel like I was pretending to be someone else. I feel lucky I can just talk normally in official settings.I guess I'm "privileged"... Maybe even more so because I grew up in North Western Iowa with the preferred neutral American English accent. Did you know Dan Rather is from Texas? But for some reason he talks like an Iowan when he is on air.
it would be interesting to see what would happen if you translated the textbooks into AAVE and have the students learn from those books for a month. I wonder how the grades change based on demography.
Bruh you think it's bad with a different dialect. Realize that pretty much all of Africa has to do their education in European languages because that's just how it is in those countries, those are the official languages. Not only are they different languages, they're from completely different families, unimaginably different typologically. African languages have millions, sometimes tens of millions of speakers but written forms of them basically don't exist. People use English or French. Literature isn't produced in these languages, which leads to people thinking of them as just "tribal languages" or "dialects", whereas European languages are the languages of business, education, science, progress.
@@connormurphy683 all of africa? nope not in the eastern countries
kensley94 that's why I said pretty much all. It's true that the east is generally better but almost all still have universities in English only. Also many will only have native languages for the first few grades in elementary school.
What is AAVE?I'm guessing African American vocabulary ebonics?
@@connormurphy683 *Most of Africa. Arabic is also a common medium of instruction.
This is a great video, I've been for something like this for long time.
Its a constant lesson throughout history, dialects are inevitable and once they do pop up trying to erase them only makes the speakers of said dialects feel like they must choose and guess which one they and up choosing. By embracing the dialect as a separate language and instead of telling students they are speaking incorrectly but rather they are bilingual and must now learn a second dialect to compliment their current one you make them feel valued and intelligent. Everyone wants to speak more than one language, so it does a lot for the confidence of students when you tell them that they already do. They'll feel smarter, cause they are. This video warmed my heart.
Just watch people try and 'talk black' and fail miserably and embarrass themselves as proof that this is a separate language with it's own rules, grammar, and mastery.
I honestly cannot fathom how much this video is misunderstood by many of the commentators here. This 'ebonics' program is NOT teaching to children in 'ebonic' language. It is NOT the same thing as teaching immigrant students in their original language. This school program is all about teaching kids NOT to speak in ebonics! Do half you guys even watch the whole video? This program is amazing, and since it happened in the LA County Unified School District (which is like Satan's personal playground of inefficiency and gross entitlement) is doubly amazing.
These clips are from school in Los Angeles, not Oakland, but presumably it's similar to what they do there as well. I don't know of any other material like this online.
God bless this man for educating these children which is supposed to be a teachers job... Sadly many children go through life completely uncorrected which only effects them negatively later in life.
This is marvelous.
Hi, Dr. McGarrity!! Miss your lectures. :)
i like learning and i like seeing people excited about learning
I'm just now learning that this actually has a name, ebonics, and just not the dialect we speak when we not around our teachers/strangers
This video just taught me i been speaking Ebonics my whole life!! Like my mind is exploding. I’m a first generation college student from the south Bronx and white people comment on my English all the time. I assumed i just personally struggled with grammar growing up. I’m excellent at explaining what i mean it’s just always in a homegirl urban sense. Even when i code switch sometimes i don’t even notice the Ebonics slip through until someone points it out. But i was today years old when i discovered that i spent the last 3 years of my life trying to learn an entirely different language. I speak fluent Ebonics not English, my friends and family speak fluent Ebonics. That’s like having a English speaking person move to puerto Rico without knowing any Spanish. They’ll learn the language being around Spanish speaking people all the time they’ll def mess up certain things speaking English for 17 years and Spanish just for 2/3 years. It literally all makes sense I’ve had so many white people comment on my English at my PWI.
What's PWI?
Your story is fascinating. Ebonics is a dialect of English not a language in itself though.
@@dustbitten Actually, that is debated in by linguists. Some take a dialectologist or a creolist perspective, whereas others take ethnolinguistic perspective. One linguist offered that the difference between a language and a dialect is that a language has an army and a navy. Obviously, he was speaking to the reality that the difference in categorizing AAVE as a language or dialect is related to power. Also, to be clear, Ebonics is not a language; it is considered a language family similar to the Latin family of languages. Ebonics has many languages (or dialects) underneath it such as African American Language/African American Vernacular English, Gullah, Geechee, Jamaican English (patois), Black Portugueze (in Brazil), etc.
@@danielrusselled.d.8318
The way you made your statement is kind of confusing but my takeaway is that whether Ebonics is a language or a dialect is debated. I learned it’s a dialect in university anthropology but if I think for myself about what a language is, I can’t see how it’d be considered one. You don’t have to learn new words to understand Ebonics, pero como el español, sí. Nah meeaan? Lol.
Many videos talk about the limiting effect of Ebonics, particularly when it comes to dealing with people more and more highly educated. It can be a great slang with friends, but one should be what some call "bi-lingual".
I think it's wonderful you now are really learning standard English, and see the difference. I hope after college, you rise to great heights in your chosen career.
African Americans make up approximately 14% of the American population. Contrary to what proponents of Ebonics would like everyone to believe, not all African Americans speak Ebonics. Even if we say most do, let's say 75% of all African Americans do, that equals about 10% of the American population. That means 90% of the American population does not. In order for us to efficiently communicate with one another there needs to be a common language and dialect. In America this is Standard English. It is what is taught in every school and is often required for employment. But most importantly it is required if you wish to correspond effectively with the other 90% of America that doesn't speak Ebonics. To those that don't wish to speak Standard English, to make the conscious decision to reject the common dialect is to alienate yourself from the majority of Americans.
They weren't teaching AAVE, man. They were teaching the difference between AAVE and GA, which might not be obvious to little kids and can help with grades. The school board only wanted this to be done in black-majority schools anyways, they weren't teaching white kids Ebonics.
People should value and affirm various dialects. Because the Pennsylvania Dutch were laughed at and made fun of and told they were "dumb Dutchmen," parents quit teaching the dialect to their children, now only 10% of the Pennsylvania Dutch still understand and speak the dialect fluently, and these are mostly Amish and Old Order Mennonites, and a few thousand old folks.
This is awesome. I didn't learn this stuff until I majored in linguistics in college. These kids are were ahead of the game.
Wait, you needed to take a college-level linguistics course to know how to conjugate common verbs in your native language?
no i think he's speaking about grade school kids identifying "third person singular"
TJazz MCNeil Grammar is not taught in grade school in America. They expect students to know the explicit rules of grammar upon entering grade school. This is why the US is far behind in education. High school students cannot spell elementry-level vocabulary and cannot use the correct verb tenses in their writing. It's embarrassing. I commend this teacher for doing a good job teaching this to young children.
@@marginelouis6674 That's the LAST thing they need to know how to do!
@@ems3832 Again, you are posting a comment based upon your ignorance of this topic. Why?
Thank you for post, I'm just happy that somebody took a video of this, is this in Oakland? I think there doing it right where this video is from. Is there more material like this around?
Los Angeles
I think you missed the whole point though. The thing is, there are many different dialects of English within america, this teaches them mainstream english (much like a regular english class does) the only difference is that it incorporates the english the children already know. They are still taught everything regular english class does, so I'm not sure why you feel they are wasting their time.
It's pretty hard to keep something like ebonics going after the second or third generation when everyone is so integrated. It's pure laziness in the family to not even know how to speak properly. This teacher is great to teach the kids to speak in the form of a game. Learning should be fun for children.
+Amamkoncahuanquichu "It's pure laziness in the family to not even know how to speak properly."
That's a terribly ignorant thing to say. Ebonics IS proper speech within the African-American community. It's a dialect that lives on in American English, just like so many other regional dialects that reflect the uniqueness and diversity of the country. The goal of this educational approach is for students to become fluent in Mainstream English so they can use it in the appropriate settings. It's NOT to replace Ebonics entirely with Mainstream English.
Thank you for this information. I never thought if it as a dialect.
if it's "integrated" than why isn't AAVE used in "proper English"
@@ZhangtheGreat true enough however since it cannot possiblely contribute to success in mainstream professional so you can call it what you
@@MrPickledede Not true that it cannot. Usage of any dialect is all about context, and there are opportunities for success within specific circumstances that could benefit the speaker if he/she were to speak in Ebonics rather than Mainstream English.
This is a far better approach than simply differentiating AAVE from so called "standard English." I especially like how they're translating rather than correcting. This approach allows African American students to maintain their own linguistic integrity while also preparing them to speak in the more standard dialect. Of course, it would be great if nobody was forced to change their dialect to be successful, but until that day comes, this approach seems like the best solution.
pb19111 Very good insight! If the approach begins with demonizing a person’s heritage language, chances are not much progress will be made.
Translating not correcting, that's exactly it!
@@obam3406 🙄
It's seems that it's only Americans who don't understand this issue. People from places ware many languages are spoken in a geographical location understand it. People from central Africa, Asia and Europe understand it. We have it in America too but we can't seem to accept the aspect of other languages or dialects. America is also resistant to Spanish, which is really it's second language. Great video!
Nobody but Data the android from Star Trek speaks perfect Standard American English all the time, but we all have to learn to code switch to use it in professional and formal settings to open opportunities for ourselves. I heard someone refer to SAE as "Proper Business English," which really does highlight its best usage. You don't talk to your little brother the same way you talk to your boss! You code switch. For those that denigrate Black American English or any other dialect, such as Southern American English or what people use in Boston or Minnesota, you have to understand that language is dynamic and ever-developing systematic communication. English is a mash-up of many other previous languages and dialects, so if language didn't morph and change over time, there would BE no English as you know it today. From Wikipedia:
English is primarily a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects, brought to Britain by Germanic invaders and/or settlers from the places which are now called North West Germany and the Netherlands. It uses a vocabulary unlike other European languages of the same era. A large portion of the modern English vocabulary came from the Anglo-Norman languages. English is considered a "borrowing" language.
Personally, I am grateful that we don't all sound like robots all the time... though it's nice to have the option ;-)
English is a language. It has societal usage rules that most everyone can agree on. You either speak it correctly, or you don't. If you don't speak it correctly, that's fine, there is nothing wrong with that. However, with that said, good luck trying to find a decent paying job if you speak English poorly. What they are doing here seems like a good thing to me.
African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is also a language. It has rules as well. This has been emphatically stated by the Linguistic Society of America (experts in languages). The notion of speaking "correctly" is a social rather than linguistically scientific judgement. When someone is speaking AAVE, she/he is speaking it correctly and not speaking standard English incorrectly when doing so. It would not be said that someone speaking Spanish is not speaking English correctly because they are two different languages. Even if you take the position that AAVE is a dialect and not a language, speaking AAVE is not a form of speaking standard English incorrectly. As for getting a decent paying job, it is definitely understood that standard English is privileged in our American workplace; thus, the emphasis is to provide students with the language skills to linguistically switch based upon the circumstances yet while retaining their heritage languages (e.g., AAVE). This is an additive approach that is based upon multilingualism.
This really needs to be implemented in more schools in the USA..
Said nobody intelligent, ever!
Do you have anything valid to share or are you intent on just just trolling?
@@ems3832
this is really cute. i love this
this was apparently back in 2002
What's the name of this documentary? I'd like to see the whole thing
Do You Speak American? there are 3 parts total, this is part 3.
This is adorable 🥰
Ive been having a hard time understanding the they/them pronouns situation. This video helped me understand how language will always evolve as I grow 💭
Edit for the narrator at 3:26 - "Students ...show significant gains in written ^*Mainstream* English. Thank you.
All you have to do is teach kids how to read and write in school like everyone else. Very simple. We speak our own language at home. We don't need to be taught our own language then another language in school at the same time. Especially not from this guy who obviously cannot speak it in a fluent way. It's like a native born American English speaker teaching a Russian person about the Russian language in order to teach them English.
Anthony Brian Logan nationalists in general prefer for state educationt to teach people of their ethnic group *their* language, the language spoken at in home. That's one of the first things nationalists do when they get contol of the country - language laws.
+Anthony Brian Logan The kids are not being taught Ebonics. Ebonics is simply being used as a scaffolding tool to help them learn mainstream English. You heard the woman say it: it's a misconception that schools are teaching Ebonics. They don't need to; the kids already know it. Now, let's use what they know to teach them what they aren't familiar with (mainstream English).
+fuckoff5311 False. Like any dialect of English, it's got its own vocabulary and internally consistent grammar that have developed over time. There's nothing inherently better about standard English, the standard is simply what the most people tend to speak.
***** Dude, are you even reading what's being written, or are you just firing off whatever the hell you want to say? Show me where Bathrobe Warrior says Ebonics is a separate language and not a dialect.
+fuckoff5311 No such thing as "hill billy trash English." Maybe you mean Appalachian English? And no, they are not separate languages, they are all varieties of English. Learn to read.
Oh, well simply because thats what is taught normally their age. I volunteer at an elementary school and the only difference is the technique in which the teachers are teaching the children. Not the actual "re-teaching" of the language, but teaching the correct forms and usage of it.Schools in america have an English course to make sure that everyone advances at a certain level.They are making sure that the children understand, by teaching them the correct way,using the english they already know
Actually, no, I was not teaching the "correct" or "proper" way to speak English. I was helping to facilitate the development of their metalinguistic awareness by deeply studying the differences and similarities between the home languages that they speak and the language privileged in the American school system and society.
Reading these comments and... do you all not understand the issue that everyone is missing is that students shouldn't HAVE to code switch.
I think these people would say that firstly, there is no 'wrong' way to speak. african american language is as grammatically sound and eloquent as any other language. However, there are still many people who would unfairly dismiss african american speakers, and many english speakers who can't even understand african american language. It's not fair on AA speakers to
Smart kids, and what would be so terrible about teaching AAVE?
What an amazing teacher.
Thank you, but all credit is due to those amazing kids.
I think we can all agree that it is in everyone's best interest to be proficient at reading, writing and speaking Standard English?
I believe it would be easier to learn Standard English if you are surrounded by it rather than only exposed to it in the classroom. I think if you have a parent and friends that are good at reading, writing and speaking Standard English you will have a easier time learning it yourself. We should also keep in mind that the overwhelming majority of Americans speak Standard English at home as well as at work and academically. So if you want to talk using the most common language and dialect in America, you want to speak Standard English. This is why the 10% that speak Ebonics should adopt Standard English rather than the other 90% adopting Ebonics.
NO ONE WAS TRYING TO TEACH THE 90% EBONICS THO. They were teaching the 10% to speak both Ebonics and General American, and it's the blind leaders such as yourself that promoted that myth and destroyed this beautiful and useful program.
"We be speaking ebonics at home." Translation?
+George etiorbo We usually speak Ebonics at home
+abbby millar
Wrong. The translation would be "We are speaking Ebonics at home."
terrachan Oh I thought when you use be before the verb its habitual. well just goes to show that Ebonics has it's own rules and grammar. thanks for the correction I don't really speak it was just learning about it in class.
@@beefisgood32 You are correct. The use of "be" in this context connotes a continuous or habitual action, therefore saying, "We be at home" would be more accurately translated as "We are usually at home."
. . . yah, I'm not sure what that even means.
this seems to be one of the last 'acceptable' forms of discrimination in the U.S. with much emphasis on acceptable.
I don’t think it’s discrimination. I think many or most people don’t realize African-American English is a distinct dialect of American English. In my undergrad I took a linguistics class. One of the chapters in our book was about African-American English. As I learned the rules, this pale blonde chick was able to speak in the African American English dialect.
Could you elaborate on what you mean?
FYI, the United States does not have a national language. Though English is the language most used (for now), largely due to government and corporate implementation, official adoption of English or any language has failed to ever pass congress.
All hell gone break loose
"We don't have nuthin" no false it's "We aint got nuttin/shit", or "aint nuttin". We know the correct english means dropping the double negatives and write "We don't have anything" no one spells out ebonics anyway, it's just the way you talk. We usually have to make a conscious decision to speak "proper (American) English". A lot of black people have a "white voice" when they talk on the phone, which just means cleaning up your grammar and accent the best way you know how.
Ebonics isn't just slang (things like "shawty", "trippin", "fleek", "bea"), it's also the black accent "nothing" becomes "nuttin" not because we're trying to be difficult or cool the word naturally becomes "nuttin" or "nuthin", "nuttin" is not slang it's a pronunciation. It's not offensive to tell someone to stop speaking slang but don't assume "makin" or "bake(d)" is slang, it's not, that's just the way our words roll off the tongue. Even if we say "We don't have anything" the "d" and the "g" may be dropped from the proper english, but that would be a accent not improper english. AAVE also depends on your dialect (your city's accent and slang) so it may not always be ebonics that you here but maybe a southern accent.
+MeekSerenesilver There are things called dialect.. shawty, trippin, fleek, bea, boe, in't nothin' worth a'fighting over. Trust me... And it in't just AAVE.. That's the part that really feathers into me. Trippin' is slippin'. Don't slip, now. Even "don't you be slippin'" is incorrect. It should be "Don't [you] be a'slippin', now." If it was present tense.. There actually is a grammar to it in most cases.. I wish they would at least prove this fact but pressure groups be a'focused too much on giving "black" persons pride and respect... Nobody even done nothin' that I'm aware of that this is just talk among multiple populations. "white" and "black."
I feel like in talking to a child when someone uses Ebonics. It really reminds me how a child talks.
I think they said it was in Watts.
The kids are so darn cute! This is a wonderful video and a wonderful program.
be held back by that, and so, as a compromise, people are taught to be "bilingual".
reminds me of song of the south
They're not teaching Ebonics. They're teaching them how to translate Ebonic English since their parents don't speak Proper English.
I’m still on the fence on this, calling it AAL is insulting!
Dialect and Accent is not a sign for judging someones intelligence.
grammar however is
***** i agree with all that. Look, I have grammar problems in my native language as well (german) when I am writing essays and stuff like that however I try to speak the best german possible when in groups of friends and people in general.
But I do think that when natives cant SPEAK their own language not because of some dyslectic disorder but because they dont want lo learn it or choose not to, that they will not come across like the smartest individuals around.
I have yet to meet someone who speaks terrible german but is highly educated and intelligent. In my opinion those two things dont go hand in hand and happen just very rarely.
abstract intelligence is valueless without proper application....you can be an idiot savant, and still be unable to support yourself....in other words, _homies gotta be schooled in english, and gotta stop talkin' ghetto_
***** You have to have a certain amount of intelligence in order to understand language structure. A person with a 75 IQ can only learn so much. Read The Bell Curve by Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray.
***** No it hasn't. The entire "refutation" of The Bell Curve consists of brainwashed zombies calling it pseudoscience while never addressing any of the conclusions nor the meticulous and rigorous research in it. That's the M.O. of liberals everywhere: name-calling, insults, and simple ad-hominem attacks.
This is a really good idea for inner city schools and under paid and funded schools. The kids are learning proper English vs. the broken English they speak at home.
My Clever Nothing I learned proper English at home. I had to be exposed to this society we live in now to hear this garbage
AAVE, isn't "Broken" English. it's a consistent language dialect with it's own rules, grammar and pronunciation.
But ebonics sound cool though
Oh my god.
This kids will master Standard English better than most others.
How about teaching these kids a whole Nother language there aren't many bilingual black people here in America.
Imminentintent I for one think that every kid should have the opportunity to learn a different language earlier in their schooling. Learning another language alongside mastering English is beneficial for the development of each language mutually. I see it in my cousins children who are pretty fluent in 3 languages, & they're not even teenagers yet. Some info on the subject here...www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Articles/Bilingualism-in-Young-Children--Separating-Fact-fr.aspx
That teacher is cute.
This is ridiculous. I grew up speaking Ebonics at home, and I still do to a degree, but I learned "proper" English in school without it being compared to Ebonics. I believe this to be true of most black Americans.
JESUS SPOKE PROPER ENGLISH
I thought he spoke Aramaic... Either way I’m pretty positive he’s actually fluent in all languages and dialects.
@@dustbitten Nah, he spoke American English with a southern drawl.
@@JuanGarcia-rn7ed 😂
it's not about degrading your culture. It's more of correcting grammatically incorrect sentences
It'd be nice to transfer courses in black universities and their textbooks to speak into Ebonics/Gullah so tha
+Warsie I doubt you would be able to express the concepts in those textbooks in Pidgin English..
+C. John Smith The grammar is consistent and there's plenty of african loanwords and words from white english which can be used.
+C. John Smith Good thing that AAVE isn't "pidgin English." xP
+Warsie Holy crap. I tell you what. If we eba be a'seen' them hunah chillun's be a'crackin' their teeth like a dis once more round hyea... That would be sooo cooooollll omg
+ian Hooray for -casual racism.-
can they stop it by quitting madea? this problem has to stop. I watch scandal and Olivia doesn't talk ebonics or white English. it is educational English. I hate that when people think I sound white when I speak correctly
Why do you see that the speaking of African American Language as a problem?
@@danielrusselled.d.8318 it is nice that people can make a difference with education. that is all that is.
@@ryanhuntington2743 Again, your comment appears to signify an underlying deficit perspective you have regarding African American Language (also referred to as African American Vernacular English). How about educating yourself on the subject BEFORE posting comments stemming from your lack of knowledge. Dr. John Rickford's book, Spoken Soul, is a good place to start.
Let me be clear, all languages that are part of the Ebonics family of languages are legitimate and valid. The Olivia Pope character speaking "standard" English is no more intelligent than the Madea character speaking African American Language. Any suggestions otherwise speak more to the commenter's bias than to the languages themselves.
Lastly, and this is an assumption I making from your final comment, if you are African American and others are assuming that you sound white when you are speaking "correctly," then it is they who are incorrect. Speaking African American Language is not speaking standard English incorrectly. It is the speaking of another language (or dialect depending on your linguistic perspective) entirely.
@@danielrusselled.d.8318 I just like speaking smart that is all it is. When I speak ebonics I dont soud smart.
This is suggesting that we further disadvantage the poorer communities already subject to broken families, drugs, violance and sub par education because of government and community leaders who subjugate and exploit, by teaching them not to speak properly so they can be readily understood by others a necessity for employment. The only people this is good for is those making money talking about it in clear English. My opinion
I don't think they should call this African American English. I'm friends with some Africans who are real African Americans, and I've never heard even one talk like this, they don't even have the same accent as the American black people. This is really inaccurate title to this 'language'. I'm sorry, but black Americans and Africans have never sounded the same. Their pronunciation is completely different, even during the slavery time frame it was no where close to similar. I would like to study ebonics in comparison to other languages, specifically hebrew which is a semtic language of afro-asianic origins. They were forced to learn and speak a language with no training in it whatsoever. So ebonics is a conformity or intertwining of English with the language their ancestors spoke. Because this was basically a unified dialect among blacks during that time frame, I believe they all spoke the same language. So they were forced not to speak their language because they could come together and plan an attack against their oppressors.
It's also called BVE for Black Vernacular English. A lot of blacks in the U.S are just calling themselves "black" instead of African American so they can distinguish themselves from those directly from Africa as they often do not have any current known ties to Africa.
Because there is a difference. Most black Americans (enslaved) didn't come on slave ship they were already here.
Most Black Americans are actually native to America.
I know there is, that's what I just said...
That is not teaching ebonics but steering them away from their natural language...
It is teaching them a language that will give them the best oppurtunity to succeed...im sorry if you are offended but I think that is very very positive thing...there is no medical, law business etc textbook written in anybodys "natural" language
Actually, our approach was to validate and affirm the home language that the students come with a mastery of and develop our students' metalinguistic awareness. We then used contrastive analysis to have our students examine how their home language was similar and different from the language privileged in the American school system and society. Students were also taught how master "standard" American English, but in an additive sense like you would with any secondary or tertiary language. We always messaged to our students that their home lanuage was beautiful, valuable, and legitimate and that they should never lose it, but we also prepared them for the realities of a world where they would face linguistic biases that would serve as potential barriers to their success.
Damn this is sad.
That's my neighbor Christian wow
I LIKES THAT
Ebonics is clearly a simplified version of English. Calling it a separate language is an insult. If we had 100 years of segregation it would probably become a separate language. Great to teach and relate Ebonics and English, but what about white kids? Should black and white kids not be allowed in the same class?
I agree with the segregation problem, lots of children have this issue.
But it’s also inaccurate to say that this is simplified English, it expresses the same sentiment but through different means.
Whether or not it’s a separate language is more a philosophical question: what makes a language different? Incomprehensibility or structure?
@@Grokford Less grammar and vocabulary ==> simplified English.
Or are you saying that no language can be expressed on a difficult-simple scale?
@@123axel123
Well.. no.
Difficult and simple aren’t even opposite. Perhaps you mean simple and complex.
But even that is not an accurate description for languages. There is evidence for some linguistic bias in certain categories of thinking be essentially all human brains work similarly and want to convey similar information.
Simple and complex are only monikers that can accurately be applied to certain features.
Chinese words are shifters than English words, so the syllables themselves are shorter and less complex, however the Chinese has tones that add a layer of complication. English has no such tonal words, instead English uses tones to convey emotion, question and intent.
Spanish has a much more complicated system of conjugation than Vietnamese which does not conjugate at all, instead time and mood are express through other means such as stating the time.
There is no such thing as “less grammar” human speech is at the same level of complexity universally the only difference in grammar is where and how that complexity exists
Old English had gender, which is to say that different nouns had different classes and which had associated gender. We do not have that which is simpler, but we also lose the gender agreement which helps speed up comprehension. Which is also how conjugation is often use, including in English.
Language exists for the use of its speakers there is no good or bad there is only different.
The only governing rule is what we want to express and we will find a way and language will change to suit it.
@@Grokford Seems like you are using Orwellian newspeak.
1. I have not talked about difficult. You consider simple and complex opposites. Fine. Then ebonics is simpler and the Queen's English more complex.
2. Agree that it is impossible to say that one language is better in an absolute sense. However within English, there are clearly better dialects in the sense that they give you more benefits in life. Yorkshire dialect and Ebonics are not going to give you much extra - not even in Yorkshire or if you go to a dinner party with Obama and Oprah.
My bottom line: Teach the blacks to speak proper English but by all means use Ebonics as a stepping stone.
@@123axel123
I'm talking about linguistics, it's the study and function of language.
Understanding how language works is the opposite of trying to restrict it.
You specifically mentioned a "difficult-simple scale".
Difficulty is only a relative factor in learning a language or dialect and that has far more to do with the learner than the language
1. You have no basis to claim to claim that Ebonics is simpler and "the Queen's English" is more complex.
As I said any perceived simplicity is compensated with a complexity somewhere else.
Common standard English lacks the habitual be, it's primarily limited to a few dialects in Ireland, the South a Black Americans. Most English speakers lack that grammatical function and compensate in other way, usually by longer phrases with more words to express the same idea.
But since you brought it up BBC English is actually simpler, because it's not natural language, It exists in it's own cordoned off section of the larger natural language, limited almost entirely to news broadcasts and public relations
There is a standardized accent, it does not change from person to person, there is no slang and there is little to know change from day to day unlike spoken language and it has a much smaller range of topics available because there are entire areas of life and existence that that language is never use to address.
Simply put there is no real difference in language complexity, that is just a popular falsehood.
The closest you could get to what you're implying is range of expression, but that has nothing to do with the grammatical structure and very little to do with vocabulary it has much more to do with life experience and cultural conceptions.
For example Queer people prior to the modern conception of homosexuality were often unable to conceptualize and discuss their feelings except through metaphor or analogy.
2. I would discourage the phrasing of calling them better in any sense. It's clearly better to be Han in China than any other ethnicity but that doesn't mean that they're better, they're socially advantaged, just like languages and dialects are.
...
I don't think that anyone here is arguing against the idea that children should be educated in standard English in American schools.
But I must object strenuously to any idea or claim that certain dialects are more basic or simple or less valuable than others.
Although im happy that these children are learning, as they deserve to.This program should be used for kids who are offspring of immigrants, or those who struggle with English as a second language with maybe Spanish as first, or German or korean. These children generally speak English very well its just a grammar issue. To say it's a seperate language is a cultural difference. Not a language difference. Honestly their parents, black, or white, whoever, it's your job to teach your child how to communicate properly. Their parents most likely grew up here in America, where English is commonly spoken, in correct or incorrect form. I'm basically saying these children, other children, my parents, their parents, all grew up with a general same background. If they speak differently at home, it's not an excuse. Same way white kids with southern accents and slang aren't accepted as a culture, they say speak right. Don't use race as an excuse not to educate your child. Whatever race it may be.
Rachel N stfu
gorillaz23456 nope
You obviously know nothing of linguistics to say such things.
FlamingJune5dwj you're insane.
your a dingleberry, short sighted and dont know the history of this country now fuck off
2:15 "African-American language" is a very PC way of putting it LOL. But good on them for teaching these young people how to speak English, it was nice to see how excited they got were getting when they answered correctly or learnt something ! :)
Actually, the term AAL (or African American Language) has nothing to do with political correctness. It was a term coined by linguists who subscribe to the ethnolinguistic perspective on the origin of Ebonics. Linguists who lean towards a dialectologist perspective used the AAVE (African American Vernacular English) as their preferred term for a specific variety of Ebonics spoken in the US.
this is a waste of class time. parents, please just speak normal english so your children can be understood by the rest of the english speaking community.
It's a misconception that African American varieties of English are somehow "less than" or deviations of Standard English. In fact, African American varieties of English were developing at the same time as "Standard" American English. We need to start seeing varieties of English as valid forms of expressing oneself and one's identity. Standard American English is not inherently better or worse then other varities of English.
AAL and Ebonics are not languages just as "Jive" is not a language.
The Linguistic Society of America and other professional linguists would differ with your opinion.
To me, terms like African American English and African American Vernacular are Extremely Prejudiced. I've never used that type of dialect, but in history it may appear as if all African Americans use that language. Also, terms like AAE and AAVE support the notion that if you speak proper English someone must have "Taught" you. I'm so glad my parents didn't buy into the idea that in order to be black, you must "Speak black", it's so stupid!
Did you grow up around a lot of black people?
This is almost ridiculous. If you are going to treat Ebonics like a foreign language you should have someone who knows something about language teaching it. That teacher has no idea what code-switching is.
I take issue with the terminology of this subject in general.
The teacher's accent was typical of some stereotype of an uneducated hick and no one would try to say that their language is perfectly fine.
I think what they're doing is well intentioned enough and I hope they succeed but it really is a show of hypocrisy. The Southerners with improper English are treated callously as are Hispanic children which actually do have to learn another language.
Grokford Before you call this teacher a "uneducated hick" maybe you should learn the difference between "they're" and "their", buddy.
Nigma's Vidya Channel I appreciate you correcting my grammar but I said he was imitating a hick not that he was one. However since you mentioned it I will reiterate that he is underqualified for the subject matter.
Oh my god lol look at my comment ... and I JUST saw yours...
I am the teacher in the video. Care to engage with me directly about my qualifications?
@@danielrusselled.d.8318
You’re more than welcome to list your degrees and experience if you want to, but I have enough of my own to not be too impressed by them.
Frankly, I’m not sure why you even want to discuss that, my comments were as much about characterization as they were knowledge and I’m also just a stranger from a decade ago;
but if you want to discuss then, by all means, who am I to deny you your soapbox.
It might be interesting.
anybody willing to teach me ebonics i need to master this
One thing to know about Ebonics: it distinguishes between immediate and distant past/future. For instance, "I'm a-do it" means "I will do it soon," but "I'm a-gonna do it" means "I will do it eventually." In Mainstream English, both of these can be covered by "I will do it," but Ebonics requires the speaker to be more specific about when it will happen.
+ZhangtheGreat I've seen you standing up for AAVE speakers, and after delivering my thanks, I'd like to quickly point out that "I'm-a gonna do it" is in my house at least, "Imma do it." Otherwise you're saying: "I am 'am' gonna do it." since Imma already means "I am". Sorry I just felt like pointing it out.
Funny how you don't see this issue with hispanic kids or asian kids who speak one language at home with their family and English out in the world, but for a fucking _dialect_ they'll teach kids how to speak properly.
How about you just grade them down until they understand the difference between the dialect they speak and the PROPER way to speak American English?
This literally makes no sense. They're in school to learn. They're learning. Marking someone down for not knowing something isn't going to help them.
This literally makes no sense. They're in school to learn. They're learning. Marking someone down for not knowing something isn't going to help them.
+NarkAttack So if someone were to fail a test, they shouldn't be marked down for that?
+SeanTheOriginal When Africans first came over here, they were force to dropped their Native tongue and had bastardize English taught to them. now they are speaking ebony slangs to each other its a problem. they should learn correct English, but don't drop the slangs , it can be use as a code word for each other
thats a very good point. There are latin and asian children than arrived to America when they were very young, had to learn the language the hard way, without their parents to help them, and still speak better/proper english than the african american people born and raised there.
Is this a joke
yeah. be sure to put "fluent in AAVE" in your next job interview.. im sure everyone will take you seriously
lmao
It is linguistically biased responses such as this that serve to reinforce negative perceptions of "non-standard" language varieties. It would actually be great if AAVE could be recognized as legitimate and respected if it appeared on a job application.
Ok, I'm gonna be completely honest with you. You were taught to speak "differently" because someone in your family thought it would benefit you, and make you more acceptable (to people that look like you) by speaking how they speak, or "talking black", yet they knew that it would make you look stupid in the business world, and possibly limit your opportunities, so they taught you how to speak what they felt was proper English as well. This is a common situation in the black community.
the fact that many blacks speak aave doesn't mean that we have to adapt the learning system for all of this. Children know early without any of this stuff that there is a way to talk and write in school and a way at home... this is unnecessary and also the fact that the teacher even wants to test them with tenses and stuff,just displays how silly it is. And he was saying translate as if it was an actual foreign language. And that example "Last night, we bake cookies". nowadays, aave does incorporate simple past tense. its not like it doesn't exist...
+spudgybricks "Children know early...that there is a way to talk and write in school and a way at home."
They know there's a way, but they don't know what exactly that way is, and they're certainly not fully fluent/developed in it when they walk into their first day of school. That's why students have to take English/language arts in all years of K-12 education.
And while the teacher did use "translation" once, he mostly asks students to "codeswitch," which is the more accepted term for switching between dialects of the same language.
ZhangtheGreat i understand what you are saying but please understand that I myself use this dialect and I know the standard dialect as well that makes me diglossal. I understand some students depending on how heavily aave was used in the home may need some extra help, but for the most part the adaptation comes early in school as in Kindergarten mostly using English Arts like you said without this "codeswitching lesson". And to add as an aave speaker some of those sentences arent really accurate, I understand they are just following the formula of aave but some of those past tense sentences would be said just like standard English. So you are really just helping my argument out. I already know why English Arts is necessary. And excuse me I didnt hear the teacher say "code switching" myself, which is a term I am already aware of especially due to the fact that I codeswitch myself, because I use aave. I just didnt like him using the term translate, and I knew the appropriate word just didnt mention it earlier, so you arent really telling anything else that i dont already know(I dont mean to be mean when I say that)
+spudgybricks Do you think that this could be helpful in specialized classes?
I thinkit could.just too much for general knowledge
+spudgybricks If many blacks speak AAVE, that means yeah it does mean the learnign system has to be adapted fo rit.
same thing with "y'all" which I have a tendency to say.
RACISM ALERT DOWN IN SOME OF THESE COMMENTS, GUYS
“My grandpa cook dinner every night.”
Sounds exactly like how my Caucasian, depression-era grandparents spoke. Just saying.
And there many be similarities, but AAVE (or AAL) is a systematic, rule-governed language whose grammar, phonology, and syntax has been traced back to the Niger-Congo family of languages by linguists. Consider reading Spoken Soul by Dr. John Rickford as a starter.
Language spreads and changes, racial boundaries on language are largely artificial.
'Language remains a formidable frontier in the legacy of slavery'
education is supposed to do away with illiterate speech and so on.
but does it?
i suppose you have a blue collar type of school which teaches the pupils how to be led by the neck with a chain and to not challenge anything.
then you have the better class, expensive schools where the pupils are taught how to lead and not be led. they are taught how to analyze everything. analytical thinking, if you like.
but we will always have the great unwashed being led by the washed, will we not?
Your comment belies your limited knowledge about linguistics. First, AAL or AAVE (a variety of Ebonics) is NOT illiterate speech. Second, the goal of this approach to language acquisition is to facilitate students' mastery of academic English which is more complex than mere mastery of standard English. It does so by building upon the most robust research into language acquisition which shows that using the students first language to acquire a second language is the most effective practice.
omg :(