ebonics

[txteach]

I saw hardygirl's post in another thread and it got me thinking, kids today are speaking more and more slang than ever before. I have a student who I don't think has completed a proper sentence this year. I hear stuff like "I be fogettin da homework Mista A (He is too damn lazy to pronounce my last name, Adanosky)". I see more and more every school year.

[mitchedwards]

I saw hardygirl's post in another thread and it got me thinking, kids today are speaking more and more slang than ever before. I have a student who I don't think has completed a proper sentence this year. I hear stuff like "I be fogettin da homework Mista A (He is too damn lazy to pronounce my last name, Adanosky)". I see more and more every school year.

I read the text messaging is playing a big part in this as well. Kids are turning in papers using the spelling they would use in a text message.

[Adam West]

ebonics

noun
a nonstandard form of American English characteristically spoken by African Americans in the United States

Is this just a politically correct way of saying poor grammar spoken predominantly by African Americans but acceptable? Seriously, ebonics has no meaning to me. Poor grammar is poor grammar regardless of race. I hear all races use nonstandard forms of American English whether it's poor grammar, slang, etc.

There is definitely a trend going on with younger adults that I find disturbing. There are many college educated young adults entering the work force who don't seem to know how to write a professional email or speak in a professional manner or even to distinguish when it is appropriate to do so.

I have a 25 year old employee working for me who sends out what are supposed to be professional emails that reach the highest level of management in our organization including the CEO, COO, etc. They read like text messages, are very informal, and are filled with emoticons. In short, they are unprofessional. I have attempted to coach this employee on the difference between a professional email and a non-professional email as well as when it would be appropriate to use one vs. the other. She looks at her emails with all seriousness and has no clue that the smiley faces and the text message short hand are not professionally written.

I also just came out of a meeting with a young auditor who was asking some questions of senior management. Everytime, someone would answer, he would say "cool" or "right on" and even though he doesn't work for me I just don't understand what is considered professional writing or speaking anymore.

[huedell]

Not a big fan of the "ebonics" altho' my grammar on and off the page is far from perfect
--- STILL sometimes with some people I feel like I'm listening to the jive talkin' dudes
from the AIRPLANE movie and it gets annoying

[toys2cool]

yeah that's exactly it,the text messaging thing.Looks like that Idiocracy movie thing my be coming true after all

[txteach]

Let me clarify my post. ALL kids are guilty of this. I see white kids calling each other the N word to mean buddy. I have hispanic, white, black, and all others who speak like they have no command of the language.

[sauce]

I teach high school English and certainly see my fair share of students using nonstandard forms in many different contexts. I try to use it as a way into teaching them the standard forms. I think the challenge of our ever-changing culture lies in bridging the new and the old. I get a lot of joy out of teaching Shakespeare because it provides so many rich experiences for the students to learn a new language....and then when we rewrite Shakespeare in modern language, boy do I ever do a lot of learning myself!
Bryan

[HardyGirl]

As a black woman, I HATE ebonics. I hate getting lumped into the ghetto mentality b/c I'm black, but then when I open my mouth and speak proper English, I get called a white girl wannabe. I have a really hard time taking any black person seriously who can't speak proper grammar. 2 of my pet peeves, Aks or Ax instead of ask, and Liberry instead of library. I tell my kids there are blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, but there is no such thing as a Liberry! And Ax is something you chop down a tree with.

[The Toyroom]

2 of my pet peeves, Aks or Ax instead of ask, and Liberry instead of library. I tell my kids there are blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, but there is no such thing as a Liberry! And Ax is something you chop down a tree with.

[theantiquetiger]

2 of my pet peeves, Aks or Ax instead of ask

This is not ebonics, this is just dialect. Its the same as us here in the south saying "ya'll" or southern black people saying "aun-tee", instead of aunt. I catch myself saying aks sometimes and I am not black. It is just a southern draw.

[jessica]

It irks me when people use a double negative in a sentence. When I catch my kids speak that way I always have to correct them--When they say, "he don't have no crayons" I always say, Oh you mean, he DOESN'T have ANY crayons?

[draconianguard]

It irks me when people use a double negative in a sentence. When I catch my kids speak that way I always have to correct them--When they say, "he don't have no crayons" I always say, Oh you mean, he DOESN'T have ANY crayons?

True dat, true dat

[BlackKnight]

It will all just be like in the movie Idiocracy one day.

[The Bat]

I feel American in general...is sorely lacking in it's use of the English language. I work in a blue Collar(Union)environment...so I try to make a conscious effort not to let My Vocabulary slip into colorful Slang. On My trips to England...it becomes clear how to properly use the English Language(it makes Me embarrassed for America).The Whites, Blacks, and little Children ALL speak the Queen's English so much better than We do...it makes Me want to live there!

[Mikey]

I really can't say too much about it .... I was raised in an area that spoke a combo of English mixed with a combo of Polish-Ukranian and just a tad of Yiddish.
It was fine in my town and area --- but I noticed the rest of the country didn't know what the hell I was saying sometimes.
At a young age I made an effort to try and speak more General American.
It's too bad these kids can't see the BIG PICTURE.