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Post by xXSpookyXx on Oct 14, 2008 3:42:22 GMT -11
I guess this sorta goes with LCs answer. Teens today already speak the worst grammar than can be imaginable and now add ebonics as the norm? Does that mean the parents have to go learn ebonics? The schools have never taught aint as an exeptable slang even though it made the dictionary. So my vote is a great big NO. Just like the "ain't" sayers in the mountains and certain areas have their particular dialect among their friends, Ebonics is likewise a dialect. It is not a seperate language since the words being used are english words. In addition to this sort of thing setting children up to fail in life by indicating it as proper (as making a class for it in school implies acceptance), it also opens up a whole can of worms. For instance, why should one particular dialect be favored and taught in school over the many other kinds of dialects out there among people? To be fair, if this dialect should be taught then every form of dialect in the country should also have some teaching space in school.
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Post by LCellini on Oct 14, 2008 4:50:01 GMT -11
You guys are giving me a headache with all your ebonics speak! I'm not going to AXE you again to cut it out. LOL that is the most annoying word to me. I'm like AXE? You want to axe me? Huh?
Which reminds me, I went to a show last night and there was this weird dude that walked up to me and my friends. He mumbled some crazy ebonics craziness and we were like, huh? So then he just left. We couldn't understand anything he said.
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Post by JoeGeist on Oct 14, 2008 16:04:37 GMT -11
You guys are giving me a headache with all your ebonics speak! I'm not going to AXE you again to cut it out. LOL that is the most annoying word to me. I'm like AXE? You want to axe me? Huh? Which reminds me, I went to a show last night and there was this weird dude that walked up to me and my friends. He mumbled some crazy ebonics craziness and we were like, huh? So then he just left. We couldn't understand anything he said. Fo' sho'
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Post by ♥~KarinaKay~♥ on Oct 15, 2008 2:12:31 GMT -11
Werd!!
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Post by xXSpookyXx on Oct 15, 2008 15:38:51 GMT -11
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geeky4ghosts
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Post by geeky4ghosts on Oct 16, 2008 12:58:14 GMT -11
Why teach it in school when most kids these days talk like that anyway? The "lesser educated" ones, that is. No one with two brain cells to bang together should talk ebonics (unless in a joking manner) to begin with, in my opinion.
What are they going to consider teaching next? Text-speak? OMG! WTF!! LOL! Gimme a break!
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CougarBob
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Post by CougarBob on Oct 26, 2008 4:23:15 GMT -11
I ask this because this is being seriously considered for school curriculum out in CA right now.
Ebonics may become part of the curriculum in a California school district in efforts to boost test scores among African American students. On Monday’s “Outsider” segment, Max Kellerman, ESPN Radio Host, and ‘Situation’ host Tucker Carlson discussed the pros and cons of how the course could potentially help African Americans succeed better academically.
Well, as a group, black students performed the worst among racial groups in the San Bernardino School District in California. So a sociologist from the University of California now says Ebonics, basically the codified version of African-American dialect, should be incorporated in the curriculum for black students to help them remain interested in school and to perform better.
A trial Ebonics is already in place in two San Bernardino schools. Now, look, the point is—you know—you can mimic of all sorts of dialects, accents, Spanish and French, but you wouldn't mimic Ebonics. Why? Because it's associated with failure. I think that if there's a chance that it could help then go for it. They're not advocating teaching it solely, they want to see if test scores rise because of it. If it works, then "yay" go for it. The English as a second language courses have been successful for the most part.
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Post by xXSpookyXx on Oct 26, 2008 5:01:12 GMT -11
I think that if there's a chance that it could help then go for it. They're not advocating teaching it solely, they want to see if test scores rise because of it. If it works, then "yay" go for it. The English as a second language courses have been successful for the most part. [/size][/font][/quote]How is teaching ebonics going to raise any test scores? First of all, the ones speaking it, obviously already know it well. Why and how does teaching non ebonic speaking kids, city slang going to help them in THEIR test scores? Does it stand to reason that in teaching kids improper English this might actually hurt them in life when they are out of school in the real world trying to get careers? Slang doesn't help in that at all and in fact, turns potential employers off. Also it sends a silent message that people who speak in ebonics slang are not intelligent enough to learn proper English and therefore schools should instead adopt their slang. I don't believe this about them at all, I believe they are just as capable of learning as anyone. Another thing, to be fair, why should THEIR slang take precedence to all the other various dialects out there? Teach one kind, you should teach em all and then lets just forget about English all together.
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CougarBob
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Post by CougarBob on Oct 26, 2008 6:48:43 GMT -11
My feeling is that the teachers are the ones who really need to learn it. Not so they can speak it so much as that they can understand it. It might be helpful is they knew what their students were saying. Maybe they then could translate it and teach the kids English. Now, when a Spanish version of Ebonics comes along, we're in trouble. LOL
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Post by xXSpookyXx on Oct 26, 2008 12:38:43 GMT -11
My feeling is that the teachers are the ones who really need to learn it. Not so they can speak it so much as that they can understand it. It might be helpful is they knew what their students were saying. Maybe they then could translate it and teach the kids English. Now, when a Spanish version of Ebonics comes along, we're in trouble. LOL I really would have to disagree and it goes along these lines: When it comes to every foreign language in the world, it is not up to us to to learn all their languages when they are here it is up to them to learn ours. SO then why should a teacher have to learn "you be fronting" and all kinds of urban slang when they shouldn't have to learn every legitimate language out there? And what kind of a message does this send the children who are coming into school speaking it? That the world will bend down to them and cater to them and they not have to work at succeeding in the world? More over, it isn't so much that people who speak ebonics do not understand English, they not only understand English they can speak it if they want to and need to. They speak ebonics by choice, not because they don't understand or are ignorant of English. Same with any kind of dialect. So I think in the end it does a terrible disservice to the child who is suppose to be helped and aided by school to succeed in life as it sets the wrong message and shows them that it's okay to choose slang over proper grammar. It sets them up to fail.
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Pinkberry
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Post by Pinkberry on Nov 9, 2008 20:07:33 GMT -11
My feeling is that the teachers are the ones who really need to learn it. Not so they can speak it so much as that they can understand it. It might be helpful is they knew what their students were saying. Maybe they then could translate it and teach the kids English. Now, when a Spanish version of Ebonics comes along, we're in trouble. LOL I really would have to disagree and it goes along these lines: When it comes to every foreign language in the world, it is not up to us to to learn all their languages when they are here it is up to them to learn ours. SO then why should a teacher have to learn "you be fronting" and all kinds of urban slang when they shouldn't have to learn every legitimate language out there? And what kind of a message does this send the children who are coming into school speaking it? That the world will bend down to them and cater to them and they not have to work at succeeding in the world? More over, it isn't so much that people who speak ebonics do not understand English, they not only understand English they can speak it if they want to and need to. They speak ebonics by choice, not because they don't understand or are ignorant of English. Same with any kind of dialect. So I think in the end it does a terrible disservice to the child who is suppose to be helped and aided by school to succeed in life as it sets the wrong message and shows them that it's okay to choose slang over proper grammar. It sets them up to fail. Agreed. And why should standardized tests be in ebonics so these kids can have higher test scores? Who gives 2 poo's about test scores if our society is running around speaking horrible English. TBH I dont take anyone seriously who speaks in ebonics.
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CougarBob
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Post by CougarBob on Nov 10, 2008 5:10:27 GMT -11
Agreed. And why should standardized tests be in ebonics so these kids can have higher test scores? Who gives 2 poo's about test scores if our society is running around speaking horrible English. TBH I dont take anyone seriously who speaks in ebonics. First of all, standardized tests are a joke. They are meant to make us all machine-made paper dolls. We are supposed to be the same. No originality no individuality ... we are just supposed to march like good little soldiers ... together.
As far as Ebonics goes. I favor teaching it to teachers. Anything that enhances communication between teachers and learners is A-Okay in my book.
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Post by xXSpookyXx on Nov 10, 2008 9:07:18 GMT -11
But this would make sense if people who like to speak Ebonics do not understand English or English words which is far from true for all of them. This is why if you ask them what they mean if they say "po po" or "fronting" they can explain in plain English what that means. Since they DO know proper English just like any other dialect out there, then it seems to be that putting it to teachers to learn this is more like showing that we should accommodate those who do not feel like speaking proper English to them, and nurture the "aint" sayers, or the "homie" speak as if to say it's okay in this world to speak that way in structured environments such as school or a workplace. Then you have children set up for a big shock when they get into the real world and wonder why, in spite of the job interviews, they are not getting the jobs they want in their careers. We should be working more to rear up children to go after careers, not jobs as burger flippers at McDonalds for life.
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Pinkberry
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Post by Pinkberry on Nov 10, 2008 11:50:54 GMT -11
Agreed. And why should standardized tests be in ebonics so these kids can have higher test scores? Who gives 2 poo's about test scores if our society is running around speaking horrible English. TBH I dont take anyone seriously who speaks in ebonics. First of all, standardized tests are a joke. They are meant to make us all machine-made paper dolls. We are supposed to be the same. No originality no individuality ... we are just supposed to march like good little soldiers ... together.
As far as Ebonics goes. I favor teaching it to teachers. Anything that enhances communication between teachers and learners is A-Okay in my book. True but its what we have. In fact Im not at all supportive of standardized tests being in Spanish. Why? Because if you are enrolled in a US school system you SHOULD be able to speech English moderately well...at least well enough to write an essay on fashion in America (my high school exit exam essay question). I dont think teachers should have to 'dumb themselves down' to be able to communicate with lazy students. Ebonics is NOT culture. Ebonics is laziness and the chosen inability to use poor grammar. Fo' sho', ain't, word, ext are not foreign words. Theyre warped versions of the English language which anyone who has gone through 13 years of mandatory schooling should be able to know easily, no excuse.
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Post by JoeGeist on Nov 10, 2008 15:50:15 GMT -11
True but its what we have. In fact Im not at all supportive of standardized tests being in Spanish. Why? Because if you are enrolled in a US school system you SHOULD be able to speech English moderately well...at least well enough to write an essay on fashion in America (my high school exit exam essay question). I dont think teachers should have to 'dumb themselves down' to be able to communicate with lazy students. Ebonics is NOT culture. Ebonics is laziness and the chosen inability to use poor grammar. Fo' sho', ain't, word, ext are not foreign words. Theyre warped versions of the English language which anyone who has gone through 13 years of mandatory schooling should be able to know easily, no excuse. Speaking english is important but screw spelling! I actually agree My dad and and grandparents were immigrants from Latvia and they learned the language quite fluently. I suppose though if there was Latvian labels and signs on everything they would have never had to learn the language.
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