File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1997/97-01-05.184, message 25


Date: Sat, 4 Jan 1997 11:50:32 -0500
From: dhenwood-AT-panix.com (Doug Henwood)
Subject: Re: M-I: Ebonics


At 2:38 AM 1/4/97, rakesh bhandari wrote:

>This program seems to be suggesting that the problem of Black students is
>Black culture or, more precisely, the maintainence of an Ebonics language.
>The problem is specified as the absence of cultural assimilation over the
>last 400 years as students putatively maintain a West African syntax which
>prevents them from reasoning in standard English or understanding their
>middle class teachers.

For what it's worth, the New York Times quoted a linguist the other day who
said that many of the characteristic features of "Ebonics" are of
post-World War II origin - notably the use of the unconjugated "be." That
would rather seriously undermine the African origins claim. I have no idea
whether the Times's linguist is right, or if anyone knows. But does anyone
have a sense of the linguistic scholarship on the origins of "Black
English"?

It's very interesting to watch the class angle here. Many middle- and
upper-class African-Americans are deeply embarrassed by, and critical of
the indulgence of Ebonics. The NY Times editorialist Brent Staples weighs
in today (Saturday), harshly critical of the Ebonics party - predictable,
for sure. Perhaps more suprising is the critical stance of Utrice Lied, the
former publisher of Brooklyn-based black nationalist paper, The City Sun,
and now a talk show host on WBAI (where I do my show).

One point: why did the Oakland school board speak of the "genetic" origins
of Ebonics?

Doug

--

Doug Henwood
Left Business Observer
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New York NY 10024-3217
USA
+1-212-874-4020 voice
+1-212-874-3137 fax
email: <dhenwood-AT-panix.com>
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