I did not know Ebonics was a language...let alone a form of English - Page 2

JJ_BPK · 08-23-2010, 17:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by 18DWife

I speak Southernese so I guess I can't say anything ....well ,not and be PC anyway ....

I don't encounter anyone in NC that speaks like me ,but of course its not southern impo ....

As big as the USA is,,

English to a kid in Bronx, NY
Is not English to a kid in New Braunfels, TX
Is not English to a kid in West La, Ca
Is not English to a kid from Bemidji, Mn
Is not English to a kid in Iberia, La

and on top of that none of these kids would get a good job at a place that expects Yale English or Vassar English.

They are not languages,,
They are accents..

Green Light · 08-23-2010, 17:27

I could have saved a great deal ofbtime in school with Ebonics. Verb conjugations are streamlined:

Verb: To Be (Present Tense)

I be
You be
He be
She be
It be
We be
They be

There! Now on to the pluperfect progressive. . . .

Whata load. Even in the South where English can be rather interesting, we were taught to speak and write it correctly.

18DWife · 08-23-2010, 17:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJ_BPK

As big as the USA is,,

English to a kid in Bronx, NY
Is not English to a kid in New Braunfels, TX
Is not English to a kid in West La, Ca
Is not English to a kid from Bemidji, Mn
Is not English to a kid in Iberia, La

and on top of that none of these kids would get a good job at a place that expects Yale English or Vassar English.

They are not languages,,
They are accents..

I understand ,and agree
I have also got comments tho ,that I speak a language all my own ..

But I am trackin

Sdiver · 08-23-2010, 17:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle5US

I shouldn't have to press anything...

Eagle

Eagle,
I couldn't agree more with your post, especially the last line.

IMO, the downfall is the "Press 1 for English...Press 2 for Spanish", and the plethora of Spanish speaking Television stations (Tele-Mundo, Telefutura, ect.) that you see so rampant now-a-days. It gives absolutely NO emphasis for anyone coming in from "South of the Border" to even ATTEMPT to learn English. They know, that they don't have to learn English. Spanish will be PROVIDED for them.

I'm pretty sure, if anyone born and raised in the U.S. and only KNOWS English, and moves to another country where English is NOT the spoken language, they wouldn't see the same "availability" to "Press any number for English". No, they would learn the language of that country as best they could.

I think Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt said it best, oh so many years ago.....

Quote:

Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave the country.

lksteve · 08-23-2010, 17:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSM

Well, I wouldn't go that far. I've been to New England, and I get by much better in Mexico.

As an Appalachian-raised Southern boy, I'd have to say learning Pilgrim was much harder than learning German...them folks talk funny...my ex wife's mom was from New York...I needed subtitles for her, too...and I will never understand Valley-speak, like, you know? I have some capacity for Cajun, a touch for Creole, but find deep Southern to be problematic from time to time...Ebonics is just another American dialect...and ya'll that say you ain't got no accent is lyin'...

18DWife · 08-23-2010, 17:41

Quote:

and ya'll that say you ain't got no accent is lyin'...

Ain't that the truth ..Ask anyone who has talk to me lol ...I gots me ah accent

echoes · 08-23-2010, 17:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle5US

I have said it many times before, and I will indeed say it again...
America is no longer the melting pot, it is the salad bowl. Eagle

Eagle Sir,

Agree 110%, Sir!

If I remember correctly, a very wise SF COL. once said that, "America is a melting pot, not a friggin' stew!"

Miss that wisdom on threads like this, indeed.

Holly

**The Reaper** · 08-23-2010, 18:02

Would it not be logical that anyone hired for a translation position also be able to speak, read, and understand English at a 3/3 level of proficiency?

If not, it sort of limits their ability to assist, doesn't it?

Will they test for that as well?

TR

lksteve · 08-23-2010, 18:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojaveman

Ebonics? Let there be one standard of English!

Hmm...there are several variants of German...Bayerische, Schwabische, Tirolean, Hoch Deutsch, all spoken within the borders of the Federal Republic...there are several variations of French, even in France, from the Parisian dialect to the various provencial tongues...standard American English should be taught in schools, but criminals probably wouldn't feel obliged to respect the language any more than the respect the laws...using folks who are conversant in Ebonics for the purpose of law enforcement makes sense to me...I can tell you as a detachment commander in Bavaria, the hoch Deutsch I learned in school was limiting...and the additional gasthaus Bayerische I learned wasn't all that helpful in Schwabia...to me, having agents who speak the language of their targets is a good idea...

Penn · 08-23-2010, 18:10

We all speak a regional form of colloquial English, with varying inflection of course. However, “didyaeatyet” as a one word monosyllable question, asked through a all, but closed mouth, can be replied to throughout the country, if it is understood, with a simple yes or no.

Penn · 08-23-2010, 18:20

TR, no they will not. Have you been to a DMV lately? In NJ, I am constantly amazed, but lets not address the government solution for chronic unemployment.

BUT, You know you losing when you have to show/teach an employee of a major university, how to process the VA forms she is responsible for, being that her job title is: Student Coordinator for Veterans Affairs. Now I'm all pissed off, again!!!!!!!!

18DWife · 08-23-2010, 18:29

no reason to post that

echoes · 08-23-2010, 18:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penn

BUT, You know you losing when you have to show/teach an employee of a major university, how to process the VA forms she is responsible for, being that her job title is: Student Coordinator for Veterans Affairs. Now I'm all pissed off, again!!!!!!!!

Chef,

Am confused sir, as to your above post?

Holly

P.S. lk Sir, right on!

nmap · 08-23-2010, 18:55

Perhaps Ebonics and all the rest are a symptom of a deeper problem. I note the following: LINK

San Antonio has a 15.1 % illiteracy rate, Texas is at 12.3%, and the U.S. is at 9.4%. For some reason, important skills are - apparently - not being taught. I regard English as one of those skills.

Quite frankly, I regard English as a beautiful language, capable of communicating deep thoughts with power and elegance. Unfortunately, it is seldom well-used. The subtle nuances of meaning within words are largely ignored in the popular media.

Some time, find a book published in the period before 1950. Compare the words, the grammar, the sentence structure with what we use in our common discourse. I fear that those authors of the past would regard most of what we write and say in much the same way we view Ebonics.

And yet, that isn't the real tragedy. We continue to degrade our communication. We celebrate this trend as inclusiveness or improved accessibility, but in truth we seldom aspire to improve what we write and speak, but rather seek to lower standards still more.

At this point, someone will surely find several errors in my own writing attempts. So I will quickly revert to the usual...

C'ya. MOO, YMMV.

casey · 08-23-2010, 18:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by 18DWife

didja eat yet, naw, didju? You'ant to. Aight."

Oh, so there is a long version of it..... around here its just - jeet? ... jew?

I can't wait to see the GS13 scam application and federal testing for the "ebonics translator" position. I can just picture the 25 year old suburban white girl grad student who greets applicants with a hard "sup g" on test morning.

Is it just me or is this whole country turning into a fucking Bravo reality show?