LINGUIST List 8.285

Thu Feb 27 1997

Disc: Ebonics

Editor for this issue: T. Daniel Seely <seelylinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Dennis Baron, Oakland Task Force Report
2. MELVIN SHEARER, ebonics and the white community
3. Wen-chao Li, literature in Ebonics

I understand that the Oakland Ebonics resolution was based on (and is
essentially a distortion of) a much longer document, a report produced by a
task force studying a variety of problems in Oakland schools. I have so
far not been able to locate a copy of this task force report. I have not
found it on the Net, but understand that the Urban League may have been
ciculating it among its members. If anyone knows about or has the report,
I'd really like to find out how to get a copy.

Dennis
____

Dennis Baron debaronuiuc.edu
Department of English office: 217-333-2392
University of Illinois fax: 217-333-4321
608 S. Wright Street home: 217-384-1683
Urbana, IL 61801

I can understand the we have many problems in this country with equal
rights and race. but if we pass new laws to teach ebonics in our schools
are we not seperating our cultures even more. I feel that we should try
to bring our decrease the distance we seem to have between our lives and
not teaching our young the proper way to communicate in our world may be
a futire problem. If the english language is a problem, then teach every
one to speak German or Dutch, but don't drive another wedge into the
race problem by seperating our cultures even more. I have many Black
friends and they speak the Kings English and like it.

Thank you for a place
to voice my humble opinion

Patton

Dear all,

Does anyone know offhand of good works of fiction written in 
Ebonics that they could recommend? I don't just mean works by African 
American authors, because the narrative is often done in standard 
written English. What I have in mind is something like Alice Walker's 
"The Color Purple", or the plays of Lorraine Hansberry, in which the bulk of 
the work is in dialectal language and grammar, replicating the actual 
speech of its African American characters. I will post a summary if there is 
enough interest. Thanks.

Wenchao