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Feature: What Happened to the English Language?
With school back in session we're sure you've all seen the teeny
boppers with their backpacks on, making the journey to their
respective schools - be it middle school, high school, or college.
Personally, while watching them day in and day out on the buses and
trains or out in the streets, I always find myself wondering (in
addition to fighting for a seat) "What are they really learning
for 7 hours everyday?" I remember being in middle and high
schools pretty clearly and reminiscing on those days makes one
thing clear to me: times have certainly changed. The two most
dominant things I began to notice that really drove this point home
for me were:
So let's take a closer look at the latter of the two.
Ebonics (defined as a blend of ebony and phonics) is something many cannot comprehend or interpret; it can affect employment opportunities, and may have a strong negative effect on the financical growth of those who speak it. It is thought of as bad speech by speakers of standard English language when Ebonics does not use grammatical forms which are required when speaking; i.e. the absence of the verb “to be” in forms like “you crazy!” or the use of double-negative constructions like “he don’t know nothing.”
In this statement, “the brotha be lookin good; that’s what got the sista nose open!" brotha is used for an African American male; lookin good refers to his style, his attractive appearance; sista is used for an African American woman and her passionate love for the brotha is conveyed with open; sista nose is standard used for denoting possession, indicated by adjacency/context. The use of be means that the quality of looking good is not limited to the present moment but reflects also the "brotha"’s past and future essence. This shows some of the characteristics used in Ebonics when people have a conversation. The words used are in the English language. The only thing that alters are the endings, which are cut short a little, and when speaking Ebonics are sometimes replaced, like the “er” with an “a” as you can see in the words “brotha” and “sista.” Other conventions of Ebonics replace “ing” with “in” as in the word “lookin.” Now that we have seen the characteristics of Ebonics, we can see that it is not another language, just wrong. It can however be defined as a dialect, though I find that to be quite a stretch - “If A and B speak different language systems, but can understand each other when each is speaking their characteristic language system, they are speaking dialect of the same language”. (Luomala, “Identifying features of American Black English”) - but I digress.
Even though there is nothing wrong with sparingly speaking in the Ebonics language system, we have to ask what's wrong with speaking the Queen's English? We've come to the conclusion that it goes beyond a possibly failing school system; it's more than just absentee parents or the lack of initiative amongst students - it's about the social stigma associated with it. Things like a 3.0+ GPA, speaking the "Queen's English", attending cultured & socially aware events, etc. are all seen as the opposite of cool. So this tells me that not only is ignorance bliss, it's "cool".
So let me see if I'm understanding this - I can't be "gangster" unless I go to a public school and come from a broken home? To gain the respect of my peers, I have to use phrases like "yo" and "son" and only listen to "Hip-Hop"? Yeah, about that. Not quite sure if I'm down, yo.
I had someone once tell me that my "black" card, as well as my "cool" card, had been revoked. Why? Because I went to the museum, took AP classes in high school, and used "big words" like concoct. Meanwhile, I was also considered the "cool nerd" because, despite my above average GPA and ability to write a 10 page paper in 60 minutes, I also owned a few pairs of Nike Air Max & had an athlete boyfriend. I was basically being told that as a "nerd" - you know, smart - I shouldn't be afforded certain "cool" luxuries such as a social life and fashionable clothing.
So as yet another school year resumes, if you have kids, take a look in their notebooks and see what they're learning; if you're a student, ask yourself "Am I learning anything? Am I getting better? Is this improving my quality of life?" When I was in school, I spent my time deciphering commonly confused words, such as affect versus effect, capital versus capitol, and there versus they're versus their; I worried about my exams and thought about a future beyond the release of the next pair of cool sneakers. But it seems as though concepts such as the aforementioned are lost to kids nowadays. Instead they're learning that receiving an education is more taboo than having a felony record. So what are you waiting for? Strap up your Jordans & go rob an old lady! Peace out, son!
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- the increase in sexual behavior (to be discussed at a later date)
- the complete disregard for & loss of proper english
So let's take a closer look at the latter of the two.
Da = TheEbonics: who's idea was it? For some reason, it makes minorities feel better about themselves, when in fact, it makes them sound stupid. And it's not just a problem in young black America, but every race. Even OLD black America. Although it's something that knows no age, it's ironic to see someone walking out of an institution of learning saying, "Yo son what it do?! You be stuntin hard, yo, fa reals." What does this even mean?! It's purely bad english. Moreover, the fact that some people are trying to establish it as a real language, is even more mind-boggling; as though people are okay with conforming to a stereotype.
Dem = Them
Hatas = Haters
Nu = New
Das = That's
Ebonics (defined as a blend of ebony and phonics) is something many cannot comprehend or interpret; it can affect employment opportunities, and may have a strong negative effect on the financical growth of those who speak it. It is thought of as bad speech by speakers of standard English language when Ebonics does not use grammatical forms which are required when speaking; i.e. the absence of the verb “to be” in forms like “you crazy!” or the use of double-negative constructions like “he don’t know nothing.”
In this statement, “the brotha be lookin good; that’s what got the sista nose open!" brotha is used for an African American male; lookin good refers to his style, his attractive appearance; sista is used for an African American woman and her passionate love for the brotha is conveyed with open; sista nose is standard used for denoting possession, indicated by adjacency/context. The use of be means that the quality of looking good is not limited to the present moment but reflects also the "brotha"’s past and future essence. This shows some of the characteristics used in Ebonics when people have a conversation. The words used are in the English language. The only thing that alters are the endings, which are cut short a little, and when speaking Ebonics are sometimes replaced, like the “er” with an “a” as you can see in the words “brotha” and “sista.” Other conventions of Ebonics replace “ing” with “in” as in the word “lookin.” Now that we have seen the characteristics of Ebonics, we can see that it is not another language, just wrong. It can however be defined as a dialect, though I find that to be quite a stretch - “If A and B speak different language systems, but can understand each other when each is speaking their characteristic language system, they are speaking dialect of the same language”. (Luomala, “Identifying features of American Black English”) - but I digress.
Even though there is nothing wrong with sparingly speaking in the Ebonics language system, we have to ask what's wrong with speaking the Queen's English? We've come to the conclusion that it goes beyond a possibly failing school system; it's more than just absentee parents or the lack of initiative amongst students - it's about the social stigma associated with it. Things like a 3.0+ GPA, speaking the "Queen's English", attending cultured & socially aware events, etc. are all seen as the opposite of cool. So this tells me that not only is ignorance bliss, it's "cool".
But I know something about you. You went to Cranbrook that's a private school.-8 Mile: Rabbit v. Papa Doc
What's the matter dog? You embarrassed? This guy's a gangsta but his real name's Clarence.
And Clarence lives at home with both parents. And Clarence's parents have a real good marriage.
This guy don't wanna battle he shook cuz there aint no such thang as half way crooks!!
He's scared to death. He's scared to look in his fuckin yearbook, fuck Cranbrook.
So let me see if I'm understanding this - I can't be "gangster" unless I go to a public school and come from a broken home? To gain the respect of my peers, I have to use phrases like "yo" and "son" and only listen to "Hip-Hop"? Yeah, about that. Not quite sure if I'm down, yo.
I had someone once tell me that my "black" card, as well as my "cool" card, had been revoked. Why? Because I went to the museum, took AP classes in high school, and used "big words" like concoct. Meanwhile, I was also considered the "cool nerd" because, despite my above average GPA and ability to write a 10 page paper in 60 minutes, I also owned a few pairs of Nike Air Max & had an athlete boyfriend. I was basically being told that as a "nerd" - you know, smart - I shouldn't be afforded certain "cool" luxuries such as a social life and fashionable clothing.
So as yet another school year resumes, if you have kids, take a look in their notebooks and see what they're learning; if you're a student, ask yourself "Am I learning anything? Am I getting better? Is this improving my quality of life?" When I was in school, I spent my time deciphering commonly confused words, such as affect versus effect, capital versus capitol, and there versus they're versus their; I worried about my exams and thought about a future beyond the release of the next pair of cool sneakers. But it seems as though concepts such as the aforementioned are lost to kids nowadays. Instead they're learning that receiving an education is more taboo than having a felony record. So what are you waiting for? Strap up your Jordans & go rob an old lady! Peace out, son!
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