After reading the different linguistic perspective offered as evidence in this part of the
unit, what specific ideas and counter-arguments would Dr. Rickford and/or Dr.
Washington use to criticize it today? Organize your writing in the form of an informal
essay that includes at least one linguistic rationale from the readings along with your own
personal response. (300 word minimum.)
Ebonics in the late 90s had an extremely bad connotation with it as ghetto and illiterate.
These people of color were using a different type of English language and the prestigious
African American groups of Atlanta believed it was undermining all the effort their ancestors did
to get all colored people a voice in today’s society. Rockford believed that Ebonics wasn’t just
slang, sure there were slang words but it was mainly just an accessory to the English language.
People become very reactive and impulsive when times change. They believe that
whatever the new trend is, will be here to stay forever and have massive implications. Atlanta
did just that when they advertised the “I has a dream” flyer. They overexaggerated to make it
feel as if Ebonics would make all African Americans speak in an unprofessional way for the rest
of eternity unless it was stopped immediately! Atlanta had the complete wrong idea. Dr.
Washington lead a study in which she examined how Ebonics was being used in elementary
students life’s and when they would use it. She found that a huge problem they had was
children were using Ebonics at home and then bringing it to school and not knowing how to
code switch into a language more appropriate for an educational setting. The people who made
the flyer didn’t realize that Ebonics is going to be apart of English one way or another. Teaching
our kids how to code switch into a professional language is the best thing for them. At that point
in time Atlanta didn’t realize that children who speak African American English are at a massive
disadvantage when they come into the classroom and teachers are unwilling to teach students
how to switch from a language used at home to English that would be fitting for a professional
environment in the future.