Incorporating Running head: INCORPORATING EBONICS

An Analysis of Oaklands Attempt to Incorporate Ebonics into the Curriculum Rachelle Burfict National University TED 666

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Abstract In this paper I will examine the controversial decision of the Oakland Unified School Districts decision to use Ebonics also know as African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in the classroom to assist African American students reach competency in Standard English. Many issues were raised and argued during the media frenzy over the Ebonics debate causing Oakland to modify its proposal only a month after its pronouncement.

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Introduction Many terms have been used by scholars to describe the unique language of African Americans. In the 1960s their dialect was referred to as Negro Speech or Negro English. In the 70s they began referring to it as Black English Vernacular (BEV) and later in the 1980s as African American became the politically correct term, linguists used the term African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Then in the late 90s the term Ebonics gained national recognition after the Oakland School Board used the term in its proposal to use African American English (AAE) in teaching Standard English in Oakland Schools. Since it debut the debate on Ebonics has left the spotlight. Very few people supported the Oakland School Boards decision despite its backing by the Linguistic Society of America which acknowledges Ebonics as a language. The medias wide coverage on this controversial issue has triggered dialogue amongst Americans on the appropriateness to incorporate the use of Ebonics in the classroom. This issue divided Americans not so much because of racial issues but more so from an understanding stand point. Most people were unaware of the history of Ebonics or Oaklands reasoning behind its proposal to adequately make and informed decision. In this paper I will explore the educational implications of using Ebonics to improve literacy among African American students. In the simplest terms Ebonics simply means Black Speech. The term Ebonics which blends the two words ebony and phonics was coined by a professor at Washington University named Dr. Robert Williams in 1973. The term Ebonics never really caught on amongst linguists let alone the general public until the big controversy in 1996 with the Oakland School Board. To most people when they think of Ebonics they think of slang words like phat

Incorporating which means excellent or bling-bling which is a popular term for jewelry amongst youth. Ebonics however is far more than the use of slang. According to the Center for Applied Linguistics (n.d.) Ebonics is a language complete with patterns of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and usage that extends far beyond slang. There are certain distinct patterns of Ebonics. The following are some examples: 1) Omitting the final constant in words like past (pas ) and hand (han) 2) Pronouncing the th in bath as t (bat) or f (baf), 3) Pronouncing of the vowel in words like my and ride as a long ah (mah, rahd).

Some Ebonics pronunciations are more unique, for instance, dropping b, d, or g at the beginning of auxiliary verbs like dont and gonna, yielding Ah on know for I dont know and ama do it for Im going to do it (Rickford, n.d). According to Rickford (n.d.) these distinct pronunciations are systematic and the result of rules and restrictions that are not random errors. Both Standard English and Ebonics share many of these same common traits which may be the reason behind the big resistance in accepting Ebonics are more than a dialect. For this reason many people both black and white frown upon the use of Ebonics and see it as a sign of limited education or sophistication (Rockford, n.d.). In response to poor performance among its African American students on standardized tests in both reading and language arts, the Oakland school board decided to implement a new teaching method that used the students home language. The board based this decision on research that contends that when the home language is use to acquire Standard English, African American children learn to read more efficiently. Oakland pointed out in their proposal that groups such as Asians and Latinos were already receiving assistant from literacy programs that used their first languages to teach them Standard English. This directive unleashed a firestorm

Incorporating of controversy that actually distorted the thrust of the resolution, in part because of ambiguous wording in the resolution itself and in part because of underlying assumptions and prejudices in the nation as a whole (Bonvillan, 2008). Oaklands approach was consistent with research findings but despite this evidence the potential usefulness of this alternative method was lost in the translation of Oaklands proposal. Coupled with the medias harsh criticism the Oakland School District was forced to amend its proposal only one month after it had been written. Some of the changes made to the proposal were the removal of the word genetic. Critics rejected the Boards contentions that Ebonics was a legitimate language and had a genetic basis. Also instead of referring to African

American students as bilingual they called them second language learners so Ebonics-based programs could be eligible for federal funding. Based on the medias negative coverage it was apparent that society was not ready to accept Ebonics as an equal counterpart to Standard English. The debate over Ebonics became an issue of whether people were for or against Ebonics instead of analyzing its potential use in Education. Some argue that Oakland boards duallanguage approach is the best answer; others believe that immersion in Standard English is preferable (Bonvillan, 2008). Despite modifications the initial wording of Oaklands proposal provided fuel for its opposers and took the focus off their desire to develop a program to service the needs of its failing African American students.

From a Teachers Point of View Many teachers are not convinced that the language of African American students has any structure. Meaning many of them are not aware of the grammar structure of their dialect. According to Mckay (1991) teachers need to do three things to bridge the gap between teachers

Incorporating and students. First they need to become aware of their students language variation, develop an awareness of language appropriateness and create strategies for handling ambiguity,

miscommunication and any other language based problems that may arise. If teachers are able to do this they will be able to relate better with their students. Carrie Secret is a fifth grade teacher in the Oakland Unified School District mirrors Mckays ideaology in her classroom. Secret bases her curriculum on the premise that a students home language can be used when teaching the Standard English. In an interview with Barbara Miner an editor for Rethinking Schools, Ms. Secret stated that she encourages her students to speak Standard English most of the time during instruction. She further states that there is a misconception of the Ebonics program. Their mission has always been to embrace and respect Ebonics as the home language and use strategies that will move her students to competency levels in English. Teaching the home language to students was never their intention. She contends that one of the biggest things that has come out of this controversy is parents that once were ashamed to come to her class and speak are longer discouraged. They have al/so gotten a lot of support from the Superintendent and school board that took a stand in the cause for African American Education. The thing that frustrated her most was all of the negative media coverage and the fact that none of the scholarly African Americans came forward to tell the media about the research that had been done. Many other teachers in the Oakland School District upon completing the SEP program have reported seeing positive results in their classrooms. They have reported that using Ebonics has counteracted the distress that many African American students experience when speaking Standard English. Oakland teachers have noticed huge improvements in oral language skills. Secret believes that literacy is closely related to their educational success. If the student is

Incorporating comfortable with their presentation skills they are more likely to participate in classroom discussions. When we look back on Oaklands predicament, the scholastic condition of the African American students they were trying to help and the faithe they faced if nothing was done we really can not blame Oakland for the actions its school board took. After all it was never their contention that African American students were incapable of learning Standard English the traditional way. However, the Oakland Unified School District believed that their students who mainly came from disadvantaged backgrounds had a unique situation prompting them deal with this language issue. Unfortunately the slanted media coverage lended little to no assistance in helping Oaklands cause. Instead of looking at the essence of the Oakland School Districts

proposal, the media created a nationwide debate regarding the legitimacy of Ebonics. Despite the fact that Ebonics had been recognized by numerous linguists for decades and many influential figures such as Jesse Jackson, Richard Nixon, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes all use or have used Ebonics when speaking or writing. The public failed to recognize Ebonics as more then slang because of the medias imbalanced coverage. The public has long viewed Ebonics as subpar to Standard English and the fact that itt is predominately spoken by African Americans did not help it gain any respect. As a African American female that grew up in a lower middle class neighborhood were I often heard or spoke Ebonics this issue was personal for me. However, I do feel that Ebonics should be left at home but that is easier said then done. Asking someone to disregard their language to learn a new one is just absurd. I am fortunate that I never had to make that choice because at a very young age my mother always corrected my English because she wanted me to know how to speak proper

Incorporating English. In my neighborhood this did not cause me to gain any popularity contest. I was often ridiculed by my peers but I was respected by my teachers.

With that said we can not expect all African-American children to learn Standard English the same way I did. For one their parents might not be educated like my mother was. So in my opinion society needs to change it views regarding Ebonics because switching back from one language to another is not easy. This transition requires both formal and informal preparation. I believe that Oakland hinted to this same fact in its proposal. Ebonics may not have been the answer to solve the academic problems of its students but I applaud them for stepping outside the box and attempting to try something new. To me that was a step in the right direction.

Incorporating References Adger, C., Wolfram, W., Detwyler, J., & Harris, B. (2009, June 4). Confronting Dialect Minority Issues in Special Education: Retrieve and Proactive Prespectives. Retrieved February 21, 2010, from http://www.nclea.gwu.edu/files/rcd/BE019314/Confronting_Dialect_Minority.pdf

Bonvillain. N. (2008). Culture, language and communication: The meaning of messages, (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River : Prentice Hall.

Fasold, R. (1999, December). Ebonic Need Not Be English. Retrieved February 21, 2010, from http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/ebonic-issue.html

McKay, S. (1991). Variation in English: What Role for Education?. Retrieved February 21, 2010, from Education Resources Information Center (ED347796).

Miner, B. (1997). Embracing Ebonics and Teaching Standard English: An interview with Oakland teacher Carrie Secret. Rethinking Schools Online, 12(1), 1-7. Retrieved February 21, 2010, from http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/12_01/ebsecret.shtml

Rickford, J. (n.d.). What is ebonics? (African American Vernacular English). Retrieved February 21, 2010, from http://www.lsadc.org/info/pdf_files/Ebonics.pdf

Rush, L. (1997). The ebonics debate. Psych Discourse, 28(2&3), 6. Retrieved February 21, 2010, from http://www.princeton.edu/~browning/news/rush.html