Understanding the Dialect of Ebonics
Understanding the Dialect of Ebonics
What exactly is Ebonics? No one can tell you what exactly it is. It is part English, but at the same time there is a lot more to it than English. There are certain structures that dignify Ebonics, or AAVE (African American Vernacular English), as it’s own niche in the English language. It is considered a dialect of English and not a separate language. In this essay, I will try to explain and show examples of what Proper Ebonics are, history of Ebonics, and current issues of Ebonics.
I have found in my research of Ebonics that there are many types of English. This is why Ebonics is thought to be slang when it is really a dialect. It works much like English language but with little differences. The biggest difference is that of the sound th, in Ebonics the th sound is d. So words like those are pronounced dose. Ebonics has many patterns that signify that it is Ebonics. Here are some examples of Ebonics:
Standard English Ebonics
-He walks -He walk
-He is walking -He be walkin’
As you can see from my example, Ebonics seems to be what would be considered bad English, but because of its structure, we can’t say that it is (McWhorter 1998.)
There are many words in Ebonics that are exclusive to the dialect. The word be is used frequently in Ebonics. This word is also frequently used in standard English. In fact, the English language itself would not work without the word be. Sometimes the word be is taken out of a sentence for example “ He your father”. Another common word is the word done. It is a simple and a complex word at the same time, for example “I done see her yesterday.” The word done helps to intensify a past action where in standard English the verb have (equal to done) does not intensify the action (McWhorter 1998.)
Now that I have helped you understand a little of Ebonics, I would like to tell you the history of Ebonics. Many linguists trace the development of Black English back to the time of slavery and the slave trade. Thus, the history of Black English must date back to about 1619 when a Dutch vessel landed in Jamestown with a cargo of twenty Africans.(Smitherman, 5)...