Readings for Th 4/21 and F 4/22 on Oakland Ebonics controversy

Posted by on

On Thursday and Friday of this week, we will discuss the Oakland Ebonics controversy.  For Thursday, you should read the following articles, each of which is quite short (no more than a few pages apiece):

  • Primary documents on Ebonics (excerpt). 1998. Journal of English Linguistics 26: 170-179.
  • Raspberry, William. 1996, December 26. To throw in a lot of be’s, or not?  A conversation on Ebonics. The Washington Post.
  • Cleaver, Eldridge. 1997, January 31. We need to rescue kids from Ebonics. Los Angeles Times.

For Friday, you should read the following, longer article, which discusses the linguistics of Ebonics (also known as African American Vernacular English), and seeks to clarify certain misconceptions regarding its structure and use:

  • Pullum, Geoffrey K. 1999. African American Vernacular English is not Standard English with mistakes. In R. Wheeler (ed.) The Workings of Language, 39-58. Wesport, CT: Praeger.

As usual, all of the articles can be downloaded from the “Readings” section of this website.