Sociology
Ebonics
Ebonics came to public attention in 1996 when the Oakland CA school district allowed teachers to use this form of street slang in the classroom as a tool to reach students. This form of language is usually used by African-Americans as a street dialect. In fact, people who have studied it believe it evolved from black African slave language and Irish slang, among other influences (Stix, 2002, p. 45). Many educators and experts have supported the use of Ebonics in the classroom, but at least one study shows that "children taught using Ebonics readers did worse than their peers who were taught with standard English readers" (Stix, 2002, p. 45). Therefore, educating black children in the language of the streets does not seem to prepare them academically or personally for the challenges they will face as they attempt to gain more education. It may not prepare them for expressing themselves in business and professional situations as well.
One word often used in Eubonics is "untogether," which means the person was not "cool" or "together." Another is "Sister," or "Brother" (or Sistah or Brotha) which is used to mean another black person on the street. Most of the Ebonics I have heard is on television or in reading articles about it.
Personally, Ebonics does not seem professional enough for use in business and other professional situations. It evolved on the street, and may serve a good place there, but it is not good business communication. Because of the way words and contractions are often dropped, it is often difficult to understand by others who do not speak the language, and that is another reason it does not fit in many professional situations. In personal situations, some Eubonics phrases may be more appropriate, and many have made it into the mainstream, such as "bling-bling," "hood," "chillin'," and many others. In fact, many people may not realize that so many phrases used today actually came from African-American slang and street language.
References
Stix, N. (2002, June 24). Students hooked on 'Ebonics' are being groomed for failure. Insight on the News, 18, 45.
