Should ebonics be recognized as a valid dialect/language?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebonics_(word)
Yes
Side Score: 3
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No
Side Score: 2
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3
points
If ebonics doesn't represent a dialect of the english language, then what exactly does the term dialect refer to? 1. Linguistics. a variety of a language that is distinguished from other varieties of the same language by features of phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, and by its use by a group of speakers who are set off from others geographically or socially. 2. a provincial, rural, or socially distinct variety of a language that differs from the standard language, especially when considered as substandard. 3. a special variety of a language: The literary dialect is usually taken as the standard language. 4. a language considered as one of a group that have a common ancestor: Persian, Latin, and English are Indo-European dialects. 5. jargon or cant. Ebonics qualifies for all of these definitions... Side: Yes
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it's slang... if we keep recognizing slang as a second language we'll be promoting the death of proper English. That's not to say I have anything wrong with slang or ebonics, it's just that I believe there's a place for it, and a place where it'd be very unprofessional. Side: No
1
point
On the contrary, I think that classifying it as an alternate dialect or language is beneficial to 'proper English.' As long as it's being lumped in with English (even as slang!) it's going to contribute to the perceived deterioration of the English language. A number of words in modern usage originated from slang terms, after all- incorporation is inevitable given time so long as it is recognized as a part of the language, even a corrupted part. Side: Yes
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