Friday, February 25, 2011
Fox News and Black English - Ebonics
Garrard McClendon and his book, Ax or Ask?: The African American Guide to Better English talks about the speech and grammar issues that young African American students struggle with. He stresses the importance of teaching children the correct way to pronounce words. In the beginning of the video, he gives a lesson on how to pronounce "ask." He carefully breaks down that "s" sound comes in the middle, and the "k" sound comes at the end. But some young people even adults and not only African Americans pronounce the word as "ax." It is hard for people struggling to get it right after it has already been apart of their normal speech, because they is all they've heard and what they're used to. The problem here is not that children can't learn the correct way to pronounce the word, but that children get comfortable saying the word incorrectly. The major issue that he raises is that teachers as well as parents aren't correcting children. Breaking this particular language barrier is a huge problem is society. If children never learn the correct way to pronounce words, it is hard for them to change their speech after it has been embedded into their everyday vocabulary. I think this is a common issue because many of us today tend to use slang, but some people speak their "proper english" as if they were talking in slang. I think the problem lies where young people tend to mix up slang and proper english. I, myself use slang but I also understand the difference of slang and proper english. Technology could potentially also have an influence of how students tend to speak. The language students use online could be considered "internet talk" or "slang" and contain a serious of abbreviated words and modified words. For example, online instead of saying "what's up" they may say "whaddup." I believe people of all cultures, classes, and ethnicities use slang but the particular problem here is when people can't make a distinction between the two and it becomes the social norm for them and their peers.
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I agree with this. The term "ask: and "ax" is one that i see alot and I can admit I even still mess up on. It's not that I dont know that difference but becasue I am so use to just saying "ax" when it is time to say it correctly it just slips out. I think that teachers aren't correcting students all the time when that is being use but I feel like at a certain point they shouldnt have to anymore. When childrent are still in grade school and being taught basic vocabulary and things is when the teachers should be helping, but as children began to get older, the more the teacher tries to correct them I think it can become offensive.
ReplyDeleteI used the word "ax" over "ask" almost all of my life. And going to surburban schools I was often corrected or teased for pronouncing it the way that I did. I try to pronounce it the right way but I notice that I only care to pronounce it the right way when I am in the company of white people. When I am in the comfort of my own ethnicity, I will speak the way I normally speak, which is far from proper. But when I am in a professional setting or in a mixed crowd I try to speak correctly. I do not feel that I have to speak correctly to fit in, I just don't like to uphold the stereotype that all black people speak is slang and incorrect English.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both the girls-- Ask and Ax is something I frequently witness at Parkside. I think that it has become so common that I don't really notice it anymore-- slang, pronunciation, and dialect are diverse no matter where you go. I concur in that "The major issue that he raises is that teachers as well as parents aren't correcting children". If the issue is addressed at an earlier age, it doesn't become offensive.
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