Kim’s Blog

I really enjoyed the lecture on language from last Thursday. Prior to this class and discussion, I would have definitely thought of Ebonics as a dialect derived from the English language.  However, I have learned that Ebonics or Black English has its roots in the language of West Africa.  I was also unaware of the different rules, just like in English, that apply to Black English. I feel that the lecture and new knowledge allowed me to make sense and understand some of my students language used in school. I now know that when my students use the ‘duh’ sound to replace the ‘th’ sound in words like this and that, use the ‘f’ sound in the middle of the words to represent the ‘th’ sound in words like bathroom and birthday, and use the ‘f’ sound at the end of words to represent the ‘th’ sound in words like mouth and with that this is a rule in Black English and the students are actually speaking well and following the rules of their own language.  I enjoyed the activity when we tried to use the rules of English to pronounce the word ‘tsun’.  When I tried to pronounce this word I said ‘sun’ and I made the‘t’ silent. I didn’t even think about the fact that we know how these two letters should sound when we use them together in a word such as ‘nuts’. This activity represented that rules are important to all language and that we are taught to use the rules to our language. 

            So, after class I believe that I now have a richer understanding of Black English and why some students talk using the rules of Black English. Although I now have this understanding, I believe that teaching all students the rules of Standard English should still be a priority of public education.  Standard English is the language that students need to be able to use fluently in order to read and fully understand assessment such as the CRCT and other state mandated tests. Standard English is also the language used when reading texts books, newspapers, and educational journals. Standard English is the language that dominates the workforce of America and it is the language that many need to use in order to be successful within the workforce. I am not implying that I feel that students should not use and feel comfortable speaking in their own language; however, I believe that in order to be successful in the United States one must learn the rules of Standard English and be able to speak it fluently.