Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 12:22:57 -0500 From: Wayne Glowka Subject: Hebonics Here is the missing post from HEL. Wayne Glowka >>At the request of Susan Ervin-Tripp, the linguistic anthropologist Jim >>Wilce has created a web site for postings (including newspaper material) on >>Ebonics. The temporary site URL is http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jmw22/ which >>links to linganthnet archives (linguistic anthropology list archives). If >>you want your postings on the topic to be in this archive, contact Jim at >>this URL. > >The Ebonics debate resulted in the distribution of the following humorous >item >around the Web: > >Jewish English or "Hebonics" > >The Encino School Board has declared Jewish English a second language. >Backers of the move say the district is the first in the nation to recognize > >Hebonics as the language of many of America's Jews. Here are some >characteristics of the language and sample phrases in standard English >and Jewish English. > >Pronunciation Characteristics > >Jewish English or "Hebonics" hardens consonants at the ends of words. >Thus, "hand" becomes "handt." > >The letter "W" is always pronounced as if it were a "V". >Thus "walking" becomes "valking" > >"R" sounds are transformed to a guttural that is difficult to >represent in standard English orthography. For example, >It is "ghraining" "algheady". > >Idiomatic Characteristics > >Questions are always answered with questions: >Question: "How do you feel?" >Hebonics response: "How should I feel?" > >The subject is often placed at the end of a sentence >after a pronoun has been used at the beginning: >"She dances beautifully, that girl." > >Sarcastic emphasis is obtained by repeating a word >after adding or substituting "sh" at the beginning. >money becomes "money shmoney" >love becomes "luv shmuv" > >Usage Comparisons > >Standard English Phrase Hebonics Phrase > >"He walks slowly" "Like a fly in the >ointment, he walks" >"You're sexy" (unknown concept) >"Sorry, I do not know the time" "What do I look like, a clock?" >"I hope things turn out for the best " "You should BE so lucky" >"Anything can happen" "It is never so bad, it can't >get worse" > >received by David Korenstein from Dawn who received it from Dani. > >forwarded by Israel Cohen >izzy[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]telaviv.ddddf.com >