Date:  Mon, 13 Jan 1997 12:22:57 -0500
From:  Wayne Glowka <wglowka[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MAIL.GAC.PEACHNET.EDU>
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
>