Date:  Mon, 17 Jul 1995 19:25:18 CST

From:  salikoko mufwene <mufw[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MIDWAY.UCHICAGO.EDU>

Subject: AAVE/BEV/EBONICS/BAE AND WHAT NOT



In Message Mon, 17 Jul 1995 20:05:09 -0400,

 TERRY IRONS <t.irons[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MSUACAD.MOREHEAD-ST.EDU> writes:



>I cannot, nor would I dare, claim expertise in Black English. For what I

>have observed and have read cannot get at competence. Yet what I have

>observed leads me to the conclusion that Black English is a distinct

>language,



  Try analyzing some white nonstandard varieties of English within the

theoretical framework you used for AAVE/BAE's time reference system and I

dare you to draw the same conclusion. I am amused by the fact that neither

you nor Ditra invoke what the average speaker of AAVE/BAE thinks they speak.

Just think why a term as appealing as "Ebonics" has not become popular

within the African American population most closely connected with the

variety (since 1975!), in contrast with, for instance, "African American."

Its usage is still confined to a segment of the elite, especially the

Afrocentrists.

Sali.

***********************************************************************

Salikoko S. Mufwene

University of Chicago

Dept. of Linguistics

1010 East 59th Street

Chicago, IL 60637

s-mufwene[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]uchicago.edu

312-702-8531; fax: 312-702-9861