Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 22:41:32 +0000

From: Lynne Murphy M_Lynne_Murphy[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]BAYLOR.EDU

Subject: Re: "Ebonics" for "AAVE"?



Bethany K. Dumas wrote:



On a non-linguistics list, i just read the ff. query, apparently

straight-forward:



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Subject: Re: creole languages or AAVE in linguistic evidence (criminal)



I'm not acquainted with the term African American Vernacular Language.

Is it related in any way to Ebonics?

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i told my students that grown-ups call "ebonics" "AAVE" (ok, i wasn't

quite that disparaging to the word, but my students tend to hear

"ebonics" and think "stupid p.c. garbage", so i like to encourage a name

with a little more scientific and less political baggage). so, one of

my students went to the texas tesol conference in austin last weekend

and tried to speak with the professionals about "AAVE", and got blank

stares in return, until her interlocutors caught on and said "oh, you

mean ebonics!" i think that'll keep me out of the teacher hall of fame.



lynne



p.s. beth simon, are you out there on this list? all my responses to

your teach-ling request got bounced back (teach-ling has my address

wrong and won't let me post because of it). if you've not gotten a

message from me about lex readings, drop me a line so i can use the

reply function.



--



M. Lynne Murphy

Assistant Professor in Linguistics

Department of English

Baylor University

PO Box 97404

Waco, TX 76798