Date:  Thu, 9 Oct 1997 20:04:55 -0500
From:  Salikoko Mufwene <mufw[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MIDWAY.UCHICAGO.EDU>
Subject: Re: The Lords Prayer/Ebonics

At 05:10 PM 10/9/97 -0400, Jeutonne Brewer wrote:
>On Wed, 8 Oct 1997, Salikoko S. Mufwene wrote:
>
>If you really want to be concerned, you can look at the texts
>published as examples of Ebonics (John Milton, Elizabeth Barrett
>Browning, etc.). (http://novusordo.com/indexn.htm) I don't mention
>this as an attempt to promote distribution of these ecamples, but to
>point out what many people on the Web are reading as examples. One of my
>students found this site when doing a class exercise to find information
>and discussion about Ebonics. So now I plan to do a class exercise
>in which students analyze one of the examples using summaries of
>legitimate research. My point is that these examples are there.
>People will read them, and teachers may consider using them as
>examples. I want my students to be informed on the subject and
>able to make judgments about such examples.
>
Jeutonne:

   Perhaps we cannot prevent people from creating websites where incorrect
information is disseminated. Perhaps we should even tolerate their
existence, in the spirit of freedom of speech. In the same spirit also we
can express our displeasure at INACCURATE information being
circulated/promoted about a particular variety, especially on the ADS-List
for entertainment purposes, at the expense of the very people some of us are
making good academic careers out of. (What I found inaccurate in Carol's
posting is the adoption and presentation of a "street variety", which
regular speakers of the vernacular we study, do not often recognize as the
variety that they speak--it is certainly not their home vernacular nor the
one they themselves would choose for the Bible.)

  Now, I have no objection to directing students to such sites. I would
too, telling them that of course that is not the basic AAVE vernacular that
I have heard people use in their homes--in the original sense of
"vernacular" as 'home variety'. It is not clear to me that several postings
I have seen on "Ebonics" really have the same motives that you have
expressed here. I must say I did not recognize that kind of intention in
Carol's posting. If I missed it, I apologize to her.

  Thank you for the website address. I will check it out.

Sali.

===================================================================
Salikoko S. Mufwene           Tph: (773)702-8531
University of Chicago          Fax: (773)834-0924
Department of Linguistics      e-mail: s-mufwene[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]uchicago.edu
1010 East 59th Street
Chicago, IL 60637 (USA)
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