Beyond Ebonics : Linguistic Pride And Racial Prejudice Hardcover

John Baugh

The media frenzy surrounding the 1996 resolution by the Oakland School Board brought public attention to the term "Ebonics". However, the idea remains a mystery to most. John Baugh, a well-known African-American linguist and education expert, offers an accessible explanation of the origins of the term, the linguistic reality behind the hype, and the politics behind the outcry on both sides of the debate. Using a non-technical, first-person style, and bringing in many of his own personal experiences, Baugh debunks many commonly-held notions about the way African-Americans speak English, and the result is a nuanced and balanced portrait of a fraught subject. This volume should appeal to students and scholars in anthropology, linguistics, education, urban studies, and African-American studies

9780195120462

English

Oxford University Press, USA

01-06-2000

172

John Baugh is Professor of Education and Linguistics at Stanford University. He has also served as President of the American Dialect Society. Rating details

John Baugh has made a valuable contribution to the background of the Ebonics debate with Beyond Ebonics: Linguistic Pride and Racial Prejudice, a book written from both a personal standpoint as an African American and a professional one as a sociolinguist. * Years Work in English Studies * With tenacity, conviction, and eloquence, Baugh achieves his goals. He attacks uninformed and divisive myths about African American English by providing a detailed elucidation of the Ebonics controversy sociohistorically, educationally, and legally. He provides a conceptual model for how best to educate SENN students [students for whom standard English is not native]. He provides compelling arguments for why the US should redress the linguistic consequences ofAmerican slavery for African slave descendants. He is steadfast in his plea for linguistic tolerance. * Language in Society * Beyond Ebonics deserves attention and reflection. It informs us about the Ebonics controversy in an intellectual and dispassionate way, which is a far cry from what we got in the midst of the controversy. With Baugh's book, sanity has finally arrived. * Language in Society *