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5 talking while black: african american language in the USSylvester Brown, Jr., “Why use jive talk in anti-Bush ads targeting blacks?” from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sept. 30, 2004. "I've never understood why marketers feel they have to over-urbanize messages to reach African Americans. I recall an automobile commercial a few years ago that really got my goat. It showed a group of young, professional blacks dancing the "Electric Slide" while the new car tooled around town by itself. What does the Electric Slide have to do with cars?" Brown, a columnist for the Post-Dispatch since 1993, takes a provocative look at an ad campaign that aired during the 2004 presidential election. Brown writes regularly on issues of race and education in St. Louis.
For Response1. Why, exactly, is Brown opposed to the use of Ebonics in the ad campaign he describes? Is he a user of Ebonics himself? Given the explanation that Brown makes for his opposition to the use of Ebonics in this ad campaign, might there be another type of ad campaign in which Brown would approve of Ebonics use? Provide details for such a campaign. If you think Brown would not approve of any use of Ebonics in advertising, explain why not. 2. Clifford Franklin, the developer of the “Break Bush Off” campaign, argues that the ads don’t use Ebonics, but rather the language of “the 18- to 20-year-old, cynical, disengaged voter not involved in the political process.” Would all forms of Ebonics fit Franklin’s more precise description? Why or why not? How might Franklin’s and Brown’s definitions and/or descriptions of Ebonics differ? 3. Read LaShawn Barber’s comments about Brown’s column on her blog, http://lashawnbarber.com/archives/2004/ 10/04/ebonics/, including the comments made in response to her post. Join the conversation and write your own detailed comments on the topic and the subsequent posts (you may or may not wish to actually post your comments on Barber’s blog). Joan Ryan, “Baugh comments on language differences that divides American whites and blacks,” from the San Francisco Chronicle, May 16, 2004. 'Brown v. Board of Education didn't contemplate the linguistic dimension of the problem,'' said Baugh, the Stanford professor. 'The underlying aspect of the decision was that segregation was based on race and if you integrated students, then racial disparities would go away. But the linguistic dimension was understated and misunderstood. When overt segregation went away, new barriers became apparent.''' Ebonics exploded into public discourse in 1996, and the debate has changed little and resolved less since that time. Ryan interviews several linguists, including Stanford University’s John Baugh, and takes another, perhaps calmer look at the situation. Ryan is a columnist and former sportswriter for the San Francisco Chronicle, where this article first appeared.
For Response1. Ryan notes that we do not know whether continued segregation is fueling the divergence between dialects or if the dialect differences are in some way fomenting and perpetuating the segregation. Work with two or three classmates to discuss your ideas about this question and develop as nuanced a portrait as possible of the complex relationship between divergent dialects and continued racial segregation. In your discussions, you may want to consider such topics as the broad popularity of hip-hop styles of speech among non-African American youth, language use in sports environments, and any other pertinent issues. 2. According to Professor John Baugh, “the nuanced mastery of a second dialect is often more complicated and more difficult than the mastery of a second language.'' What does Baugh mean? Why might the mastery of a second dialect be more complicated and difficult than a second language? Have you ever attempted to master a second dialect of English— perhaps one that is not spoken in your home? What were your experiences? If you have never seriously attempted to acquire a second dialect, listen to the experiences of your classmates and think about where the greatest challenges might lie for you. 3. Ryan offers the situation of Swiss German-speaking children in Switzerland as an example of how Ebonics might be better handled in U.S. schools. Do you think the Swiss strategy could work in the United States for eliminating the stigma of African American vernacular English and assisting its speakers to acquire standard English as an additional dialect? Why or why not? Write an essay in which you argue for your position. If you use other sources of information or evidence, be sure to use the appropriate citation forms. |
