“Today, high standards and expectations, at some schools, would mean trouble for a teacher. Teachers, as pointed out in one teaching program, are encouraged to “Recognize and understand the cultural differences among students from diverse backgrounds, and treat such differences with respect. Intervene immediately, should a fellow student disparage a Black student’s culture or language.” That means if a black student says, “I be wiff him” or “He axed me a question,” teachers shouldn’t bother to correct the student’s language. What’s more, should anyone disparage or laugh at the way the student speaks, the teacher should intervene in his defense. Correcting the student’s speech might be deemed as insensitive to diversity at best and racism at worst, leading possibly to a teacher’s reprimand, termination and possibly assault.”
“To my knowledge, there are no books in any field of study written in Ebonics or black English. It is very likely that a person with poor language skills will suffer significant deficits in other areas of academic competence such as mathematics and the sciences. It doesn’t mean that the person is unintelligent; it means that he doesn’t have all the tools of intelligence. That is what’s so insidious about the state of black education today; so many blacks do not have a chance to develop the tools of intelligence. Many might have high native intelligence but come off sounding like a moron.”
[quote]Headhunter wrote:
It is very likely that a person with poor language skills will suffer significant deficits in other areas of academic competence such as mathematics and the sciences.
[/quote]
This is my main beef right here. In my studies, I have known a few Asbergery kids who can barely speak and some Asians who can barely speak English and they do just fine in the math department.
Actually, I would bet that in most graduate schools, people with a good, solid command of the English language are outnumbered by those who’s English is tenuous at best.
But anyway, this is obvious trolling, so whatever, just felt the need to jump in with a tangent before this bad boy got out of hand.
I’ve known quite a few NYC TEACHERS who slip the word ‘axe’ into everyday conversations, as well as other ‘ebonic-y’ expressions. Makes me a bit ashamed of my noble chosen profession -lol.
[quote]Headhunter wrote:
It is very likely that a person with poor language skills will suffer significant deficits in other areas of academic competence such as mathematics and the sciences.
[/quote]
This is my main beef right here. In my studies, I have known a few Asbergery kids who can barely speak and some Asians who can barely speak English and they do just fine in the math department.
Actually, I would bet that in most graduate schools, people with a good, solid command of the English language are outnumbered by those who’s English is tenuous at best.
But anyway, this is obvious trolling, so whatever, just felt the need to jump in with a tangent before this bad boy got out of hand.[/quote]
While your “Asbergery” (wtf?) kids may provide a counter example to headhunters point, clearly the Grad students who have poor command of the English language do not. The premise of Headhunters assertion was that the person has poor language skills; do not confuse this with poor English skills.
Anyway, doesn’t this depend upon the context? Should a student be reprimanded for writing that way in a formal paper? Yes. Should he be “corrected” while conversing this way in a casual situation? Absolutely not.
[quote]goochadamg wrote:
Anyway, doesn’t this depend upon the context? Should a student be reprimanded for writing that way in a formal paper? Yes. Should he be “corrected” while conversing this way in a casual situation? Absolutely not.[/quote]
Well I think Headhunters is doing his usual trolling and I’m dubious as to the legitimacy of that quote. In any case, I’m not defending poor language skills, I just felt like adding a random tangent. I’m all for proper grammar.
However, I would say that there is a big difference between, “He axed me a question,” and, “I be wiff him.” The latter is poor grammar while the former is (in spoken terms) simply poor pronunciation. Somebody who says, “He axed me a question,” isn’t showing poor language skills, just a dialect, similar to a northerner saying, “What’s this all aboot?”. Somebody who says, “I be with him,” is showing poor language skills and that should be corrected.
Well I think Headhunters is doing his usual trolling and I’m dubious as to the legitimacy of that quote.[/quote]
Inasmuch as he provided the link, it would have been simple to resolve your doubt.
