racism

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by carrie721

oh, don't get me started on attitudes toward black english vernacular. people want to deny it exists as a separate entity from standard english because it's deemed racist to even bring it up due to the common notion that BEV is "stupid" english. but if you study it, it is a separate dialect with its own distinct syntax. a syntax, by the way, that is so different from standard english that ESL techniques are often (but not often enough) used when teaching young inner city kids.

in fact, there is evidence that supports the idea that BEV evolved from a pidgin created when slaves from west african countries were first brought to the US centuries ago. when a pidgin is created, the dominant language provides the syntax while the secondary language supplies the lexicon. this would explain why BEV syntax differs from standard english.

i told you not to get me started.

Oh Good Lawd CHILD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do not really think that the BEV is a bad thing, there are many dialects in the US, etc. However, it is like the foreigners who move here and refuse to learn to speak passable English. That is their right, etc. However, if they want to get a job, get ahead, etc. - they need to learn how to communicate effectively with majority of the people. If someone hauls up into a job interview speaking ghetto that is hard to understand, they likely will lose that job to someone who speaks more mainstream English.

Originally Posted by carrie721

. . . tweezers?

If I'd be black - I wouldn't need them