"teabonics"

Amy West medievalist at W-STS.COM
Mon Apr 19 06:30:04 UTC 2010


(Sorry for re-hashing a LL topic here, BTW, arnold. I shot from the hip.)

What struck me after I sent the post was the negative association w/
Ebonics in the formation of "teabonics." Much like the "-tard" from
"retard" being used as a negative combining form in blends. It's
telling us much more about the users' attitude than linguistic
knowledge.

---Amy West

>Date:    Sat, 17 Apr 2010 18:22:57 -0400
>From:    Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
>Subject: Re: "teabonics"
>
>I don't think the point of referring to it as "teabonics" has to make
>linguistic sense. It is simply a form of /political/ payback for
>outlandish claims concerning ebonics. The focus point is not the
>dialect, but sarcasm.
>
>Analogy is a flawed game. For every analogy offered for illustrative
>purposes, there are thousands complaining that it does not work. What
>seems to be at issue here is the level of explanation, not its validity.
>
>      VS-)

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