Ebonics: The Subject Still Stirs Strong Feelings

[Anthea Fraser Gupta]

True. The widespread of these discriminatory terms is important. Was I
an academic castigating myself tho'? I think I was more despairing that
the academic terminology hadn't spread.
 
Anthea
*     *     *     *     *
Anthea Fraser Gupta (Dr)
School of English, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT
<www.leeds.ac.uk/english/staff/afg>
NB: Reply to a.f.gupta at leeds.ac.uk
*     *     *     *     *
  
 


________________________________

	From: owner-lgpolicy-list at ccat.sas.upenn.edu
[mailto:owner-lgpolicy-list at ccat.sas.upenn.edu] On Behalf Of Harold
Schiffman
	Sent: 26 July 2007 13:32
	To: lgpolicy-list at ccat.sas.upenn.edu
	Subject: Re: Ebonics: The Subject Still Stirs Strong Feelings
	
	
	Of course we need to challenge the terms. But I get tired of the
parochialism of  academics castigating themselves because of this
terminology, as if it's only an American (or British) phenomenon, when
it's been around for quite some time.  In my previous response, I could
have shown how it goes back to the French Revolution, and that the
notion of "mother tongue" also comes from that era.  One could also say
the same thing about notions of what is a "language" and what is only a
"dialect" in South Asia, to look beyond our parochial borders. So let's
not be ahistorical. One of my pet peeves is the narrow focus of most
scholarship on language policy--students in particular have to be
dragged kicking and screaming to get them to even glance at studies of
other cultures, and to see how broadly distributed these phenomena are. 
	 
	HS
	
	 
	On 7/26/07, Anthea Fraser Gupta <A.F.Gupta at leeds.ac.uk> wrote: 

		Rodney is right to say that my question related to the
need to challenge
		the terms. I suppose I am just so shocked that this
assumption that if 
		you don't use Standard English you don't have language
is being
		unchecked. Similar things happen in the UK, with
alingualism usually
		(but not always) associated with class rather than with
ethnicity.
		
		Anthea
		*     *     *     *     *
		Anthea Fraser Gupta (Dr)
		School of English, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT
		<www.leeds.ac.uk/english/staff/afg>
		NB: Reply to a.f.gupta at leeds.ac.uk
		*     *     *     *     *
		
		
		> -----Original Message-----
		> From: owner-lgpolicy-list at ccat.sas.upenn.edu 
		> [mailto:owner-lgpolicy-list at ccat.sas.upenn.edu] On
Behalf Of
		> Rodney K Hopson
		> Sent: 26 July 2007 09:27
		> To: lgpolicy-list at ccat.sas.upenn.edu
		> Subject: Re: Ebonics: The Subject Still Stirs Strong
Feelings
		>
		> And, wasn't Anthea's question related to the challenge
of
		> terminology rather than the historical connection (not
that 
		> one could necessarily divorce the two)?  This sounds
as much
		> political as historical, no?
		>
		> --
		> Rodney K. Hopson
		> Hillman Distinguished Professor
		> Department of Foundations and Leadership School of
Education 
		> Duquesne University 600 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA
15282-0540 USA
		
		




	-- 
	=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
	
	Harold F. Schiffman
	
	Professor Emeritus of 
	Dravidian Linguistics and Culture 
	Dept. of South Asia Studies                     
	University of Pennsylvania
	Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305
	
	Phone:  (215) 898-7475
	Fax:  (215) 573-2138                                       
	
	Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
	http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/    
	
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