Sonia Sanchez wrote in her collections of poems It’s A New Day, “We gon be some beautiful/ black/ women gon move like the queens we gon be full”(Sanchez,17). Like this example, Sanchez often writes in African American English. African American English (AAE) is commonly referred to as Ebonics, as well as black speech, black vernacular, and several other phrases. According to William Labov, “This African American Vernacular English shares most of its grammar and vocabulary with other dialects of English. But it is distinct in many ways, and it is more different from Standard English (SE) than any other dialect spoken in continental North America.” (Pullum, 39). African American English is in fact a form of Standard English (SE), and can be considered
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Although this is a strict matter of ethics among Speech Pathologists, it is unfornutate that the same position is not expected across American education systems. It is essential that educators are knowledgeable on the subject of African American English in order to allow their students of African American descent to be able to learn in an environment where their speech is positively perceived. It is also important that beyond the classroom and in the work setting particularly, Americans begin to accept AAE as a dialect and not discriminate against those who primarily speak …show more content…
In the process of mastering Standard English, it is important that AAE is still embraced in the school system, especially in a setting where AAE is the primary dialect. Educators should encourage speakers of AAE’s ability to code switch. As it is for many, code switching should not be a process that does not require conscious awareness. Students should be able to distinguish the differences between AAE and SE, in order to be fully aware of which dialect they are using. Such an awareness will prevent students from allowing their use of AAE to cause them to make mistakes concerning assignments and evaluations that require the use of
Although this is a strict matter of ethics among Speech Pathologists, it is unfornutate that the same position is not expected across American education systems. It is essential that educators are knowledgeable on the subject of African American English in order to allow their students of African American descent to be able to learn in an environment where their speech is positively perceived. It is also important that beyond the classroom and in the work setting particularly, Americans begin to accept AAE as a dialect and not discriminate against those who primarily speak …show more content…
In the process of mastering Standard English, it is important that AAE is still embraced in the school system, especially in a setting where AAE is the primary dialect. Educators should encourage speakers of AAE’s ability to code switch. As it is for many, code switching should not be a process that does not require conscious awareness. Students should be able to distinguish the differences between AAE and SE, in order to be fully aware of which dialect they are using. Such an awareness will prevent students from allowing their use of AAE to cause them to make mistakes concerning assignments and evaluations that require the use of