The issue of who should switch codes, the co-culture or the dominant culture, is frequently raised when groups are in conflict. The controversy over "Ebonics," or Black English, is one such case. Ebonics has been referred to as a linguistic variation, dialect, or language that plays a role in the creation of culture and the representation of lived experience by its users; it can also be thought of as language patterns shared by the African-American community (Smitherman, 1977). One scholar has called Ebonics "a code for Africans to talk about Black business, publicly or privately" based on ancient elements of African languages, American-style English, and pidgin (Smitherman, 1998).

Although the existence of a black language has been recognized for over 30 years (Barnes 1999), the topic resurfaced in 1996 when the Oakland, California, School Board passed a resolution to recognize Black English as a language. The School Board intended to improve student skills in Standard English by training teachers in Black English so that they could translate linguistic concepts and rules more easily to some of their students. Conflict arose partly because we are not accustomed to the dominant group, or teachers, recognizing and respecting the speech patterns and groups of members of other co-cultures.

All students must learn Standard English to succeed in the economic and social life of our dominant culture. Nonetheless, the codes of co-cultures also deserve recognition as legitimate forms of expression that are central to our identity.

References:

Barnes, S. (1998, September). "Ebonics and Public Awareness." Journal of Black Studies, 29, 17-34.

Smitherman, G. (1998, June). "Ebonics, King, and Oakland." Journal of English Linguistics, 26, 97-108.

Smitherman, G. (1977). Talkin' and Testifyin': The Language of Black America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

1		How important is it to "meet people where they're at" when choosing a style of communication?