The Great Debate of Our Time:  What We Can Learn from the Ebonics Controversy

張貼日期：Apr 07, 2013 4:48:48 AM

The Great Debate of Our Time:

What We Can Learn from the Ebonics Controversy

Joseph Tang & Rex Qiu

Advisor: Dr. Hsian-li Chou

ABSTRACT

     In this paper, we will trace the historical and linguistic contexts for the resolution passed by the Oakland Public Schools (OPS) School Board on December, 18, 1996. We will argue that the OPS resolution did not spring from some spontaneous urge, or from a drive to acquire federal funds; such misconception was created by the media. We would then go on exploring people’s view on Ebonics, which paints a beautiful picture since almost everyone holds a different notion of what Ebonics is. Next, we discuss the role of language rather language itself by looking into an exercise of stigmatization, which reveals the arbitrary and most importantly learned nature of stigma assigned to certain modes of speaking. Indeed, such phenomena were resulted from societal inequality. We then conclude our paper with a quote from Dr. Williams.