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Article: Separate black language recognized Oakland, Calf., schools say black pupils' speech has distinct African roots
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- December 20, 1996
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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In a decision that touches on explosive educational and racial
issues, the Oakland, Calif., school board officially declared
Wednesday that many of its 28,000 black students did not speak
standard English but a distinctive language spoken by American
blacks.
The decision, in effect, describes black English as not merely a
dialect of standard English but a separate language with roots in
Africa, which the district and some linguists call Ebonics, from the
combination of the words "ebony" and "phonics."
The school system says its goal is to better teach standard
English and other academic subjects to black students by
acknowledging the language spoken by many inner-city blacks.
Although ...