These information comes from personal interviews. To protect their privacy, we use A, B, and C to represent their names.
How does the public view Ebonics, based on personal perspective?
Look at what people think...
A - Unintelligent. You use a different dialect when you're with friends than what you use with professors. It doesn't mean you're unintelligent, you just use a different language when you're with your people. You don't use the same words you use with friends with your mom. It can be seen as cool too. A lot of people want to use slang or black vernacular; there are two different aspects. (A. Smith, personal communication, April, 10, 2014).
B - Unintelligent. AAVE is within our own culture, you're more comfortable around them. I don't speak in same dialect when speaking to you guys as I might with my personal friends. You talk a different way when you are with a certain group of people. It depends on comfort-ability level. People discredit Ebonics. (B. Smith, personal communication, April, 10, 2014).
C - You are negating cultural practices then they [African Americans] can't be creative; some things cant be translated. (C. Smith, personal communication, April, 10, 2014).
A - Unintelligent. You use a different dialect when you're with friends than what you use with professors. It doesn't mean you're unintelligent, you just use a different language when you're with your people. You don't use the same words you use with friends with your mom. It can be seen as cool too. A lot of people want to use slang or black vernacular; there are two different aspects. (A. Smith, personal communication, April, 10, 2014).
B - Unintelligent. AAVE is within our own culture, you're more comfortable around them. I don't speak in same dialect when speaking to you guys as I might with my personal friends. You talk a different way when you are with a certain group of people. It depends on comfort-ability level. People discredit Ebonics. (B. Smith, personal communication, April, 10, 2014).
C - You are negating cultural practices then they [African Americans] can't be creative; some things cant be translated. (C. Smith, personal communication, April, 10, 2014).
Do you think of Ebonics as another language, or a branch off mainstream American English?
Look at what people think...
B - It' is its own language; spoken throughout African American community (A. Smith, personal communication, April, 10, 2014).
C - Own distinct language that is tied to African language system. They don't conjugate the verb "to be"; they don't view space and time the way Europeans view it. it is its own language and has its own practices. It's a distinct language that has deep historical roots that don't tie to British English. (B. Smith, personal communication, April 10, 2014).
B - It' is its own language; spoken throughout African American community (A. Smith, personal communication, April, 10, 2014).
C - Own distinct language that is tied to African language system. They don't conjugate the verb "to be"; they don't view space and time the way Europeans view it. it is its own language and has its own practices. It's a distinct language that has deep historical roots that don't tie to British English. (B. Smith, personal communication, April 10, 2014).