The thesis of this paper is that no substantive and impartial debate about the pedagogical value of using Ebonics in the classroom could be held in the United States media because America's prescriptive attitude towards Ebonics does not allow fair and objective consideration of the issue. In presenting this theme I will discuss language ideologies in general and prescription in particular as a common attitude towards language. Prescription with respect to Ebonics usually takes the form of language prejudice. I will conclude with an introduction to one area of language planning, status planning, in which language planners try to improve the status of a dialect or language by selecting a goal, planning the necessary research, and devising a marketing or diffusion plan.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
January 01 1999
Ebonics: The Debate Which Never Happened Available to Purchase
Barbara Birch
Barbara Birch
Westwood College of Technology
Search for other works by this author on:
Ethnic Studies Review (1999) 22 (1): 44–55.
Citation
Barbara Birch; Ebonics: The Debate Which Never Happened. Ethnic Studies Review 1 January 1999; 22 (1): 44–55. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/esr.1999.22.1.44
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.