| Da Peoplz Language Essay, Research Paper
I wuz goin to da markit ta pik up sum food, when I said “yo G, wus up wit you.” He got pot an dope all ova ‘is coat, he got unuf *censored* ta fill up a boat. He took out a joint an a huge-ass gat, I said,”Yo man, thas phat!” He gave it ta me so I could look at it, and I said, ” yo, ware dyou get dat *censored*?” He tol me ware he got it, an got my ass ova dare, but wen I arived, it wuz a *censored*in nightmare. big tuf guys all ova da plase, I got scared, so grabbed my mace. I wen inside to buy sum crap, But dare be a fatass wit a gat on ‘is lap…
The preceding was an example of Ebonics, a language that over the past decade has gained much popularity. It is comparable to any foreign language, used by thousands to communicate with one another. In fact, according to recent statistics, 65% of all public school students are more familiar with Ebonics than Spanish or English. If this is the case, then shouldn’t Ebonics be taught in these schools instead of English or Spanish?
Those who oppose, or are even insulted by the whole issue of whether Ebonics should be considered a language, let alone replace English, say that it is unheard of to even suggest that we change our main language! They claim it would bring chaos! One day we are learning one language, the next day we are told to stop and study/speak a different language, disregarding the years that we spent studying and speaking the same language? They are simply saying that it is ludicrous to change our national language because of some random statistics.
Let’s be realistic. Those who oppose the whole Ebonics issue do make some sense. However, advocates of this issue make a stronger case.
Although the proponents might “hold water,” the fact is they are the minority. The only ones who can speak for the majority of the country are those who speak Ebonics themselves—they are the majority! After all, if well over half the kids in the country are familiar with Ebonics, wouldn’t it be smarter if we change the main language of this country and improve our children’s education? Wouldn’t it be better for the country if we finally taught a language our kids could understand? Statistics don’t lie! In France, French is the main language of the country—do they speak Japanese? No! I’m sure half the French do not even know what Japanese is! This is probably how most of the kids in the United States feel. In France, French is taught as the primary since the majority of the country speaks it, and statistics show that over 25% of French students complete their high school education, compared to American students. If this is true, then perhaps changing our main language to that spoken by the majority would in fact prove to be beneficial. Recently, I began to think that maybe the changing of our main language to Ebonics has yet to occur due to of racism. Maybe people are prejudiced against Ebonics for being a “street” language, as they so call it. But if the people of this country start to think this way, then it shows that we haven’t learned anything from our past experiences with racism; it just doesn’t accomplish anything but further increase hatred and segregation between our people. I am tired of selfish minds, biased natures, and the unwillingness to change.
This is a country, and as such, we follow what is best for ourselves as a whole. If
this means changing our national language and ensure our children’s to success in the future, then so be it. Let us not forget that they are the future. As a wise man once said, “Congress shall make nahh law respectin’ an establishment o’ religion, or prohibiting da free exercise thereof.”
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