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I don't even know where to begin. Tim Send a noteboard - 12/01/2010 09:43:21 PM
So I'll begin with your derogatory comment.

It isn't. But idiots think it is.


1. Nearly everyone with an education in linguistics will say it is. People with no education in linguistics will often say it isn't. I think you'll agree that "idiots" are more likely to fall within the second group. Don't believe me? Ask anyone with a linguistics degree from a reputable institution. Anyone.

2. Pig Latin is a language game. It does not have any native speakers. Comparing Pig Latin with AAE is like comparing Mario Kart to being a racing driver.

3. Basically, although you probably won't admit it to yourself, the only reason for claiming AAE isn't a language is racism. You can't base such an argument on any characteristic of AAE itself, because not a single relevant fact supports that conclusion. No matter how much people try to dress it up, in the end it boils down to saying that the way white people speak is good, and the way black people speak is bad.

4. None of the above means I don't think people – black or otherwise – shouldn't be taught to communicate in Standard English. Different forms of language are appropriate in different contexts. Standard English is appropriate at a job interview in an English-speaking country, but not when you're at home arguing with your family about who does the dishes. I say this because people often don't understand that I can say AAE is not "bad English" while at the same time not saying schoolchildren should be allowed to write papers in textspeak.
Vigilantibus non dormientibus jura subveniunt.

—Nous disons en allemand : le guerre, le mort, le lune, alors que 'soleil' et 'amour' sont du sexe féminin : la soleil, la amour. La vie est neutre.

—La vie ? Neutre ? C'est très joli, et surtout très logique.
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So what EXACTLY is the problem with Reid's comments? - 12/01/2010 04:11:56 AM 882 Views
it wasn't just that he commented on the lack of "dialect" - 12/01/2010 04:16:27 AM 595 Views
Regardless of that, I don't see the ability to use dialect as a racist statement. - 12/01/2010 04:32:07 AM 545 Views
I agree - 12/01/2010 04:36:23 AM 565 Views
That's what I was thinking... - 12/01/2010 08:52:32 AM 572 Views
when was the last time you heard a white person speaking ebonics? - 12/01/2010 01:41:24 PM 555 Views
A week or so ago. - 12/01/2010 08:09:09 PM 492 Views
About a day for me. - 12/01/2010 10:33:40 PM 567 Views
Yeah, I'm back in Boston now, so... - 13/01/2010 03:33:38 AM 460 Views
Isn't that the definition of a wigger? A white person who speaks/acts like a black person? - 12/01/2010 09:49:34 PM 524 Views
So black person = N****r? Reid's looking better and better. *NM* - 12/01/2010 10:34:37 PM 250 Views
You know Tim isn't saying that. - 12/01/2010 10:43:43 PM 516 Views
Um, what? - 13/01/2010 06:55:21 AM 516 Views
And the fact that Wigger = White N****r isn't racist at all! *NM* - 12/01/2010 10:33:04 PM 284 Views
I wasn't using the term seriously 9_9 - 13/01/2010 04:26:20 AM 487 Views
The problem is he's a politician - 12/01/2010 04:35:51 AM 585 Views
because that would solve our problems. *NM* - 12/01/2010 04:37:18 AM 243 Views
You know, what IS a good term for black people these days? - 12/01/2010 04:36:33 AM 592 Views
technically... - 12/01/2010 04:39:51 AM 563 Views
i know, right? *NM* - 12/01/2010 06:11:33 AM 257 Views
I just use "black" - 12/01/2010 02:27:16 PM 491 Views
yah, that's what i typically do... - 12/01/2010 02:28:39 PM 566 Views
I agree. Say what you mean. - 12/01/2010 10:03:37 PM 536 Views
How many "black" people do you know that are truely black? - 13/01/2010 05:10:44 AM 511 Views
how many white people do you know are WHITE? *NM* - 13/01/2010 05:26:36 AM 231 Views
Why is it OK to discriminate on the grounds of language but not race? - 12/01/2010 08:23:21 AM 647 Views
Please tell me you were joking... *NM* - 12/01/2010 01:29:37 PM 221 Views
Not in the least. I thought you knew me better than that. - 12/01/2010 09:44:59 PM 487 Views
Ah! You were looking for an active rebuttal - 13/01/2010 01:48:20 PM 457 Views
It is okay to discriminate based on language... - 12/01/2010 01:40:18 PM 564 Views
Your AAE is a language the way that Pig Latin is a language. - 12/01/2010 06:38:35 PM 524 Views
I don't even know where to begin. - 12/01/2010 09:43:21 PM 596 Views
That third point is going a bit far. - 12/01/2010 10:06:08 PM 554 Views
You're right, I was conflating two separate points. - 12/01/2010 10:14:48 PM 498 Views
Well, it still only applies... - 12/01/2010 10:24:08 PM 641 Views
That it was a stupid thing to say? - 12/01/2010 09:49:05 AM 580 Views
this. *NM* - 12/01/2010 01:07:46 PM 253 Views
Who seriously uses the term "Negro dialect" anymore? - 13/01/2010 02:00:15 AM 486 Views
the subject is race. and party lines. - 13/01/2010 05:27:39 AM 477 Views
Powell, Rice and Steele. Just food for thought. *NM* - 13/01/2010 08:12:18 PM 307 Views

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