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.
There are lots of dialects and sociolects in English - or in most other languages - that most non-linguists refuse to consider as separate languages. The fact that many of those language variations lack prestige, and are associated with certain groups, doesn't help of course, but that's not the main reason. The main reason is that people (including the actual speakers of AAE and the others) have political, ideological and practical reasons for viewing AAE and other dialects/sociolects as variations of English and not separate languages, because if they were as willing as linguists to see them as different languages, the variations would grow further apart and at some point in the future there might not be a common Standard English anymore. A situation somewhat along those lines exists with Flemish and "standard" Dutch, with the various kinds of Arabic, and I'm sure many other language situations.
So while MightyYT's way of phrasing it was somewhat offensive, I think you're exaggerating by accusing him of racism just because he doesn't think AAE is a separate language - I'm guessing it's part of a general attitude he takes towards all kinds of dialects and sociolects, without race playing any particular role.
So what EXACTLY is the problem with Reid's comments?
12/01/2010 04:11:56 AM
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it wasn't just that he commented on the lack of "dialect"
12/01/2010 04:16:27 AM
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Regardless of that, I don't see the ability to use dialect as a racist statement.
12/01/2010 04:32:07 AM
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when was the last time you heard a white person speaking ebonics?
12/01/2010 01:41:24 PM
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A week or so ago.
12/01/2010 08:09:09 PM
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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
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And the fact that Wigger = White N****r isn't racist at all! *NM*
12/01/2010 10:33:04 PM
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I wasn't using the term seriously 9_9
13/01/2010 04:26:20 AM
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Mocking white people for "acting like black people" by modifying a slur on blacks... hm... *NM*
13/01/2010 06:50:46 AM
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You know, what IS a good term for black people these days?
12/01/2010 04:36:33 AM
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I just use "black"
12/01/2010 02:27:16 PM
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Why is it OK to discriminate on the grounds of language but not race?
12/01/2010 08:23:21 AM
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Please tell me you were joking... *NM*
12/01/2010 01:29:37 PM
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Your AAE is a language the way that Pig Latin is a language.
12/01/2010 06:38:35 PM
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You know, arguing what a language is with a linguist is pretty much set up for failure *NM*
12/01/2010 07:58:42 PM
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I recall having a similar discussion on this very topic a few years ago with Tim.
12/01/2010 08:10:53 PM
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Re: I recall having a similar discussion on this very topic a few years ago with Tim.
12/01/2010 09:06:01 PM
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Maybe, but having knowledge of the topic wasn't one of my advantages in that argument. *NM*
13/01/2010 03:36:31 AM
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I don't even know where to begin.
12/01/2010 09:43:21 PM
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That third point is going a bit far.
12/01/2010 10:06:08 PM
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You're right, I was conflating two separate points.
12/01/2010 10:14:48 PM
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Well, it still only applies...
12/01/2010 10:24:08 PM
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You ascribe too much intelligence to the average American racist .
12/01/2010 10:30:39 PM
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You're guessing at people's motives and making what appear to be broad, unsupported assertions
12/01/2010 11:04:47 PM
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I don't mean they're racist in all respects.
13/01/2010 06:52:20 AM
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Your defintion of racism and sexism seems to massively differ from mine
13/01/2010 03:37:46 PM
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I had to think about this for a few days, but I've now worked out my answer.
16/01/2010 01:59:25 PM
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I had no problems with them. And I don't even like the guy and hope he loses his reelection battle.
12/01/2010 03:32:42 PM
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Who seriously uses the term "Negro dialect" anymore?
13/01/2010 02:00:15 AM
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It's not the word "Negro" in "Magic Negro" that's the most offensive part. *NM*
13/01/2010 09:16:20 AM
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