Kisha McNulty

SCHOOL: University of Mississippi    MAJOR: English    MENTOR: Dr. Rochelle Smith    ORGANIZATIONS:  Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. McDonnell-Barksdale Honors College ASB Cabinet S.E.E.D. (Students Envisioning Equality thru Diversity) Ole Miss Ambassadors Leap Frog Volunteer Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Sigma Tau Delta

Because of the decision by the Oakland School Board for teachers to learn ebonics, the term received a large amount of media hype.  Ebonics has been so sensationalized that controversy still surrounds the issue, leaving most people misinformed about the meaning of ebonics and the implications of its status in the English language.  Is ebonics truly a “black language,” or is the usage of ebonics (within it’s standardized definition) more widely spread? The purpose of this paper is to examine the possibility of incorporating ebonics into the English language based on the frequency of usage in other parts of America besides the urban areas.

My research and the subsequent paper have four objectives.  The first goal is to find a standard definition of the word ebonics. The meaning of ebonics will be measured against the definitions of the terms “slang” and “dialect.”  Next, arguments for and against the usage of ebonics and its incorporation into the English language will be addressed.  Once all data has been reviewed, a conclusion for or against ebonics will denote the end of the paper.  Because the subject matter is so very delicate, many other issues – poverty, racism, etc – will play a part in the outcome of this paper.