Identifies the major issues that need to be confronted in resolving the controversy over the historical roots of African American Vernacular English. and discusses their implications for reconstruction. (Author/VWL)

Presents a content analysis of the electronic debate on Ebonics that spanned over 18 months, drawing scholars from all over the world, and culminating in over 70 postings on an electronic bulletin board. Demonstrates that in contesting the issues, using the national social debate on Ebonics, linguists seek to assert their power as a group by…

Draws attention to the validity of the Oakland School Board's resolution on Ebonics and to the value of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL)-based approaches to teaching standard American English to speakers of other dialects. Demonstrates validity of comparisons made between monodialectal speakers of African-American language/Ebonics and ESL…

This paper reexamines the debate over the emergence of Black South African English (BSAE) as a variety of English that is institutionalized with distinct properties. It focuses on the tense logic in Bantu languages and discourse markers that chiefly account for uniquely BSAE features. Through an indepth analysis of these linguistic properties, the…

Traces historical, linguistic, and educational contexts for the Oakland School Board resolution. Suggests the resolution is a sensible extension of the linguistic and cultural history of the African-American community, a reasonable implementation of research and theory, and an intrinsic desire of parents to have their children's teachers acquire…