This is a class taught at Harvard this term. For
the record, I come from an area with approximately
1-2% Afro-American population.
Linguistics 86.
Ebonics: Myths and Facts
Catalog Number: 0637
Salikoko Mufwene (University of Chicago)
Half course
(spring term). Tu., Th., at 11; Section Th., at 2. EXAM
GROUP: 13
An introduction to the study of Ebonics, or
African-American English (including Gullah). Topics to be covered
will include the status of Ebonics in relation to
other American English vernaculars; its controversial
position in the schools; its use in the media; its use as
a marker of ethnic identity (e.g., in hip-hop
culture); its origins; its relation to other creole
languages and dialects; its influence on mainstream
American language and culture; and its role as a basis of
racial prejudice.