By NORMAN TUTTLE
Special to WordSmith
Moi, je n�en comprends rien! Looking at those words, for most Americans, is like looking at an Einstein formula. It means little and is passed over with the hope that it isn�t crucial to our further functioning in society. And it probably isn�t.
Hearing that same sentence is equally confounding to most of us, but we just don�t need to know what it means � it is as inconsequential as a bothersome fly buzzing around our heads. But in our current society, there is a growing number of children for whom Standard English is more than an annoying fly. It is an unfamiliar, persistent noise that buzzes menacingly in an ever increasing din as childhood fades into adulthood.
We have all been in situations where somebody�s speech has left us wondering what they were talking about. It�s that flat Boston accent, or maybe just a fast-talking Brooklynite, or perhaps a proper British gentleman ... They just leave us amazed that the English language can be so different from �the way it�s supposed to be.� Why can�t we just mandate a �standard� way of speaking and make life easier for all us us?
Well, the answer is fairly obvious to most: we have to live with our parents, siblings and neighbors while we�re learning to speak. Speech patterns develop, for better or for worse, in spite of the best intentions of our elementary teachers to instill �correct� speech in our young, impressionable minds. Too much time is spent with people we want to be like � and talk like.
Those of us who speak something close to standard English are proud of our ability to communicate and roll along from day to day without giving our language a second thought. We�re �correct�; we�re in the norm; we�ve got the power. But where does that leave the rest?
One of the tenets of our capitalist society (loosely stated) is �give everybody the same playing field and let the best team/player/company win.� It sounds great and is theoretically sound, but there are a few things that simply haven�t been addressed in creating that equal playing field.
The legislation in Oakland County, Calif., that declares Ebonics to be a recognized and distinguishable dialect is an attempt to even the language �playing field.� By recognizing that language patterns developed during the formative years have communicative value no matter what the form, educators (and politicians) are attempting to close the relatively large gap that exists between standard English and one of its many dialects.
The question that should be asked, no matter what we think of the plan, is whom will this law hurt and whom will it help? At first glance it could be argued that identifying students who speak �differently� would place a stigma upon them, thus separating them even more than they already are from mainstream society. But if the stated goal of bringing these children closer to speaking standard English is pursued, it is hard to imagine who will not benefit from the results. Teachers will be less likely to say, �No, that�s not right� and more likely to explain that different situations require different languages or different dialects. As it is, students often don�t buy into the ptich for learning standard English simply because they are told the way they speak is wrong. It has been �right� to them for most of their lives, so changing isn�t logical. The act of giving validity to their speech is the right step toward bringing everyone onto the even playing field.Let�s give Ebonics a chance. Maybe, eventually, we�ll recognize Surfonics, and even Snobonics as well.
Norman Tuttle is a French teacher at Smith High School who enjoys computers almost as much as French.
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