ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 7, 1997 TAG: 9701070056
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JIM MARCHMAN
A JAN. 3 news article (``Legislator: Ebonics not spoken here'') noted that Lynchburg Del. Preston Bryan is proposing a law to forbid the teaching of ``Ebonics,'' the politically correct term for ghetto slang, in the commonwealth. I'm sure many lawmakers will rush to co-sponsor the bill to realize political gain from what is, as yet, a nonissue in Virginia. I'm also sure that when they claim credit for the sponsorship they will conveniently forget a resolution they passed last year.
House Joint Resolution No. 228 stated ``that public schools and public and private institutions of higher education in Virginia be requested to recognize American Sign Language coursework for foreign language credit.'' This strikes me as pretty similar to recognizing Ebonics as a separate language.
Virginia legislators wrote: ``ASL is now generally recognized as a separate and complete language with its own unique grammar syntax.'' Even though proponents of Ebonics might take issue with the resolution's claim that ``ASL is the third most used language in the United States,'' I'm sure they would justifiably state that all arguments made in the state legislature in favor of ASL also apply to Ebonics.
If it is politically correct for state high schools and colleges to accept American sign language as a language on a par with German, French, Spanish, etc., why is it such a stretch to do the same for another language used by another disadvantaged minority group?
The problem is not whether we should legitimize ghetto slang by giving it a fancy name or whether we should declare ASL a foreign language. The problem is that we can't have it both ways. As soon as we cater to one disadvantaged group by giving its language special education status and credit, we make room for other groups to claim the same privilege.
Why didn't House Joint Resolution No. 288 also recommend foreign-language credit for Braille? Why are the dialects of Appalachia or Southside Virginia, as different from standard English as is Ebonics, unqualified for special privilege?
While we argue about this, our kids fall deeper into the abyss of an educational system that values self-esteem over proper grammar. It's a system in which possession of student portfolios is thought more important than the ability to communicate with the written or spoken word. Vanna White teaches our kids more about vowels than their English texts.
Yes, it is worthwhile for teachers to be able to understand those who use both ASL and Ebonics if they are to teach them to function in our society. But does this require that nonstandard languages be given official blessing? Can we bless one such language and damn another?
My, what a mess we get ourselves into when we put political correctness above our children's education and the needs of society as a whole.
Jim Marchman of Blacksburg is an engineering professor at Virginia Tech.
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