English Language-We Hardly Knew Ye

Slang is defined as speech and writing characterized by the use of vulgar and socially taboo vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. These words are seldom used to explain the many ways people of all ages speak in our generation, instead, most people seem to use the word ‘Urban’ to describe the inane slurs that are accepted in this paradigm. Words such as ‘ain’t’, ‘aiight’, ‘what it do’, ‘shorty’ and other words or phrases commonly used from as young as ten years of age to adult men and women. The use of these words does not stop at ‘how it do’ and ‘cakes’; now in our era of drug users, varying music and racial slanders, our urban speech has become a customary reoccurrence to the point that if everyone were to speak without using ‘like’ repeatedly, we were to think that we had landed in a different dimension.

Oakland, California was one of the first school districts in the nation to recognize Ebonics as not simply a variation of the English dialect, but a language within itself. The supporters of this evaluation have stated that this way of speaking, which had originated from the slave era, was “genetically based”. In other words, Ebonics’ was stated to be a “primary language” for all African American students. To base this idea from a predominately African American populated city in California, as Sen. Lauch Faircloth stated at the hearing, is “absurd”. Ebonics’ may or may not be used within African American house holds, but to assume that all African American students need to be treated as the equivalent of an immigrant coming into America and learning the English language is belittling. Most teens today have mixed slang words with Ebonics or have simply stuck to one or the other. In these last years, New York City community activists have been wanting teachers to be instructed in the language of Ebonics’ or as they called it ‘Black English’. A man by the name of [Mr.] Barron as stated that Ebonics ''a tool to help teachers communicate with students.” ''We're not talking about teaching the kid’s Ebonics -- they already know it,'' he [Barron] said. ''And we're not talking about replacing Standard English with Ebonics. We're talking about using Ebonics as a bridge.''

Whether students believe that this maybe an easier way to learn English or not, the idea of an English teacher, paid for teaching students to speak professionally, coming into the classroom using slang such as ‘dawg’ and referring something that is theirs to ‘mah’ is disturbing as well as ludicrous.

Though this type of speech is accepted among Americans, it was not made up in a day. This city slang has been advertised for decades. From commercials to movies, to music, it has been used as a point of relativity primarily focused on the teenagers who want to use the next latest word. Music has been a big endorsement for this type of slang. City rappers, to dirty mouthed rockers, to the slurs of country, slang has been used constantly within a persons life. If listeners were to actually listen to these lyrics instead of sing and repeat thinking how ‘good the beat is’, most would laugh as the sad truth that too many artist today try too hard and have lost all poetic credibility. They have simply seemed to run out of their witty lyrics and decided to move on to brainless lines that make absolutely no sense. For example, Kanye West’s song ‘Gettin’ it In’ states: Don't try to treat me like I ain't famous My apologies, are you into astrology Cause I'm, I'm tryin to make it to Uranus. Not only is this an obscene reference a sexual innuendo, sadly, Kanye is a bit confused and seems to think after Libra and Scorpio lies Uranus. Another example is from the artist Trina who states in her song ‘Here We Go’: “Now you know that I'm the Queen of Miami. All that loud talkin, lyin, save that --- for your mammy. Sounds like "blah, blah blah, blah bla blah-blah," I'm like uh-huh (uh-huh) okay (okay), Whassup (whassup) SHUT UP!" She seems to have forgotten the words as she recorded this song and must’ve forgotten her use of her proper English as well, when she named this album ‘Glamorest Life’. 

Some may argue that ‘it wasn’t her fault’ or ‘she didn’t write the lyrics’, none the less, isn’t it scary to think that song writers today must throw in made up words, vulgar innuendos, and ‘blahs’ to be able to get a song on the charts? Note, that it isn’t just rappers with this atrocious disease but the rock community as well. With slang words like ‘dude’ and ‘grass’ clearly says that people today must need that extra not-really-a-word-but-what-the-hell noun that drips off their tongue. Putting it in perspective, reading it on a paper, makes even the most inarticulate teens laugh because they never took the time to look at what these songs actually said. It’s no wonder that young adults, and even adults, say things such as ‘Californication’ and using ‘dumb’ or ‘stupid’ to convey the meaning that’s something is funny or entertaining.

America is the world leader. We, as the next generation, are soon going be the next leaders as well, and to think that our judges, juries, doctors, lawyers, and presidential candidates will come from an era where ‘ain’t’ is actually in the English dictionary and artists like Jay-Z, who must’ve skipped his general science class, when he decided that this sounded intelligent: “Thirty-eight revolve like the sun round the Earth." How proud we must’ve been. This idea that it is socially accepted to use such words and daft phrases is hilarity to elders, some adults and various other countries who would laugh at us, as they do about the word ‘hecka’, which originated from northern California, and is only known in California. It’s not quite so hard to believe with our way of talking, Californians are known air-headed surfers. But California is not only to blame; Americans themselves have lowered their standards as well as lexicons, the reason why is unknown, except that it is collectively fashionable to use words that someone had thrown together for the sake of their reputation, in which said persons name never mentioned.

From our ‘dope’ music to our ‘ignant’ way with words, we as a Americans can say that though we’re taught English, we hardly speak it, and it’s equally as hard to stop using these words as it is to make artists these days pick up a dictionary. Besides who would want to when you sound as cool as this:

"Hood --- from Bankhead, I stay by Grandma Nana I lay by my banana, dumpin' and punkin' monkeys." [Young Dro, "Shoulder Lean"]

Yes. That is exactly what he said.