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Subject:Re: Ebonics & No. of TWs From:Daniel Wise <dewise -at- IX -dot- NETCOM -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 23 May 1997 01:04:31 -0500
Colleagues,
Someone asked if using Ebonics on-list is a problem. I think it is if the
words used (in this case dissing [or dis'sing]) are not readily understood
by the reader. This has nothing to do with the validity of Ebonics as a
language or dialect or the value of teaching it. It is simply a matter of
making one's self understood. If a Greek or Russian word had been used
instead of dissing, I would have been just as lost.
Now, as to the number of TWs in the world. If we use STC membership as a
criterion, I would say there must be at least 200,000 to 400,000 since STC
membership in any given locale seldom is much higher than 5 to 10 percent of
the eligible population. I have no quantifiable data, just personal
experience with STC chapters in several locations. Perhaps George Hayhoe
could shed some light.
Dan Wise
dewise -at- ix -dot- netcom -dot- com
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