Justice Department Seeks Ebonics Experts

[Big Don]

Justice Department Seeks Ebonics Experts

DEA wants “Black English” linguists to decipher bugged calls

The Smoking Gun EXCERPT:

AUGUST 23--The Department of Justice is seeking to hire linguists fluent in Ebonics to help monitor, translate, and transcribe the secretly recorded conversations of subjects of narcotics investigations, according to federal records.
A maximum of nine Ebonics experts will work with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Atlanta field division, where the linguists, after obtaining a “DEA Sensitive” security clearance, will help investigators decipher the results of “telephonic monitoring of court ordered nonconsensual intercepts, consensual listening devices, and other media”
The DEA’s need for full-time linguists specializing in Ebonics is detailed in bid documents related to the agency’s mid-May issuance of a request for proposal (RFP) covering the provision of as many as 2100 linguists for the drug agency’s various field offices. Answers to the proposal were due from contractors on July 29.
In contract documents, which are excerpted here, Ebonics is listed among 114 languages for which prospective contractors must be able to provide linguists. The 114 languages are divided between “common languages” and “exotic languages.” Ebonics is listed as a “common language” spoken solely in the United States.
END EXCERPT
FIND Barbara Billingsley! Language Warning!

 

[Big Don]

Barbara Billingsley on talking Jive

 

[Touch Of Death]

I hope no one has a problem with this, and if so, why?
Sean

 

[Big Don]

I hope no one has a problem with this, and if so, why?
Sean

Aside from, it being stupid, and a likely HUGE waste of money, no problems.
Where is the DOJ looking for people to translate Southern? Do they just hire Jeff Foxworthy? What about the Boston accent? What about Minnesotans?

 

[Sukerkin]

It's not an accent, Don, it's a dialect - or am I talking out of my hat? In just the same way, Scottish English is not merely an accent; it is utterly unintelligible to English ears that are not from the Borders.

Come to that, the Potteries accent, tho' not recognised as a dialect, is incomprehensible at first if you're not born here. When I first moved into Stoke, from all of 15 miles away, a nice old chap came to chat with us as we hairy biker types were moving stuff into the house ... we couldn't understand a word he said!

 

[Omar B]

Well considering gang subculture is in some cases ranked as threats to national security I see no problem with it at all, makes perfect sense. I'm wondering when they'll want to get someone fluent in stacking too.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Well, considering had to once look up what "bust a cap" and "frontin" meant, I can see it needing translation. Then again, I can see "Southern" also needing it.

 

[BloodMoney]

I could see why the would need one (or 9 as the case may be), its more than just slang.

The Scottish English comparison is a good one. If a scotsman comes up to you and says "thats a fair wee bairn" (and in a heavy accent) unless you know the dialect your not going to have any idea what hes talking about (bairn is baby so a "fair wee bairn" is a cute little baby).

As im not American the whole Ebonics thing seems incredibly foreign to me, lol I have no idea what half of them are saying, they be trippin' if they think I can understand that shiznit!

 

[Big Don]

It's not an accent, Don, it's a dialect - or am I talking out of my hat? In just the same way, Scottish English is not merely an accent; it is utterly unintelligible to English ears that are not from the Borders.

Come to that, the Potteries accent, tho' not recognised as a dialect, is incomprehensible at first if you're not born here. When I first moved into Stoke, from all of 15 miles away, a nice old chap came to chat with us as we hairy biker types were moving stuff into the house ... we couldn't understand a word he said!

Dialect! That's the word I couldn't think of! Thanks, Suke.

 

[Carol]

Aside from, it being stupid, and a likely HUGE waste of money, no problems.
Where is the DOJ looking for people to translate Southern? Do they just hire Jeff Foxworthy? What about the Boston accent? What about Minnesotans?

Dude. Don't pull a Chuck ovah it.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Aside from, it being stupid, and a likely HUGE waste of money, no problems.
Where is the DOJ looking for people to translate Southern? Do they just hire Jeff Foxworthy? What about the Boston accent? What about Minnesotans?

Silly as it sounds, not every agent can follow every conversation and be able to process that information in a timly manner. Can you imagine how much better off we would be if government agents had arabic speakers to run recordings by? Why not get some guns and crack off the street by hiring a few people more learn-ed in street lingo?
Sean

 

[Grenadier]

"Ebonics" by today's definition is a far cry from what it was originally. There's a difference between language characteristics used by immigrants from Africa, who were "fresh off the boat" compared to the deliberate use of horrible grammar, pronunciation, etc.

All of this garbage of classifying such substandard use of the English language came about from the Oakland incident in 1996.

The DOJ shouldn't have sugar coated it. They should have simply advertised that they were looking for people who can extract meaning from substandard use of the English language.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Technically, ebonics is a 'cant'. It is neither a regional accent, in which the same words are used, but pronounced differently, nor is it a dialect, which substitutes specific words but keeps the word order of the language as it is spoken. Ebonics uses English words, but it is not English. For that reason, it is also not a patois, a creole, or a pidgin. It is not an independent language of its own, so it is not a language.

A 'cant' is crypto-dialect of a group, intentionally designed to communicate amongst members of the group while discouraging understanding by those outside the group. It is an extreme form of slang, which all children use. It is most similar to Polari from the UK, derived from English and Romany and used by, of all things, a homosexual subculture there.

 

[elder999]

Technically, ebonics is a 'cant'. It is neither a regional accent, in which the same words are used, but pronounced differently, nor is it a dialect, which substitutes specific words but keeps the word order of the language as it is spoken. Ebonics uses English words, but it is not English. For that reason, it is also not a patois, a creole, or a pidgin. It is not an independent language of its own, so it is not a language.

A 'cant' is crypto-dialect of a group, intentionally designed to communicate amongst members of the group while discouraging understanding by those outside the group. It is an extreme form of slang, which all children use. It is most similar to Polari from the UK, derived from English and Romany and used by, of all things, a homosexual subculture there.

Actually, the original use of Ebonics was applied to dialects, argots and patois like gullah, Barbadian dialect or Jamaican dialect, all of which use West African loanwords and syntax. It was later mis-applied to what would more properly be called non-standard Black American vernacular-a cant, as you've said.

 

[Empty Hands]

Actually, the original use of Ebonics was applied to dialects, argots and patois like gullah, Barbadian dialect or Jamaican dialect, all of which use West African loanwords and syntax. It was later mis-applied to what would more properly be called non-standard Black American vernacular-a cant, as you've said.

Whatever, can we get back to insulting black people? This sounds suspiciously like knowledge and education.

 

[Archangel M]

It's been my experience that this "cant" can be turned off and on if the speaker chooses. So its less an accent than it is an affectation. Mileage on that opinion may vary though. I concede that.

 

[Sukerkin]

Aye, it is precisely the same in intent and (current) usage as Cockney used to be before it became all 'folksie' and twee. People forget that it was the patois of thieves.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Whatever, can we get back to insulting black people? This sounds suspiciously like knowledge and education.

I was trying...

But you might notice that there are few with chips on their shoulders, trying desperately to find something negative they can say about black people, without having anyone able to call them 'racist' for doing so. I expect the higher incarceration rate of black Americans versus white Americans to be trotted out next. I mean, it's factual, so no one could be a racist for simply stating it, right? So let's get it over with [holds nose].

 

[David43515]

Whatever, can we get back to insulting black people? This sounds suspiciously like knowledge and education.

Sorry, must have missed that one. Who`s been insulting whom?

 

[Drac]

It's been my experience that this "cant" can be turned off and on if the speaker chooses. So its less an accent than it is an affectation. Mileage on that opinion may vary though. I concede that.

I have seen just that in a courtroom of a very powerful and respected black female judge. They brought in a young man suspected of selling drugs near an elemetary school. When the judge asked the young man to give his side of the story he started with " OK Judge, lemme lay alla dis out for you".

The Judge rose from her seat and said in a VERY LOUD voice, " In my courtroom you WILL speak English.. In the blink of an eye his syntax changed.