Whenever I want to make my kids laugh, I say" Hey I be jiggy wit dat." Whereupon they roll their eyes and say "Dad, that is so last year!"
In other words, Ebonics is something used by the self-described downtrodden to shut the "unworthy" or "strangers" out.
All countries have unofficial dialects which have their own argot and literature, including Theater, Newspapers, Songs, Poetry, and traditions: e.g. Neapolitan in Italy, Yiddish in Germany, Russia, and Poland, Catalan, Basque, Gallego in Spain. It's considered very cool to know them ... but you're supposed to know the official language, too. Maybe the Negro educators have this in mind?
WHAT??? Some of the most educated esteem-worthy people in this country had/have Southern accents. What kinda damn Yankee are YOU? Now I AM a-fixin to get medieval on yer heinie...
Fifteen ways to avoid a good Southern a$$-whuppin. Issued by the Southern Tourism Bureau to ALL visiting Northerners And Northeastern Urbanites:
1) Don't order filet mignon or pasta primavera at Waffle House. It's just a diner. They serve breakfast 24 hours a day. Let them cook something they know. If you confuse them, they'll kick your a$$.
2) Don't laugh at our Southern names (Merlene, Bodie, Ovine, Luther Ray, Tammy Lynn, Darla Beth, Laura Jo Inez, Billy Joe, Sissy, Clovis, Perky, Becky Sue, etc.). Or we will just HAVE to kick your a$$.
3) Don't order a bottle of pop or a can of soda down here. Down here it's called Coke. Nobody gives a flying flip whether it's Pepsi, RC, Dr. Pepper, 7-Up or whatever- it's still a Coke. Accept it. Doing otherwise can lead to an a$$ kicking.
4) We know our heritage. Most of us are more literate than you (e.g.,Welty, Williams, Faulkner). We are also better educated and generally a lot nicer. Don't refer to us as a bunch of hillbillies, or we'll kick your a$$.
5) We have plenty of business sense (e.g., Fred Smith of Fed Ex, Turner Broadcasting, MCI WorldCom, MTV, Netscape). Naturally, we do, sometimes, have small lapses in judgment (e.g., Carter, Edwards, Duke, Barnes, Clinton). We don't care if you think we are dumb. We are not dumb enough to let someone move to our state in order to run for the Senate. If someone tried to do that, we would kick her a$$.
6) Don't laugh at our Civil War monuments. If Lee had listened to Longstreet and flanked Meade at Gettysburg instead of sending Pickett up the middle, you'd be paying taxes to Richmond instead of Washington. If you visit Stone Mountain and complain about the carving, we'll kick your a$$.
7) We are fully aware of how high the humidity is, so shut up. Just spend your money and get out of here, or we'll kick your a$$.
8) Don't order wheat toast at Cracker Barrel. Everyone will instantly know that you're a Yankee. Eat your biscuits like God intended - with gravy. And don't EVER put sugar on your grits, or we'll kick your a$$.
9) Don't fake a Southern accent. This will incite a riot, and you will get your a$$ kicked.
10) Don't talk about how much better things are at home because we know better. Many of us have visited Northern s***holes like Detroit, Chicago, and DC, and we have the scars to prove it. If you don't like it here, Delta is ready when you are. Move your a$$ on home before it gets kicked.
11) Yes, we know how to speak proper English. We talk this way because we don't want to sound like you. We don't care if you don't understand what we are saying. All other Southerners understand what we are saying, and that's all that matters. Now, go away and leave us alone, or we'll kick your a$$.
12) Don't complain that the South is dirty and polluted. None of OUR lakes or rivers have caught fire recently. If you whine about OUR scenic beauty, we'll kick your a$$ all the way back to Boston Harbor.
13) Don't ridicule our Southern manners. We say sir and ma'am. We hold doors open for others. We offer our seats to old folks because such things are expected of civilized people. Behave yourselves around our sweet little gray-haired grandmothers or they'll kick some manners into your a$$ just like they did ours.
14) So you think we're quaint or losers because most of us live in the countryside? That's because we have enough sense to not live in filthy, smelly, crime-infested cesspools like New York or Baltimore. Make fun of our fresh air, and we'll kick your a$$.
15) Last, but not least, DO NOT DARE to come down here and tell us how to cook barbecue. This will get your a$$ shot (right after it is kicked). You're lucky we let you come down here at all. Criticize our barbecue, and you will go home in a pine box.. . . Minus your a$$.
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God Bless America
In a time honored tradition of Southern women, may I just say to you, "Well, bless your heart"........