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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!uxc!iuvax!rutgers!att!cbnewsh!mbb
From: mbb@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (martin.b.brilliant)
Newsgroups: sci.lang,comp.cog-eng,sci.psychology
Subject: Effects of Black English
Message-ID: <375@cbnewsh.ATT.COM>
Date: 2 May 89 20:39:47 GMT
References: <17158@mimsy.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 27

I haven't been following the discussion Re: Effects of poor writing? (Long)
in detail, but I started to review it and picked up a point I'd like
to comment on:

From article <17158@mimsy.UUCP>, by folta@tove.umd.edu (Wayne Folta):
> .....  In fact, I was recently browsing
> through new books at the campus store and saw a book which explores the
> relationship between black children's Black English and their poor math
> test scores.  ..... Black English ...  causes
> problems in that Black English uses different metrics for distance, etc.,
> which causes unit conversion problems.  (Note: I did not read the book,
> and I am no linguist, so I cannot vouch for its methods or conclusions.
> I only know that this book was in a reputable bookstore, which I hope would
> not contain poorly researched or racist books.)

Actually, this should not be at all surprising.  Black English is, at
least with respect to its grammar, a different language.  Not inferior,
but different.  When a native speaker of Black English tries to get
technical meaning out of something written or spoken in Standard
English, there is bound to be misunderstanding.

M. B. Brilliant					Marty
AT&T-BL HO 3D-520	(201) 949-1858
Holmdel, NJ 07733	att!hounx!marty1 or marty1@hounx.ATT.COM

Disclaimer: Opinions stated herein are mine unless and until my employer
	    explicitly claims them; then I lose all rights to them.