Blog 3

In the essay, "If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?" James Balwin claims; "...Black English began with the formation of the black church under the conditions of slavery. It was not merely the adoption of a foregin tongue, but an alchemy that transformed ancient elements into a new language." Baldwin does not focus on why Black English is, or is not, a dialect. The first slaves who learned to speak english, spoke the words in the African way of communication. They taught their children to speak the language this way, which was passed on from one generatino to the next. Today we call it Ebonics. In the essay by Rachel Jones, "What's Wrong with Black English," Jones is more in favor of black people doing away with black English, and trying to learn the proper way to speak and write the English language. I cannot beleive these two essays were placed back to back by pure accident.