This question was worth 10 points on an English final, which amounts to 20% of the score -- see if you can pass

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Please translate the following words and phrases from Standard English to Ebonics based on what we learned in class.

1) Tooth.

2) Ring.

3) Post.

4) Ask.

5) This.

6) He has gone to the store.

7) He usually went to the store.

8) You don't know anything you're speaking about.

9) They have been married a long time.

10) My mother is a doctor.

Note, this wasn't my test it was a friend's - so I don't have the answers. Try anyway.

― Hell is kind of lukewarm actually, Monday, 2 May 2005 18:46 (twenty years ago)

You've got to be fucking kidding me, right?

― Allyzay do not obtain to make download of yours MP3 (allyzay), Monday, 2 May 2005 18:50 (twenty years ago)

I would've probably failed, having answered thusly: KISS MY BLACK ASS.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 2 May 2005 18:53 (twenty years ago)

4) Ax.

― A Nairn (moretap), Monday, 2 May 2005 18:53 (twenty years ago)

the correct answer to all ten questions is KILL WHITEY.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 2 May 2005 18:54 (twenty years ago)

ihttp://www.comicbookresources.com/news/preview.php?image=news/pentagon_groupshot.jpg

― Huk-L, Monday, 2 May 2005 18:54 (twenty years ago)

I can understand #6-#10 being of instructional use, as there are definitely distinct grammatical rules to Ebonics (or African-American Vernacular, as it used to be called) that are sort of interesting (e.g., #6 is "He gone to the store"). (Although probably more appropriate for a linguistics class than an English one?)

But what are #1-#5 asking for? Phonetic spellings of dialect like Mark Twain? That just seems wrong.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 2 May 2005 18:58 (twenty years ago)

FROM THE DESK OF,
Mr Musa Usman,
AUDIT MANAGER,
UNION BANK NIGERIA PLC,
STALLION PLAZA LGS.
TEL:234-8033711512.

Dear Friend,

Compliment of the day and how is life general with
you? Of course it is my humble wish to solicit and
crave your indulgence to make this project request for
a joint business transaction which I hope will not
come to you as a surprise, hence I plead for your
pardon.

I am Mr Musa Usman,the Auditing and Accounting
Unit,Foreign Operations Department Union Bank Of Nig,
PLC. I have an urgent and confidential business
proposal for you.On June 6, 1999, an Australlian oil
consultant/contractor with via National Petroleum
cooperation (NNPC) Late Engr. Steve Moore made a
numbered time (fixed) deposit for twelve calenderer
month valued at US$15.500.000.00(Fiften Million Five
Hundred Thousand US Dollars) in my branch.
On maturity, I sent a routine notification to his
forwarded address but got no reply after months we
send a reminder and finally we discovered from his
contract employee (Nigeria national petroleum
Corporation) that Late Engr.Steve Moore died from an
automobile accident. On further investigation, it was
clear that he died without making a will. All attempts
by the Australian to trace his next of
kin were fruitless.

I therefore made further investigation and discovered
that Late Engr. Steve Moore did not declare any next
of kin or relations in all his official documents
including his deposit document in my bank. The total
sum of US$15,500,000.00 is still in my bank as dormant
acct. No one will ever come forward to claim it.
According to Nigerian banking law, after seven years,
the money will revert to the ownership of the Nigerian
Government. If the account owner is certified death
and nobody comes forward to claim it.
This is the situation ,and my proposal is that I am
looking for a foreigner who will stand in as the
beneficiary/next of kin. This is simple. All you have
to do is to immediately send me the details of a bank
account anywhere in the world for me to arrange the
proper money transfer document. The money will then be
transferred into the account for us to share in the
ration of 60% for me 30% for you while the remaining
10% will be set aside for expenses incurred within
here and there.

There is no risk involved. I am using my position and
connection in the bank here to do all the document
work for the transaction. We shall employ the services
of an attorney to draft the will and obtain all
necessary documents and letter of administration in
your fovour for the transfer. This transaction is risk
free guaranteed. If you are interested, please reply
immediately confidentiality and be rest assured that
this transaction could be most profitable for both of
us.

Please do not expose this deal if you are not
interested because if you do, it will take me out
ofseat.And if you are interested call me immediately. Reply to: usmanbil@ny.com

I am awaiting your urgent reply.

Best regards,
Mr Musa Usman.

― n/a (Nick A.), Monday, 2 May 2005 19:00 (twenty years ago)

I am dead serious this is real.

― Hell is kind of lukewarm actually, Monday, 2 May 2005 19:30 (twenty years ago)

SO - AM - I!

― Mr. Musa Usman (Nick A.), Monday, 2 May 2005 19:34 (twenty years ago)

10. My mother is a doctor. An ting.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 2 May 2005 19:35 (twenty years ago)

Just asking this question (the teacher who gave the final, not you) is the most patronizing bullshit ever.

― Dan I., Monday, 2 May 2005 19:38 (twenty years ago)

If you want an A, you just take whatever sentence he gave you and add stuff about stealing television sets and smoking crack.

― Hell is kind of lukewarm actually, Monday, 2 May 2005 19:40 (twenty years ago)

1) Toof.

2) Rin.

3) Pos.

4) Ax.

5) Dis.

6) He gone to de stouh.

7) He been goin to de stouh.

8) You don't know nuthin what chu talkin bout.

9) Dey done been married.

10) Ma muvuh a doctuh.

References:
http://www.une.edu.au/langnet/aave.htm
http://www.answers.com/topic/african-american-vernacular-english

― TOMBOT, Monday, 2 May 2005 19:45 (twenty years ago)

8. Quit jiving me turkey.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 2 May 2005 19:48 (twenty years ago)

1. Go to a neighborhood that is full of low-income black people! Understand EVERY THING that they say. Oh! You didn't! Why is that? How odd! It's all ENGLISH!!! Just like gareth and andrew farrell are totally comprehensible to me, all the time.

2. Depending on the English class, this could very well have been a valid question set. I had to read more than my fair share of papers about dialects in school. Ebonics and the study thereof is no more or less offensive than knowing about the reasons why argentinians sound so weird to mexicans or why a person from Guangzhou and a person from Shanghai are sometimes barely intelligible to one another.

― TOMBOT, Monday, 2 May 2005 19:50 (twenty years ago)

1-10: This is the test where I Say: AY! Get your bitch-ass back in the kitchen and bake me some pie!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 2 May 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

The lesson here is that you should shoot yourself in the head during winter finals your second year.

― TOMBOT, Monday, 2 May 2005 19:55 (twenty years ago)

9) They marry long time (sucky sucky five dollar).

― The Ghost of Going There Since 1973 (Dan Perry), Monday, 2 May 2005 19:55 (twenty years ago)

Actually Dan they don't tend to use voiced "th" sounds in hardly any english dialects at all.

http://www.answers.com/topic/hawaiian-pidgin

― TOMBOT, Monday, 2 May 2005 20:02 (twenty years ago)

i agree with tombot that there isn't anything inherently offensive about studying ebonics, but i still think it makes more sense in a linguistics context than in an english context. in a linguistics classroom, for example, the answers to the first five questions might be given using the international phonetic alphabet.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 2 May 2005 20:06 (twenty years ago)

Oh no I could spend HOURS reading the pages at this site.

― The Ghost of Total Geek (Dan Perry), Monday, 2 May 2005 20:08 (twenty years ago)

I want to read Da Jesus Book.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 2 May 2005 20:25 (twenty years ago)

The correct answer to all 10 questions is: Look at the travesty being perpetrated on our educational system by The Liberals!

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 2 May 2005 20:42 (twenty years ago)

Hurting, you forgot the "*gang sign*" emote.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 2 May 2005 20:46 (twenty years ago)

8) FUCK YOU!

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Monday, 2 May 2005 20:51 (twenty years ago)

It had to be done:

Sheeeet, man, that honkey mus' be messin' my old lady got to be runnin' col' upsihd down his head!

Golly, that white fellow should stay away from my wife or I will punch him.

Hey Holm, I can dig it! You know he ain't gonna lay no mo' big rap upon you man!

Yes, he is wrong for doing that.

I say hey sky, s'other say I won say I pray to J I get the same ol' same ol.

I knew a man in a similar predicament, and he ended up being sorry.

Knock yourself a pro slick. Gray matter back got perform' us' down I take TCBin, man'.

Don't be naive Arthur. Each of us faces a clear moral choice.

You know wha' they say: See a broad to get that bodiac lay'er down an' smack 'em yack 'em.

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

Col' got to be! Yo!

How true!

Shiiiiiit!

Golly!

― Ash (ashbyman), Monday, 2 May 2005 21:14 (twenty years ago)

I'm sorry but no one in THE ENTIRE WORLD, of any race or nationality or accent group, has ever actually said either 7 or 8 as written.

― Allyzay do not obtain to make download of yours MP3 (allyzay), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 02:53 (twenty years ago)

*sniff*

Franklin would have loved this joke.

― slightly more subdued (kenan), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 02:56 (twenty years ago)

Just like gareth and andrew farrell are totally comprehensible to me, all the time.

Holland has recently been added to the list of places that I'm apparently from.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 19:09 (twenty years ago)

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