Watchu Talkin Bout Willis, Yo Racist?: DEA seeks Ebonics experts to help with cases

"DEA wants “Black English” linguists to decipher bugged calls"

Linguists they call these 'Ghetto talkers'? I'm sure 'true' linguists don't appreciate the comparison.

This phrase is what the article uses to describe what 'ebonics' is for those who weren't paying attention when the name was coined back in the 90's when they tried to actually 'teach' this shit in where else but 'Californicate'?

"Ebonics, which is also known as African American Vernacular English....."

I call it something else, as do most, and our adjective for describing it is not as kind to the people who CHOOSE by their own volition to openly and proudly speak it. There are millions of African Americans who REFUSE to speak it, thank God for them.

I don't know about you all, but the Ebonics word I hate the most is AXE, which is used in place of ASK of course and we hear it day in and day out on tv almost everywhere you look.

Especially on UPN and BET of course.

It's used like so: "Axe me this, axe me dat yo?"

I never realized they actually determined Ebonics to actually be a recognized form of vernacular, but apparently the federal government does recognize it as such and is in need of some 'translators' to teach them 'ghettospeak', so they can understand what all Obama's disciples are 'yappin' about when they wiretap their cells, yo.

ie: "Ya'll gots to be doggin me yo! You know they gots an Ebonics experts right there in the Oval bling room! And his his handle be Obama dogg."

Obama himself speaks a different version of "Ebonics, which I call 'Obonics'.

You know what I'm talking about, when he pulls out the "I've been bangin' in the hood" dialect he uses when he wants to sound hip, mostly when he's bullshitting in urban environments we suffer through this.

Here's a perfect example of him doing it, and it's all translated into Ebonics for those of you out there totally unfamiliar with Ebonics OR Obonics...

(WARNING, like 'ghettospeak itself, it's filled with bastardized profanity, so please be forewarned )

By the way, Which ones bug the hell outta you folks?

DEA seeks Ebonics experts to help with cases: "ATLANTA — Federal agents are seeking to hire Ebonics translators to help interpret wiretapped conversations involving targets of undercover drug investigations.

The Drug Enforcement Administration recently sent memos asking companies that provide translation services to help it find nine translators in the Southeast who are fluent in Ebonics, Special Agent Michael Sanders said Monday.

Ebonics, which is also known as African American Vernacular English, has been described by the psychologist who coined the term as the combination of English vocabulary with African language structure.

Some DEA agents already help translate Ebonics, Sanders said. But he said wasn't sure if the agency has ever hired outside Ebonics experts as contractors.

'They saw a need for this in a couple of their investigations,' he said. 'And when you see a need — it may not be needed now — but we want the contractors to provide us with nine people just in case.'

The DEA's decision, first reported by The Smoking Gun, evokes memories of the debate sparked in 1996 when the Oakland, Calif., school board suggested that black English was a separate language. Although the board later dropped the suggestion amid criticism, it set off a national discussion over whether Ebonics is a language, a dialect or neither.

The search for translators covers a wide swath of the Southeast, including offices in Atlanta, Washington, New Orleans, Miami and the Caribbean, said Sanders. He said he's uncertain why other regions aren't hiring Ebonics translators, but said there are ongoing investigations in the Southeast that need dedicated Ebonics translators.

Linguists said Ebonics can be trickier than it seems, partly because the vocabulary evolves so quickly.

The Associated Press:

---