Saturday, February 21, 2009

Developing Work 2b

When we begin talking about African American Vernacular English and how it is used in many different concepts it can become quite interesting. I never really paid attention to how individuals write on different websites that contain blogs. Now that I am in an Ebonics writing class these things are being acknowledge to my understandings of how writing is used. In the last blog I chose from the three different kinds of blog postage's: personal, popular culture, and an academic website. I then analyzed one of the blogs. After that task was completed I had to move on to something that would tell more about AAVE being used on blogs. I will begin by comparing how AAVE is similiar and different on the website blackplanet.com and in the reading passage “E-Racing difference in E-Space: Black female subjectivityAnd the Web-based portfolio,” by Stephen Knadler.

In the reading by Stephen Knadler he writes about how his students are creating a communication website to express their thoughts in the way they are feeling about different writings that are given. "African-American students at Spelman College re-appropriated the
Web-based portfolio as a place to express more freely their racial and gender identities..." (Knadler 4). The way his African American students writes is very similiar in the way they use AAVE in different locations such as at home, school, and talking amongst their friends. Under one circumstances they make sure they don't use any kinds of writings that will offend another and make sure they are aware of others reading their profolios. Also, on blackplanet.com individuals have profolios, because some keep updates on their every day lives.

The way the students write at the college is very similiar and different compared to the African American women writers on blackplanet.com. In one way that they are similiar is that the students that attend Spelman have to make sure what they write about, because free writing isn't allowed on any digital space. "They know that there is no such thing as “free-writing” online because everything that they write has implications for how they are perceived as racial subjects (Knadler)". When one is writing on blackplanet they write what they want, but there is a standing ground. Another way in which they both are similiar is that they both represent themselves with an image. The images on the blackplanet are mainly human photos. These photos describe what features the blog poster have. An image can say alot about a person and their personalities that they have within themselves. In the reading passage the students use a variety of images that explains who they are; some use animals others and other images of them and their boyfriend. "Her Web page both explores analternative female identity—one that can be as assertive, powerful, and as sexually free as a gangsta rapper" (Knalder)...


Not only are both of the reading have things in common, but they are also different. On blackplanet.com there is a young male's blog by the name of "PhiliBlurz" that contain lots of AAVE writing. He writes on his main page " dis ya nigga Phili word up datz MeIf u intersted in talkn 2 me get at me feel me i ain't no fake niggaya diggggOO I hate stuntn Girls! NO STUNTN GIRLS allowed 2 talk 2 me lol"-(PhiliBlurz). In my opinion, this is a great example of rhetorical features, because he tries to convince people about who he really is within himself. In his blog writings he abbreviates everything and isn't really descriptive within his writings. He gets sraight to the point and moves on with another topic. In Knalder's writing one of his students writes about her experiences within an all African American collge, Spelman Collge. " I spent the last three years of my life in this microcosm of intellectually advanced teens. It was pure hell! I left the comfort of my family and friends at such an early age and catapulted into a high stress environment with little support..."-(Tiffany). When Tiffany is writing she explains herself by being very detailed within the subject she has choosen. She don't use any slang in her writing and standard english is visible. After viewing the two different readings on blackplanet.com and
"E-Racing difference in E-Space: Black female subjectivityand the Web-based portfolio", by Stephen Knadler there were similar and different kinds of AAVE that was used within the two. The blog writers and students shared some interests and others had opposing views when it came to writing...

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Developing Work 2a

We all have a way of expressing ourselves through English itself. English has educated one in understanding the different ways of formatting when conversing with one another. These ways can be progressed in poems, blogs, songs, but is not hardly found on the Internet to express ones thoughts. When it comes to Americans speaking they have their own unique category of conversing amongst many. African American Vernacular English ( AAVE) is an English that is predominately spoken by Blacks social groups that have their own distinct ways of language that throughout the United States of America. AAVE is very common, but when one begin to view the Internet for the English it is very rare. The reason for this is because many people nowadays make sure they speak an English that is notified as Standard English especially if its being viewed to the public.

When I began to search on the net for AAVE listings and where people have used it, it became very challenging. There wasn't anything that would just be there in ones viewing. One actually had to search the engine to find this topic. The first website I viewed was a website that could help an individual speak in a certain dialect. This website was giving out examples of different words that many use in certain situations. There were alot of slang words used in the contexts.
I found it really interesting how one can type in a word in other words would substitute the word chosen

As I began to complete the given assignment I first viewed public blogs on the website BlackPlanet.com. BlackPlanet is a site that is an open communication device where many can join, but is mainly used by African American. This cite allows one to view anyone blog without having to sign up. As I was viewing the cite the first thing I recognized was a blog about a few things such as: The top 5 Worst dunks, Need a Vacation, NBA All-Star Eye Candy, and Rhianna Rocks. I then got really excited, because I wanted to see what the media was saying on these topics. My hopes got up too high, then the computer started tripping.

When searching on the website BlackPlanet there were many blogs that was on the home page. I began to click on one of the individuals blogs and found it very boring. Many people on their blogs was basically rumbling on about themselves. They weren't talking about anything in which they enjoyed, the occupation currently working at, or just life in general. It was mainly about them and them and them. This AAVE is know as braggadocio. The thing that soon amazed me was no individual use there government names as their screen names. There were names like "passionatelover4", " Alwaysbusy", "40 dw", 1badpony, and many more.

After completing this I then looked for the AAVE that individuals was using on their blogs. This was very hard, because alot of people's blog's was listed as private. I soon found a blog that was public viewed and the AAVE was standard English. There wasn't any abbreviating words or slang in the blog. After searching for a while I then viewed a blogged that someone seemed like they were talking just to be talking. This young individual used "thru". This word is usually spelled like threw or through. It all depends on the context of speaking. Another word I found was "cuz". Now this word is shorten for because. When writing a blog it is easier to abbreviate things, depending on the topic of the blog. In other words, it is really hard to find cites with AAVE on it. When trying to find websites one must be very descriptive and precise when reseaching. I thought it was very interesting how not one blog was the same as another. They were all creative and unique from another.