Hello children, Let us know and understand about Ebonics:
Ebonics (a portmanteau of the words ebony and phonics) is a term originally intended to refer to the language of all people who come out of the bondage of black Africans, especially in West Africa, the Caribbean and North America.
Ebonics simply means ‘dark speech’ (a combination of ebony words ‘black’ and ‘phonics’).
Ebonics is a traditional American English method used at home or in everyday communication rather than at official times. The frequency is very different from the standard American English when it comes to people with low levels of education. It should not be confused with the types of language spoken by special sections such as urban youth, where one encounters words and phrases that are not widely used in the original indigenous language.
Examples of Ebonics Words and Phrases
You can start learning Ebonics with the following Introduction to words, terms, phrases used by black African Americans:
| Word | Meaning |
| metro | shortened form of the word “metro sexual” |
| kicks | shoes or sneakers |
| krunk | alternative spelling of the word “crunk” |
| biter | one who copies another person in some way |
| blade | a knife |
| chill | relax; stop doing something |
| chips | money |
| dilly | synonym for “deal” |
| dime bag | a little bag filled with ten dollars worth of marijuana. |
| blaze | to smoke pot |
| bling bling | expensive, often flashy jewelry sported mostly by African American hip-hop artists and middle class Caucasian adolescents. |
| boo | one’s lover |
| cappin | shooting |
| chickenhead | a materialistic woman |
| nigga | person, especially African American |
| nizzle | an African-American man; commonly used in conjunction with “fo-shizzle” |
| drinks | beverages, usually alcohol |
| grimey | selfish, greedy |
| grip | money |
| dutch | a branch of smoked drugs with an interesting taste and feel |
| flow | skills |
| fly | attractive |
| fo sho | an alternative way of saying “for sure” |
| Gangsta (Word Above) | |
| grill | one’s face |
| mary jane | codename for marijuana |
You can download the image for a quick reference of common Ebonics words and phrases.
Keep exploring EnglishBix to learn various versions of English language people speak around the world.
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