Teabonics
Teabonics is the name given to the misspellings and odd English phrases that have appeared on protesters' banners in the United States, such as 'Say No to Socilism' and 'Dump the Polititians' (selection here). The word comes from the Tea Party movement, a US protest movement that is opposed to Obama's reforms. The modern name Tea Party is a reference to the 1773 Boston Tea Party, when American colonists protested against taxes imposed by the British. The -bonics part of the word is a reference to Ebonics, the name for African American slang.
Friday, April 09, 2010
I copied this from the 'Virtual Linguist' website, couldn't resist it -
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Although "ebonics" is a term used mostly derisively now, African americans were the first to advocate for it. They created a resolution in Oakland CA recognizing ebonics as a legitimate alternative to proper english. The word then came into the popular lexicon. The ebonics concept was widely mocked by most americans. I havent heard anyone advocating for its legitimacy since.
"On December 18, 1996, the Oakland, California school board passed a controversial resolution recognizing the legitimacy of "Ebonics" — i.e. what mainstream linguists more often term African American Vernacular English — as a language. The resolution set off a maelstrom of media criticism and ignited a hotly discussed national debate."
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