While slang and dialect may seem similar, they represent two distinct scales of linguistic difference. Slang refers to the informal, unsupported institutionally term groups that are usually recently introduced and change rapidly. Individuals’ slang may indicate their belonging to a certain social class, particularly pertinent to groups with a degree of shared experience. Unlike slang, distinguished by its vocabulary, a dialect may present grammatical and pronunciation differences. Dialect can be either official or not, more persistent in time than slang, and is indicative of an individual belonging to a distinct geographic location or a sociocultural group.
There is much tension and controversy around placing Ebonics within the wider English language system. The major distinction between a dialect and a separate language is in the degree of mutual understanding: if two native speakers can communicate, they are speaking dialects of the same language. Thus, although Ebonics derives some of its features from African languages, it is still heard and understood as English.
The existence of Ebonics is undoubtedly determined by its cultural roots and a degree of socioeconomic segregation experienced by the black community. Ebonics has historically been discriminated against as “broken English.” Perhaps due to this discrimination, black students required to use “proper” English in an academic setting develop the ability to utilize both forms. Akin to bilingual students, they acquire benefits of using both, adjusting their expressive choice depending on the context.
One example of bilingual adjustment is code-switching, which involves directly inserting terms from one language to another in place of translating or adapting them. Essentially, a speaker might simultaneously consider words from two or more languages and, if the original conversation’s language does not suffice, “import” a word from a new one. For instance, bi- or trilingual Hong Kong residents commonly use this tactic to insert English expressions in Cantonese or Mandarin.
Growing up bilingual often provides more flexible cognitive skills, especially when languages are dissimilar: conceptualizing certain notions may be easier. Additionally, each extra language comes with a rich baggage of cultural norms and contexts that may increase the sense of belonging. However, habitual code-switching may inhibit fluency in either language if used excessively – blending two linguistic systems may result in fuzzy grammar and vocabulary.