Vernacular much debated in the 1990s

• Controversial talk
• Linguistics term coined in 1973, and made controversial in 1996
• To linguists, it's African American Vernacular English
• Vernacular that came into prominence in 1996
• Much-debated school subject
• American English offshoot
• Dialect in 1990s news
• African American Vernacular English

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"African-American vernacular English," 1975, as title of a book by U.S. professor R.L. Williams (b.1930); a blend of ebony and phonics .

Wikipedia Word definitions in Wikipedia
Ebonics (a blend of the words ebony and phonics ) is a term that was originally intended to refer to the language of all people descended from enslaved Black Africans , particularly in West Africa , the Caribbean , and North America . Since the 1996 controversy ...