hey, i don't kow if any one has this problem too, well i speak english fluently, ofcourse, but i also speak ibonics with some of my friend. (Ebonics is the popular african american way of talking). but i have come to realize that its becoming to affect my english writing skills. For example, if i wanted to write "we were dancing". i would write "we was dancing" and this happens to me in my english papers and essay. but i think i catch my mistake most of the time. so those any one have any advice for me or opinion or even share this same problem

haa, i feel you on this one. "we was eating, what was u saying?"

It happened to me in my english 1301 class. My first essay was a disaster. The teacher was like "Most computer correct mistakes, yours didn't correct you, and u didn't even see 'em". I typed with word-pad, so yeah u should know i wasn't corrected. I had to control myself from typing stupidly. I talk like that sometimes, u know when u trying to pull the "shaniqua" look. lol, But i've tried not to let it affect my school work. I think u can do it too. When im studying/writing essays, i kind of go into another "world?"

Then again, if that's how you TALK all the time, i don't think it'll be easy for you. No one is perfect, but i think if we try hard, we can be close to being a little perfect. School works are no jokes, exp when u have a wicked teacher.

Beside, u made on mistake spelling "does". lol

u'all should know that they talk the way they write and they don't put all those commas etccc so u'all should be carefulllllllllllllllll

i don't have problems with it probably because i don't speak in it.
the only thing i like about it is how fast and easy it is (to type i mean).

My speech and my writing are entirely different entities -- so I hardly have problems [I don't talk that way anyway]. My advice is to keep them separate.

Then there is this typical nija English.

My radio is spoiled
my radio is broken.

Do you say put off the light or switch of the light.
Am packing out or am moving out

go slow
trafikator or signal

@ bluenubian
Girl, you're so creative. You come up w/ the best topics!

***********Back on subject.************
It's affecting me in the opposite way. I can't speak Ebonics so sometimes when Black American people meet me they look down their noses at me b/c they think I'm "trying to be W---" or that I'm really preppy and/or prim & proper. It's annoying & embarrassing. Like my freshman year of college I took a class called "INTRO TO AFRICAN AMER. STUDIES" and all these football players were in my class. Anyway one week there was a lecture on "Vernacular Black English" (Ebonics) this football player gets up walks all the way to the front of the class and basically says that standard English is "ok" but a real Black person has to know how to speak Ebonics or they fronting (or not real) etc. Then he looked pointedly at me sitting all by my lonesome. It was obvious that the only Black people in the class who didn't feel this way were the other Nigerians. But they were all passing for AFAMs that year so yea. . .

ibonics
and there was i thinking it was some sort of ibo language 

Its acually ebonics
Just a type of SLang
But ya english is spoken differently all around the world

Even in England they have their own slang

@ chinani
thanx gurl

i dont think you should allow it to affect your english writing
yea we have ours in uk but street dats where it ends, its just gon cost u alot if u write ebonics abi ausanics in ur papers

ibonics is identity for an african american. like varnacular, ibonics is spoken by those who choose to speak it. one problem though is that most of them (quite annoyingly i think) use it when trying to write formal english, they cant distinguish. not trying to praise nigerian's but i really doubt one seeing nigerians using broken english in formal situations. however i dont think ibonics should affect nigerians in anyway. its very annoying when i see nigerians trying to speak ibonics, then even confusing it with proper english. wow. if its a problem for some (i must copy nigerians), i think u should go check ur mouth. lol

Well all you have to implement and be aware of is what we ebonic speakers call "Code Switching". That is you speak or use a varying degree of ebonics depending on social context. I'm currently on Industrial Placement and I work with a Government Agency and dpn't use ebonics when I'm in work related mode.

If you happen to associate with different people of diffrent backgrounds code switching will become sub-conscious to you befor you know it. Being in a foreign country definately helps because you are most likely going to work study and work with people from other racial and social background than yours.

I think the subject of conversation may also initiate code switching as I've found even when I'm with my homies. As I said once it's a sub-conscious thing you barely have control over it. Your brain just flip modes and you begin to use the appropriate language form. If you've read my post on other subjects I've replied to you can see there's a change of mode and pattern here,