Is there any such thing as black speech (a.k.a ebonics) or white speech (a.k.a. proper English?

Question

When I speak I use proper English and it almost never fails that I am looked at strangely by both blacks and whites. Blacks interpret it as talking white and being snotty and whites interpret it as strange. How am I supposed to talk? I never knew that there was anything such as talking black or talking white. Is it offensive?

Answer 1

Sometimes, no matter what you do, somebody is going to take it wrong. Ideally, you should just be able to be yourself and if people take it wrong, that's their problem. You shouldn't have to alter your behavior to fit others' notions. Unfortunately, the reality is that people can be pretty darned cruel when they feel threatened, and in the case you cite, it sounds like both groups of people sound somewhat insecure.

People need to rid themselves of the notion that whites "own" proper English. People's speech patterns are influenced by a wide variety of factors including the region of the country where they grew up, how their peers speak, and their educational status. The speech patterns defined as "proper" are fluid and eternally changing.

And, in defence of Ebonics, just as a person who has grown up in Italy may speak either English or Italian depending on the circumstances, someone who has grown up where there is a regional or cultural dialect may choose to use it versus "proper English".

To summarize, you sound fine. It's people's preconceived ideas of how you should behave that sound messed up.

Answer 2

I don't believe in black or white speech, but rather dialects, just like anywhere else in the world. A lot has to do with where you are raised. Just as one who lives from the south, like me, has a southern accent, I believe that people from different areas and walks of life have different dialects. A daughter of an English professor at a university, black or white, is much more likely to talk in a way one would recognize as proper English. If you spend a year abroad, you are likely to pick up at least the cadence of the voices around you. Likewise, I think that if someone lives for many years near or around an area where mainly "Ebonics" are spoken, some people will pick this up. The only time I do a double take is when a run into someone who I have known a long time, and who changes their voice depending on the company around us at the time. This I find not only strange, but obnoxious. None of us are really free until we can speak however we wish without fear of alienation or reprisal.

Answer 3

Quoting my linguistics textbook about standard or "proper" dialects:

"Socially speaking, the standard dialect is the dialect of prestige and power. However, the prestige of any speech variety is wholly dependent upon the prestige of the speakers who use it. In the United States, the prestige group usually corresponds to those in society who enjoy positions of power, wealth, and education. It is the speech of this group, therefore, that becomes the standard, but there is nothing about the variety itself that makes it prestigious."

In other words, there is no such thing as proper English. All dialects are just as linguistically valid as the next. However, there are varieties that you probably should try to learn if you want to get a good job (for instance, try speaking like a newscaster).

That being said, talk however you want. Everyone changes their speech up a bit depending on who they're with and its usually unconsciously done. If anyone hassles you about the way you speak, just brush it off. Chances are, they're probably not worth worrying about.

Answer 4

There is such a thing as talking black and white - but thats only because most black people have made it like that. I don't think that talking proper English is only for white people, it should be for all people. When I hear a black person talking proper English I don't think it's weird, but it does catch my attention because you hear so many black people on tv, the radio, on the street, etc talking in "ebonics."

Answer 5

This is from the site listed below:

It is virtually impossible to walk down the street without hearing some form of bastardization of the English language. Slang a'plenty, improperly conjugated verbs galore, Double negatives as far as the eyes can see. It is a very sad state of affairs in this country that the language skills of today's youth are so horrible that they have invented a term for it. English is one of the most complex languages in the world; Almost every other language has a logical sentence structure that is always followed. If it were the complexity of the language that people were having trouble with, that would be completely understandable, HOWEVER: it isn't. It seems rather odd to me that they can get all the structure parts right, they just can't pronounce the words.

Contrary to popular belief, speaking improperly does not make one appear cooler. It screams out to all those listening, "Hey! I am unintelligent! I mask my lack of linguistic skills by saturating my speech with violent indifference to ensure that all my mistakes appear to be intentional!" Anyone who attended English class on a regular basis knows better; these Ebony Einsteins really aren't fooling anyone.

There are times when it is okay to modify the English language. Only after mastering it to the point where you are fully aware of the correct way to say something, and your modification is an attempt at humor. If one has even minimal knowledge of Latin prefixes or suffixes, it is simple to combine these together into words, even if they are not predefined as fitting together. It is my belief that adding endings like "-esque" or "-ified" actually improves the quality of language, in that it does not force you to compromise your meaning by changing it to a different word, already an adjective; you can simply tack it onto the end of the exact word you wish to make descriptive.

So, for all you somewhat intelligent people out there, I applaud your Sevenesque efforts to uphold the dignity of the English language. Next time you hear someone speaking ebonics, would you please stab them on my behalf. We must do our part to halt the embiggening of eboniculture.

Answer 6

Yes, there is. It's called a dialect. Every language, every culture, every age, everybody has a dialect. You even have a slightly different dialect than your parents. Black people have received the worst rap of all the races as they have done the most tinkering with the language (they are quite creative). Do yourself and the world a favor and speak as intelligently as you can. Anyone that looks at you strangely (white or black) for speaking intelligently doesn't deserve your respect anyways (they obviously don't respect themselves). While some of the phrases and words from junk dialects can be fun, whether you are black, white, green, or brown; your speech is a reflection on you- and ya cant front on that... biotch.

Answer 7

There are many different dialects of English, used by people belonging to different groups. Different dialects of English have different status, depending on the status of the group who uses it. Therefore, a natural way to try to get more status is to try to talk like the higher-status group. However, the higher-status group might not necessarily want you to be a part of that group.

You should know, though, that no dialect is any "better" or "worse" than another as far as how good they are for communication. Many people believe that the way black people talk is somehow a "degraded" or "low" form of Engish. Actually, there are some features of AAVE (African-American Vernacular English, or "Ebonics") that are more precise than the standard dialect. So if anyone tells you that any dialect is better than any other, it's a reflection of prejudice they have against people who use that dialect.

Answer 8

Everyone, regardless of their racial identity, can speak at different levels of diction. I am white, and my family comes from Oklahoma. When I am with family, I speak with an Oklahoma twang, and use a vocabulary consistent with my family's education and regional dialect. When I am at work in San Francisco, I speak what I think of as 'academic English' that is easy to understand by anyone from any part of the country... what you might think of as a broadcaster's way of talking. My daughter, a real city girl, hates it when I 'talk like an Oklahoma cowboy hick' but I consider this part of my background and history. Most Americans have these two modes of talking, if not more modes of speech. The point is, use the mode that suits the occasion and audience, but be yourself, too.

Answer 9

Yes, there is such a thing as ebonics. It sits waaaay down low with the rest of bad English. Although, I think it's sitting pretty much on the bottom.

Answer 10

The blacks are probably thinking you are trying to be somethng you're not. Interestingly enough, only in American do we have ebonics. In Britain, South Africa, etc... proper English is spoken. It only became know as proper english to contrast it against the ebonics. Speak the proper english. It will only benefit you.