why do blacks continue to speak the way they do?

Question

all other ethnic groups lose their accents after one generation...blacks carry over their "ghetto speak" from the days of slavery....thats SEVEN generations, enough already....this is America....if u want to live here, learn our language.

Answer 1

Why is that there are so many morons in this world? This is our planet Earth, if you want to live here, you have to learn to be tolerant.

Answer 2

Have you ever been the the third -"whitest" state in the country-Vermont? (Vermont-lowest or close-to-lowest number of Blacks in the U.S.; Montana has the fewest number of Blacks)...I didn't think so. The White accent/dialect, esp..in the far north of VT, is almost unintelligible and shows no signs of changing. Besides, how do you know WHAT Blacks...or anyone else... sounded in the "days of slavery"? There are no recordings from them, to the best of my knowledge! I'm pretty sure it did NOT sound like "ghetto speak",...and exactly WHICH ghetto do you mean? Roxbury? S.Side of Chicago? Hough? E. St. Louis???

It is also a cultural thing, like many Jews continuing to speak Yiddish, or people who live in Little Italy or the North End of Boston speaking both Italian and English and using a certain "accent" when speaking to other Italian-Americans.

People have NOT "lost their accents"! Nor do I think the necessarily should If everyone spoke the same, I'd be bored to tears, since I love figuring out where someone is from, from their accent.

If you're really curious about his topic, I found an interesting article on the origin of accents in America at this site:

http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/vajda/ling201/test3materials/AmericanDialects.htm

"Black English developed in the Southern states when speakers of dozens of West African languages were abruptly forced to abandon their native tongues and learn English. Slaves from different tribes couldn't communicate with one another--in fact, masters deliberately tried to separate slaves who could speak the same language. Since the Africans had to communicate with one another, as well as with the whites, a kind of compromise language evolved on the basis of English and a mixture of the original West African languages. "

The article further states that "Black English" heavily influenced SOUTHERN White English:

"Black English, in turn, gradually influenced the speech of southern whites--especially the children of the aristocratic slave owners. Given the social prejudices of the Old South, this seems paradoxical. However, remember that throughout all the slave owning areas, black nannies helped raise white children, and the children of blacks and whites played freely together before the Civil War. Since language features acquired in early childhood tend to be kept throughout life, Southern English naturally became mixed with Black English."

So...I guess all the Southerners had better leave too, or else learn to speak "proper" English!

The only people who really NEED to speak "proper" English most of the time are teachers and customer service angents (are you READING this...Sprint people? Can you hear me now, Verizon?).

Answer 3

You haven't been very far obviously.....

You certainly are no physician..... You would have met many that have a better English than yourself.....

So what do you do in life for a living besides being a critic?

Have you even stopped and listen to some white "gheto speakers" ? Perhaps the whole USA is a BIG ghetto where only 10% actually speak English correctly.... That is also why speeches are written prior to the speech... So the English is spoken properly when for a public speech......

Are you at least an English teacher?

Get an education yourself. .. Blacks are NOT an ethnic group..
They are PURE AMERICANS... THEY protect the country and die for America and ALL its people...
.
You, are a poor representation of the American people........

Shame on you.........

Answer 4

If you think hard enough which I'm sure you don't because you asked this question and you're making your self sound like a racist idiot(take no offense though), but anyway technically you don't own the language. Everybody migrated over here. but if you want to say it the way I think you're trying to say it then if your are white assuming your are then your saying why don't we learn the Europeans language. And it's not about your language. America is what we have called diversity. We can speak the language most of everybody in the U.S speaks. But we ARE Not SUBJECT To LEARN YOUR LANGUAGE how you want us to learn it. Long as whatever we're saying you understand it then it should be okay. And it's not "Ghetto" it is Ebonics to me and whatever the other dude said when he gave an answer he gave the best term you can give "Ghetto".

Answer 5

I believe this is a legitimate question. However, I don't know the answer but I can try a few guesses.

1. It's intentional, play acting
2. It's a learned accent, like southern or New England
3. There really is no Black accent and it's just a stereotype

Answer 6

If you want to live here, learn the language of the Native American tribes. You are probably too small in spirit and narrow minded to learn anything that does not confirm your lack of intelligence. So I'm not really answering your question so much as proclaiming your stupidity.

Answer 7

Not all blacks speak like that. Some people haven't lost their accents and their way of speaking, some have, not all.America isn't made of just ONE language, there are lots of ways to speak.

Answer 8

That's an etremely racists thing to say and it's very wrong to sterotype a group of people. I have arab teachers who have been here in the country for decades and still carry an accent.

Answer 9

was dis jiggery pokery man ya raus clot. after seven generations i earn de right to speak as ise want.
ps im a snowflake.
humans make a nation not accents.

Answer 10

They think it is cool and sets them apart from their former white masters. ( the "man") It has devolved into what is called a CREOLE language.( look it up)
Hawaiians do the same dumb thing. they hate English so refuse to speak the language. it is a point of pride for some and just plain ignorance for others.
Oprah speaks both English and ebonics so she is multi-lingual.