Do you find yourself adjusting your speech patterns with blacks and whites?

Question

I just noticed I was doing it yesterday when talking to a black girl. She was a bit ghetto and I found myself saying things like "Girrrrrl" and "Ridin dirty." I cannot believe I said ridin dirty in an actual sentence and wasn't talking about the song! I was telling her about me getting pulled over and i had expired tags. I told her I was ridin dirty. LOL. She thought I meant I had drugs in the car!

Do we subconsciously adjust our speaking with certain people. I think I was doing it because I didn't want her to think I was trying to act like I was better than she was. I wanted her to feel comfortable I guess.

Robert Shelton-You're not that smart, are you?

Ralph Kramden-Yea, OK. Like you're actually smart?

Dr. Shan-I'm black.

Answer 1

All people absolutely do this, and linguists have recognised this reality. It has been called various things, from register shift to dialectic mirroring. I live in the UK and have friends from all over the world. When I speak with Spanish or Italians, I tend to mimic their intonation. When I converse with Brits, I sound posher, whilst with North Americans, I sound more like someone from 'Friends'. When speaking with other people who really don't speak a lot of English, I tend not to use a lot of slang (ie, say: 'Do you plan to spend much time in England' rather than 'So, you planning to stick it out here for a bit then?'). It's just natural and shows good communication skills and an affiliation with others.

Answer 2

Maybe you felt more comfortable talking to her. There is nothing wrong with using slang. It's part of ones culture, who they are. It's a matter of taste that dictates how and when we use it, not race. Be true to yourself and don't worry about what people think. We as a people cannot be ashamed of who we are. Not saying that we have to be ghetto, but using slang and mannerisms don't make you a bad person. That's one reason why "blacks" lack unity as a people. Some of us "educated folk" turn or nose up at the rest because we have been socialized to "hate" or own culture. To feel like we are inferior and not on the same level as everyone else unless we act and speak a certain way. People like Russel Simmons, who is one of the best and most successful businessmen around, manages to "live" in both worlds. Being vulgar or ignorant has nothing to do with color. I use slang and I have a few degrees. Point is, there's a time and place for everything. I have met blacks and whites that speak "Ebonics". Especially in the south. So "do you" and just be aware of your surroundings.

Answer 3

Yes, but it doesn't stop there. I find that within a few days I begin to pick up the dialect of any geographical place.
My wife hates it when I come home with a southern drawl after being in the Southern States on business, or NY City, or Boston, for that matter.

I also find that I take on the accents of the main characters that I'm reading about in a novel. I read with their accents in my mind.

How suseptible we all are to environmental input !

Answer 4

No, it always serves you well to speak clearly and precisley. The older a person gets the sillier it looks when they are using cuss words, slangs, and street talk.
I do find myself adjusting my hearing to some of the speech patterns I hear though.
How comfortable would it make you if you went into your doctors for surgery and you heard him and the nurses using words and speech patterns like "ridin dirty" and "GIRRRRRL" etc.
There is a difference between picking up a southern draw or an English accent as opposed to street talk or ghetto lingo. I don't associate myself with people who use lots of cussing to express themselves or talks ghetto or street lingo.

Answer 5

Haha, yes I do this too.

Not just with black or white - with people who have accents and idiosyncracies. My roomate shouts "cup o' tayyyyy!" in a fake Irish accent every day, and I've taken to saying that, even though it's highly unattractive for a girl to do!!

The boring scientific part.... we all do this as a way of feeling closer to the person we are talking to! That's the psychologist in me!

xx Emmie

Answer 6

Do you realize that most Black people do the exact same when speaking to whites. It is called "cooning" and it is a means of dumbing themselves down in order to appear non-threatening to white people. Here's a thought: maybe the 'ghetto' girl you were speak with was trying to make you feel more comfortable with her by adjusting her language to your expectations. Were that the case, looks like she succeeded. The link below speaks of 'cooning' or what W.E.B DuBois called double consciousness that ALL Black people acquire when dealing with whites. Once you've checked it out, email me back personally, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
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If you are Black, why mention that the person you are speaking with was Black? You sound colorstruck or elitist with that.

Answer 7

Why do you keep adjusting your avatar and profile??? How come you no longer brag about making 90K/yr, raise 75K for charity, drive a benz, etc.... and tell people to park your car, "roll eyes"?

Answer 8

no,
we all understand the same words.

I f they were from the ghetto then it makes sense that the speach would be ghetto, but don't forget that the ghetto'e don't consist of only black people.

Answer 9

I have seen Oprah do this with some of her black guests. I personally would never do this but I guess some people do.

Answer 10

just so you know....ridin dirty means driving with drugs in your car .....so of course shes gonna think that