How come every American-born black person I've ever come across has the same accent?

Question

White people all over the US have different accents, why not the black people? I'm not trying to be racist, I'm just curious.

Answer 1

That is definitely untrue. I am a native Texan and my mother's family is from Florida, when we go there we tease them about their pronunciation of words. The same is true of our family from Michigan. As a matter of fact I went to a convenience store in Michigan and the clerk asked me, "Where the hell are you from with that country accent." I absolutely don't think I have an accent at all.
But every geographic area has different accents even though blacks in an area may not have the same accent as the whites in that same area, they will generally have the same accents as the other black people in that area, and it does change according to the region. Black people in southern Georgia and northern Florida (Where my mom's family is from) for example pronounces the short a sound like a long i sound. My mother says "bike" instead of "back" or "Mikesimum" instead of "Maximum". I have black friends from California and they're words are somewhat choppy and they over enunciate. My black relatives from Michigan draw out their words and speak with a slightly British sounding accent (my best description). But nowadays with so many people moving to different areas and being exposed to different accents on TV etc., the accents in all regions are seeming to become very similar. But I think you might not know a lot of black people or may not have really taken the time to observe. Sometimes we only see things the way we expect them to be.

Answer 2

I have no idea, it's the same with the 'gay accent'. How do they have that accent when they don't live together, they live all over? There are some black people without that southern type accent such as Gabrielle Union, Raven Symone, Vivica A Fox, and many more people. oh and also in other cultures black people have the same accent but sometimes like in England it can be a bit deeper. peace =)

Answer 3

Most Americans I know don't claim this. Those who do either have some reason to believe they are part Native American or else they just think it's interesting (and perhaps a little romantic) to make the claim. So far as I know, I have no Native American ancestry at all.

Answer 4

In an indirect way..you are stereotyping black people by making the conclusion that they sound the same...but I sort of see why you would think that way.

your question itself is stereotypical, because if you thought about it hard enough; do you really think that EVERY American born black person ALL speak the same accent???

not to mention that when it comes to people...nobody to should use a definite article like: always, every, never,all, or even most....these words describe a type of permanent fashion which isn't true for any race.

ex: ALL white people can't dance
blacks are NEVER on time for work

if you really wanted to avoid any answers that would mark you as a racist...then you could have asked it in a different fashion.

I speak my southern/Midwestern accent...but I could speak in at least two others with ease...and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

but don't think too hard about it...just know not to be permanent
when you make a claim on people like that.

sorry for the rant... :)

Answer 5

I don't believe that u have met many Black people from all over the US. Take a Black person form NYC, Georgia, Florida and u will find out; it's totally different. I always hear people say that Black people have the same accent, but that's a stereotype.

Answer 6

It is a dialect just like the odd dialect of Maine or of Arkansas or any other place except that it is associated with an ethnic group, not a geographic area. It is not taught anywhere. People grow up speaking it. When they come in contact with speakers of Standard English they may or may not, depending on their economic and social aspirations begin to acquire Standard English. If they go to college they certainly will.

My friend has retained her southern accent all these years even though she lives in the north. When she is around others from the south, her southern accent becomes more pronounced I have noticed. This same thing seems to take place with African Americans when they come in contact with each other. People talk like the people they love and/or admire and wish to emulate.

Answer 7

I don't understand how that could be *overtly* racist.

Anyway, it seems to me you haven't really been around any black Americans.

I actually got that alot of white people all had the same accents. Note it's plural, NOT all white people have the same accent.

Anyway, I say that you haven't spent time because I know for a fact we have different accents.

I live in North East of the U.S. and we have a variety of black accents in my county and the neighboring one alone.

The only one I haven't witnessed, is the New-Yorker one, except my Uncle 'cause he's from there. And other black people from the NY have it too. Some aren't as obvious. I remember a nice white lady there who just had a regular 'white' accent.

Hope that answers your question. {:

Answer 8

They dont. Most of the people you met probably came from the same areas in general. If your ever down south in the U.S., pretty much everyone sounds alike. Go to Boston and EVERYONES accent changes.
If I go down south to visit my relatives, I come back and people think I am putting on a fake accent, but its something you pick up.

Answer 9

obviously you haven't met African Americans from different areas. They don't have the same accent. People from down south have different accents, those from the midwest have different accents, those from new york have different accents... I could go on... Obviously you haven't come across a lot of Black People

Answer 10

I don't know where you have been but if you venture outside of a 2 state radius I am sure you will encounter many people, not just blacks, with different accents.