What is the reason that black kids(sorry not trying to be racist) talk wih that accent?

Question

theres this nice girl maimouna at my cent i asked her why she said i just do thats how my parents talk

Answer 1

I really don't understand the answers claiming that some groups don't have an accent. EVERYONE has an accent. Whether you are black, white, red, yellow, or whatever label you've attached to yourself, you have an accent. (However, it isn't based upon so-called "race" but rather environmental / societal / cultural factors.)

But, anywhoooo.... I understand what you're asking. What you're most likely inquiring about is the particular dialect which is spoken by many black people. Yes, many black people do speak in a certain dialect (i.e. a sub-language). For U.S. English speakers, this dialect is called Black Vernacular English (B.V.E) or African American Vernacular English (A.A.V.E). Many people refer to it as Ebonics; however, Ebonics can refer to language among all black people of African descent throughout the African Diaspora (meaning that there are other languages which include "black vernaculars"). Additionally, there are sub-dialects of B.V.E (such as Louisiana Creole, for example).

I'll focus on B.V.E-

B.V.E is a dialect/sub-language which is based upon West African grammatical patterns and includes English vocabulary. There are people who dispute this. However, just a tad bit of linguistics research proves that such people are incorrect. Throughout history, immigrant groups from every part of the world have brought their languages to the U.S. But a couple of factors make B.V.E unique: 1) B.V.E has only recently been recognized as a dialect. 2) Not only their native tongue, but also historically inferior educational opportunities, has impacted speech patterns.

[Before anyone assumes that I'm stereotyping black people in any way, please continue reading.]

Does this mean that black people are ignorant, poor speakers, etc...? Not at all. West African grammatical patterns, English vocabulary, and poor educational opportunities combined together to form a dialect. And this dialect was simply "passed down" [as are all other dialects]. Over time, black sub-cultures influenced the B.V.E dialect [and B.V.E sub-dialects resulted].

It should be recognized that not all black people speak B.V.E. And, furthermore, it should be recognized that there are people of other groups who speak B.V.E (as it has "branched out", so to speak). What's more, something very important to note is that B.V.E is NOT the equivalent of the urban vernacular or, as some people call one variation of it, "hip hop slang". "Hip hop slang" is usually "an addition" to B.V.E; but they are NOT one and the same.

The history of B.V.E should be understood as being rooted in black culture / sub-cultures. Additionally, in my opinion, it should be appreciated as a testament to the richness of black culture. But it is in NO WAY spoken by all black people in the U.S. Frankly, I wish a different name would be assigned to this dialect (of course, without ignoring the history of it).


And, by the way, those who flap their jaws about "proper" English need to realize that "proper" English includes whatever variation of English which is suitable for a person, condition, occasion, place, society, culture, etc... And I hope you're not referring to Standard American English, as it's nothing more than a "media-chosen dialect".

Answer 2

Not all have "that accent" you talk about, it's got nothing to do with their social status or quality of education, but with the people they are around. Plus some people can pick up accents more quickly than others.

It's so funny the other day I heard a girl talking in Asda's - I turned around cause I thought it was that girl from Katherine Tate - the girl's friend with black hair - but tho, but tho, yeah but, but tho, but he made you look like a nunce tho - and it was even funnier when it turned out she looked like her. Chavs are the only people who I don't think should have the right to speak like they do :p

Answer 3

Anyone can be racist, keep in mind the racism WITHIN the Black community. Black people with paler skin and smoother hair are considered more attractive, dark skinned people are put down. Whats worse then hate from your own people? He has a few points here, but people like him make it seem like Blacks blame White people for everything. I think taking initiative to help his people through school funding, volunteer work, and funding better inner city housing would be much more effective to his cause than sitting around blaming White people. God knows he's got the money to help....

Answer 4

i noticed that too.. blacks that were born/raised in america do have a slight accent.. as if it's a slight african accent to it but thats because thats just how our family or friends talk... liek u can have a southern accent but certain words you say will have a diff. accent...
and maybe your friend has family from the caribbean or africa that has an accent and she probably picked it up. mabe thats why u never know.

Answer 5

Some do and some do not. It's also different from region to region. Just like some white kids go around talking like they're surfers when they've never been to a beach. Just a cultural thing developed from friends, family or even television.

Answer 6

The same thing that makes anyone have an accent, the environment that you spend time in. Just like you probably pick expressions up from your family and friends, an accent happens the same way.

Answer 7

i can tell ya that many older black people have southern accents, just like many whites..
But blame our stupid culture for the spreading of ridiculous "gangsta" slang. Now kids who have no idea what a project building even looks like (and many, many black people are actually middle class college bound, despite what the media and MTV would have you think...) are using these ridiculous words and spelling "that" like "dat" and other things...
Consider the spreading of the idea that to sound uneducated and, well, half retarded, is cool...
And consider that many WHITES have adopted this sort of speech, much to their family and friend's embarassment...
Are we doomed as a nation? Being a drop out criminal who can't read is now considered cool. Smart kids in urban areas, who once wanted to be doctors, are now into "bling bling" and want to be rappers... or worse... I wonder why the mostly white network executives are spreading this garbage? Hmm.

Answer 8

not every black person has an accent, just like every white person doesn't have an accent (i'm not sure if you mean an actual accent or just slang). it really depends on what part of the country you're from and how the people around you sound. however, from the spelling of the name, it looks like maimouna is either a foreigner or her parents are foreigners. that could explain why that one particular black girl has an accent.

Answer 9

i have no idea what you're talking about. i speak proper english with no accent. if there IS any accent it is a mix of california and texan. but that is because i'm from those places.

Answer 10

It isn't just children. Different races use different tonal inflections, and I believe the reasons for this are about half physiological ("genetic") and half environmental.

As an added aside; I can tell the race of a person talking on the telephone or radio with >90% accuracy.