Why Do You Talk Like A White Person?

Question

I have gotten this question my whole life! My voice and the way I talk has been a point of ridicule for me my whole life. Other blacks would point out I sounded like poindexter-I hated that!

Why is it when you use the correct grammar and you don't speak with slang it's talking as if you are white? There is no such thing is there?

Even grown folks would ask "What's wrong with your voice?" "You didn't grow up around blacks?" Then they would ask my grandmother "Why does she talk like she's white?"

What's that supposed to mean? I grew up around people!

I would appreciate feedback. Are there others out there that have suffered ridicule and embarassment because you talk differently?

This is not a racist question but for those that find this offensive-then just don't answer. This is a legitimate question based off of legitimate experiences.

no offense taken King Bliss.

Answer 1

It's just proper English. Nothing wrong with that.

Answer 2

I have also heard this same ignorant mess my entire life, and not just from black people. I hear it more from white people lately, which is just more ignorant because why do they care?

I am sort of from New England, but I have grown up on the whole East Coast, from New Hampshire down to Florida. Depending on where I lived, I went to school with all white people, all black people, and a big mix of all sorts of people. I grew up around PEOPLE. I have also lived in DC on and off throughout my whole life and most people here of all colors have NO ACCENT and talk like news anchors. My entire big loud family, who are scattered all around the country, talk exactly the same way I do. My paternal grandmother, who is from Alabama, was head of the English department at FAMU. WHY THE HELL WOULD I NOT SPEAK PROPERLY???

Just living here in the very diverse DC area, where the Asian and white people are ghetto, the hispanic people are either redneck or ghetto, and the black people are evenly divided between preppy and ghe-hetto, people should realize that the common stereotypes just don't apply. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "TALKING OR ACTING WHITE OR BLACK"!!!

I really shouldn't let all this mess irritate me so much, but I seem to be getting more grumpy and less patient as I get older.

Answer 3

I've had similar experiences growing up. I am Hispanic and unfortunately most students at my school seemed to equate speaking proper English with being white. I grew up around Hispanics but I still never used the slang I heard everyday. This is very sad because one can not expect people to respect another ethnicity if they do not respect themselves enough to feel that they are capable of speaking proper English. If it is an issue of culture I don't feel its part of anyone's culture to degrade their own people.

Answer 4

I have to say this.
When I listen to someone, obviously, like yourself, your color absolutley disappears. I'm serious.
I don't mean to imply that color makes any difference to me, but the street talk often spoken by black people, sounds very near a foreigner speaking in broken English. Meaning, that it sets the speaker apart and I immediatly see their color, or, an immigrant from another country.
Does this make sense to you?

There are dialects from all parts of the US, just as in many other countries, but I really do not understand why some blacks insist on perpetuating slang that seems to come from the abused and uneducated slaves. Lordy, that was nearly 150 years ago.

Do you think it is intentionally done as a reminder, so that we, whites, who had nothing to do with slavery, shall always be held responsible and never forget what your ancestors endured? I get that message.

For those who may take this in the wrong way, meet an African who speaks "British". It will become obvious that you don't see color. This is very easily understood on the phone, in either manner, where one cannot see the person speaking.

Have a great day.

Answer 5

You have to ignore people like that its no such thing as talking white or black , with that being said you can mostly tell if someone was raised around different surroundings than themselves. So of course its just some people being ignorant but sometimes its just a reaction to you "sounding different" from what their used to hearing, so they make an oberservation about you without thinking that what they are saying might be offensive to you. So my advice of course, keep being yourself and next time some ask you a dumb question like "why do you talk white" just say I speak English not white.

P.S. This is from someone who loves to speak "ebonics" but knows the between that and correct English and grammer.

Answer 6

My best friend suffered with the same problem in high school, but now she is doing great as a very successful singer as well as having a degree in engineering. Do not let it get you down, what you sound like does not mean you are not a great person. I think a lot of people were jealous of my friend and that may be the case with you. AND NO, I do not think this is a racist question...it is a question of feeling different, something we all feel at some point!
PS. How far would Oprah have gone with a different form of speech?
Take care

Answer 7

Cultural bias for blacks and whites, is a two edge sword
What's said by whites is racist, but for blacks, it's just ignored

Your caught up in a dilemma, that is thousands of years in the making
between what you know,are still learning,and those who think your faking

It's the "perception" of black and white equality, just out of reach
the things your heroes all your life have preached

the tug of war between two very different cultures,who
have place you in the middle, and are saying what to do

either your a traitor to your own race, or just to advanced for them
or your just another black pretender, blacks will try to condom

Black females are going to face this, and suffer till males arrive,
as they aren't hindered by testosterone, that confuses their sense of pride

Your feared, cause they think your an Oriole,all white and soft inside
Don't expect change; blame integration,diversity and acceptance- all parts of the great divide

Answer 8

girl i have teh same problem. every time i answer the phone my mom's friends would say "oh you can tell she didn't grow up around any 'LaKeishas and Moeshas and Aisha's'...she must have been raised around white ppl..." okay how in teh hell would they assume i was raised around white ppl when my mother is black my father is black and most if not all of my family members are black...all my friends have been black so...wth?

for some reason those igonorant fools like to give white ppl credit for not acting a straight fool and having an open mind and trying to pronounce your words right

Answer 9

Hun I am black and let me tell you something talking like an educated person is the best thing for u to do I am a black as molases but that dose not have to impact the way i talk . I am who i am and if anyone dosent like it **** them. be you hold your head up my african queen

Answer 10

I'm an American born Asian so English is my main language. When I speak on the mic while playing a game online, the guys there all think I'm an American White. We're not speaking White, we're just speaking the language fluently. Also those who expect us to sound a certain way are prejudging us. Like for example I'm Asian so people would expect me to sound like a foreigner with very bad English. As for Blacks they would expect the urban gangster kind of talk. So its not White, its just that we speak English fluent and with class.

Answer 11

ugh i hate when that happens
maybe the only reason i dont talk "hood"
is cuz
1 its sounds stoopid sumtimes
2 i really dont noe
3 i dont want to be part of the norm
jus cuz my name looks ghetto doesnt mean i sound ghetto