Why do most black people have a southern accent? (population, ethnic)

[BajanYankee]

Interesting discussion on Black voices between Sarah Jones, a biracial stage actress, and John McWhorter, a noted African American linguist.

Sounding Black - Studio 360

I find the timbre of Jones' voice to be very much Black even if the intonation isn't. When she switches to a "White" southern accent, she sounds indistinguishable from a white woman, imo.

[EddieOlSkool]

The research just doesn't seem to be there to support this theory. Black people have at times told me I sounded Black, and many times I've been told I look pretty White.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by EddieOlSkool

The research just doesn't seem to be there to support this theory.

There isn't research to support a lot of things. In fact, there's not really much research on linguistics in the African American community period, as most researchers (who were white) believed that AAVE precluded the existence of regional differences in Black speech.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

There isn't research to support a lot of things. In fact, there's not really much research on linguistics in the African American community period, as most researchers (who were white) believed that AAVE precluded the existence of regional differences in Black speech.

What do you make of Blacks who are told by other Blacks that they sound White? I don't all Black people are in agreement with you on this.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by EddieOlSkool

What do you make of Blacks who are told by other Blacks that they sound White? I don't all Black people are in agreement with you on this.

1. I don't take anecdotal claims made on the internet seriously ("I live in Denver and all of my co-workers are Italian, Puerto Rican and Jewish!")

2. It's possible you have a Black-sounding voice. That's rare.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

1. I don't take anecdotal claims made on the internet seriously ("I live in Denver and all of my co-workers are Italian, Puerto Rican and Jewish!")

2. It's possible you have a Black-sounding voice. That's rare.

Wait, your claims are all anecdotal, too...

[WanderingImport]

I recently had an experience in the Twin Cities where I was riding the light rail from Mall of America towards downtown and overheard some black people talking and it made me feel as if I were right back in Georgia. There is some truth to this question.

[eschaton]

I think this is a much better example of a white musician "sounding black"

Brother Ali: The Travelers - YouTube

Hrrm...can't get the direct youtube embed to work. Ahh well.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by WanderingImport

I recently had an experience in the Twin Cities where I was riding the light rail from Mall of America towards downtown and overheard some black people talking and it made me feel as if I were right back in Georgia. There is some truth to this question.

Midwest is a special case considering the huge amount of Blacks that migrated from the South. Not all the time, though. Dustin Byfuglien is a native Minnesotan and he definitely sounds it.

Go to Brooklyn and see if any Black people sound Southern there.

[JJG]

Originally Posted by EddieOlSkool

Listen to a Black person from New York, then a Black person from Houston, then a Black person from LA, then one from Philly, then one from Chicago and tell me they all sound the same.

For Houston, you don't even have to go that far.

Listen to a black person from H-town, then a black person from New Orleans... they sound different.
Listen to a black person from Houston, then a black person from Dallas, even... THEY sound different, and they're in the same state.

I know those are all southern accents, but the point I'M making is that we don't all sound the same...