Why do most black people have a southern accent? (to live, military)
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There was also a 2nd migration as well. But my point is the OP also stated that even black people with no lineage to the south have the accent, as if it is in black people's DNA to sound southern...when really, if you do the research there usually is a relatively recent link to the south.
I still don't think people in the Jersey, NYC, CT area sound southern in the least, but again, Idk any black people from there. But from what I have seen on TV and heard in music there is nothing southern about their accent.
There was also a 2nd migration as well. But my point is the OP also stated that even black people with no lineage to the south have the accent, as if it is in black people's DNA to sound southern...when really, if you do the research there usually is a relatively recent link to the south.
I still don't think people in the Jersey, NYC, CT area sound southern in the least, but again, Idk any black people from there. But from what I have seen on TV and heard in music there is nothing southern about their accent.
Most black people in the US have a lineage to the South unless they came from another country. I grew up in the city, and my high school was largely black, I never met anyone who had living relatives who were actually southern, and I met a lot of grandparents. The accent is not actually southern, it's an accent that likely evolved over time, starting with the southern migrants, which is why it sounds more southern than typically midwestern.
Of course it's not in black people's DNA to sound southern. We all tend to have the accent of those we grew up with, and spend a lot of time around, since blacks in MI tended to be segregated they developed a distinct accent that probably started from the southern migrants. Black people who grew up in the suburbs tend to have the typical midwestern accent because that's how those around them spoke.
just accept that the different races in America have different accents regardless of region. Agree that most Blacks have their own accent, and shares Southern characteristics in speech/ style notwithstanding where they grew up.
I can usually detect a Hispanic-American, 2nd or 3rd generation American-born, from speech. At least the ones in California. I find the ones in Texas understandably have more drawl. But there is some tonal differences from whites.
Native Americans have their own speech patterns/ sounds.
Asian-Americans also have a little bit of an accent. Hard to describe- but some tonal differences again from whites. I'm Asian-American and referring to other American-born ones. It depends on if they grew up with a lot of other Asians, or among a lot of whites though. I've heard Asians with Southern accents, and Asians with nasally Chicago-type accents. Now that makes my head spin!
WITH RESPECT, FRIEND THIS IS THE BIGGEST NON SEQUITUR , ergo one of the dumbest comparisons one can make !
First and foremost, blacks, contrary to some belief, are "supposed" to speak ENGLISH in most cases. Their traditional language, whether they were born in Mississippi or in White Plains, is ENGLISH !! not
a foreign aka SECOND FAMILY/ETHNIC LANGUAGE !!
If your family speaks a FOREIGN LANGUAGE , er, anything besides ENGLISH, it's EXPECTED for even those born in the US for second third or fourth or fifth generations and beyond to have the damn possibility of speaking English with a different accent...OR even speaking their family's language WITH AN ACCENT ! whether it's Thai, Madarin, French, Spanish, German RUssian or Detroit ARABIC !
Blacks have no such background in a foreign language friend . They can't master one language (ENGLISH) it seems, without an obvious prominent, pervasive "southern" (or whatever it is) accent.
Look it's noticeable, it's detectable, it's there for whatever strange reason, cockeyed tortured justification or excuse. That's what's being SAID. ...and no one is saying ALL BLACKS speak ENGLISH that way...but I will agree that it's MOST and it's detectable even when people call in on radio talk shows.....sorry, but it's that prominent in the speech pattern.....tone...syntax...and accent and pronunciation....and it "seems" immaterial where they were born whether east coast or the deep south.....
It has little to do with DNA or race, because you can hear the blackest of the black cab drivers in NYC or Houston who hail from Nigeria, who speak PERFECT Standard ENGLISH....the difference is that they too have been exposed to perhaps a second, third or fourth language besides English.
As I have said, it "seems" American blacks can not or will not even attempt to speak standard American English.
Black people seem to think that speaking standard American English is reserved for "WHITE FOLK".....all you have to do is re-read the previous comment from a black poster here who cringes when he hears blacks TRY to SOUND like "Little White Girls".
Friends, that should scream volumes to any reader...and give the answer to your questions......this retort is the height of resentment and anger...but mostly a form of resentment for individualism which I discussed in an earlier post. Therein lies the locus of the origin, friends....it's pathetic really. This fellow actually "thinks" that some blacks TRY "sounding" like someone they "shouldn't" ...how bizarre is that people ? To this fellow, folks that speak standard American English, aren't "black enough" for him....it turns his stomach.....don't you see yet ??? it's the old "barrel of crabs theory" that is pervasive in black culture....which stems back to the houseNegro / fieldNegro resentment and bifurcation....even down to internal resentment of other non-black/non-white intermediate groups being called names such as "oreo-cookie", "yallaknegga", "half-white" , "zebra", "wiggas"....and so forth. Believe me it's all intertwined and sort of twisted in some of these folks own heads. It centers around a group-think, group-act mentality, and a disdain for true hard individualism. It boils down to an implied "requirement" for IDENTITY and acceptance to the group-think model.
You mix this around with a healthy dose of "self hate", "jealousy", and various DNA models, you really have a noticeable problem...besides homogenous accents/soundings. Heterogeneity within the black use of English language and even other aspects of black culture has never been its marker.
WITH RESPECT, FRIEND THIS IS THE BIGGEST NON SEQUITUR , ergo one of the dumbest comparisons one can make !
First and foremost, blacks, contrary to some belief, are "supposed" to speak ENGLISH in most cases. Their traditional language, whether they were born in Mississippi or in White Plains, is ENGLISH !! not
a foreign aka SECOND FAMILY/ETHNIC LANGUAGE !!
If your family speaks a FOREIGN LANGUAGE , er, anything besides ENGLISH, it's EXPECTED for even those born in the US for second third or fourth or fifth generations and beyond to have the damn possibility of speaking English with a different accent...OR even speaking their family's language WITH AN ACCENT ! whether it's Thai, Madarin, French, Spanish, German RUssian or Detroit ARABIC !
Blacks have no such background in a foreign language friend . They can't master one language (ENGLISH) it seems, without an obvious prominent, pervasive "southern" (or whatever it is) accent.
Look it's noticeable, it's detectable, it's there for whatever strange reason, cockeyed tortured justification or excuse. That's what's being SAID. ...and no one is saying ALL BLACKS speak ENGLISH that way...but I will agree that it's MOST and it's detectable even when people call in on radio talk shows.....sorry, but it's that prominent in the speech pattern.....tone...syntax...and accent and pronunciation....and it "seems" immaterial where they were born whether east coast or the deep south.....
It has little to do with DNA or race, because you can hear the blackest of the black cab drivers in NYC or Houston who hail from Nigeria, who speak PERFECT Standard ENGLISH....the difference is that they too have been exposed to perhaps a second, third or fourth language besides English.
As I have said, it "seems" American blacks can not or will not even attempt to speak standard American English.
Black people seem to think that speaking standard American English is reserved for "WHITE FOLK".....all you have to do is re-read the previous comment from a black poster here who cringes when he hears blacks TRY to SOUND like "Little White Girls".
Friends, that should scream volumes to any reader...and give the answer to your questions......this retort is the height of resentment and anger...but mostly a form of resentment for individualism which I discussed in an earlier post. Therein lies the locus of the origin, friends....it's pathetic really. This fellow actually "thinks" that some blacks TRY "sounding" like someone they "shouldn't" ...how bizarre is that people ? To this fellow, folks that speak standard American English, aren't "black enough" for him....it turns his stomach.....don't you see yet ??? it's the old "barrel of crabs theory" that is pervasive in black culture....which stems back to the houseNegro / fieldNegro resentment and bifurcation....even down to internal resentment of other non-black/non-white intermediate groups being called names such as "oreo-cookie", "yallaknegga", "half-white" , "zebra", "wiggas"....and so forth. Believe me it's all intertwined and sort of twisted in some of these folks own heads. It centers around a group-think, group-act mentality, and a disdain for true hard individualism. It boils down to an implied "requirement" for IDENTITY and acceptance to the group-think model.
You mix this around with a healthy dose of "self hate", "jealousy", and various DNA models, you really have a noticeable problem...besides homogenous accents/soundings. Heterogeneity within the black use of English language and even other aspects of black culture has never been its marker.
You're an insane human being, if this is how you handle every discussion.
The way blacks speak in the United States is an Accent/dialect that evolved over centuries of segregation and little/no contact with whites or anybody else. The "Blaccent," as some people call it, has a distinct set of rules and ways of speaking, and must be followed in order to make sense. I've seen people make fun of it, and they end up just sounding like they're speaking gibberish, dotting every other word with "be."
That makes no sense.
The way blacks speak is distinct, historical, and there is absolutely no reason to get rid of it or change it, just as the Mid-west, Hawaii, and a host of other places in this country have their own way of using the language.
Considering there is no English Language Body like the French, Spanish, or Portuguese Languages have, there is no such things as "correct" English. It's what makes our language so popular, versatile, and creative.
I never hear of non-black Americans complaining about Irish English, or Australian English, or White South African English, yet there is always someone who wants to rid America of its "Blaccent," despite it having more speakers the Irish, Australian, and White South African English COMBINED.
Blacks, by and large, DO speak differently than other Americans, and there is nothing wrong with that. General American English, to me, sounds boring and bland anyway.
Most African-Americans live in the South, so it follows that they would have a Southern accent. It doesn't necessarily ring true for NYC and certain other Northern cities where you have other groups of African descent that tend to be recent to the U.S.
i wanted to point out that the southern black accent isn't the same as the white southern accent that is mocked in movies and whatnont, although there are a few black ppl who do sound just like country good ole white boys in the south. i think when you say southern accent, ppl think of how rednecks in the south talk.
It sounds more or less the same to me. White and Black Americans from the South sound more similar than they do different overall.
You're an insane human being, if this is how you handle every discussion.
The way blacks speak in the United States is an Accent/dialect that evolved over centuries of segregation and little/no contact with whites or anybody else. The "Blaccent," as some people call it, has a distinct set of rules and ways of speaking, and must be followed in order to make sense. I've seen people make fun of it, and they end up just sounding like they're speaking gibberish, dotting every other word with "be."
That makes no sense.
The way blacks speak is distinct, historical, and there is absolutely no reason to get rid of it or change it, just as the Mid-west, Hawaii, and a host of other places in this country have their own way of using the language.
Considering there is no English Language Body like the French, Spanish, or Portuguese Languages have, there is no such things as "correct" English. It's what makes our language so popular, versatile, and creative.
I never hear of non-black Americans complaining about Irish English, or Australian English, or White South African English, yet there is always someone who wants to rid America of its "Blaccent," despite it having more speakers the Irish, Australian, and White South African English COMBINED.
Blacks, by and large, DO speak differently than other Americans, and there is nothing wrong with that. General American English, to me, sounds boring and bland anyway.
Your feeble attempt to characterize my stated opinion(s) as "insane" might make you feel better, but it doesn't invalidate my right to do so, friend.
I did not start the thread...I am a simple respondent. My response seems to really irk you so much you wish to focus personally on ME ?
Weak, my friend...very weak......but telling I suppose.
Telling in your close : "General American English, to me, sounds boring and bland anyway."
Sounds "boring to you, eh" ?? Well perhaps like me, you speak another language fluently...but somehow I sort of doubt that you might...but no matter.
I believe standard American English is a good thing, and aberrations or bastardizations of our common language as American citizens, is an insult to us all. Language is our fundamental glue that holds the fabric of our great nation together friend. The correct usage of a commonly understood and used language is essential for our society to function in high capacity. That concept is neither "boring" OR "bland".
I'LL MAKE A CORRECTION TO THE RECORD : IN ONE OF YOUR PREVIOUS POSTS YOU STATED THE FOLLOWING ABOUT YOURSELF:
"I'm black, so I'd want to go somewhere where I'm not the only black guy in the room. I should add to this that I really like looking like a native. It opens a lot of doors and gives you a unique, raw experience (like it did for me in Brazil)
I'm also gay. That might complicate things in the region that made the word "machismo "
Frankly I understand your retort a bit better now....really I do.
Cheers ! LOL
Last edited by OneOpinionCounts; 08-12-2013 at 09:43 AM..
Your feeble attempt to characterize my stated opinion(s) as "insane" might make you feel better, but it doesn't invalidate my right to do so, friend.
I did not start the thread...I am a simple respondent. My response seems to really irk you so much you wish to focus personally on ME ?
Weak, my friend...very weak......but telling I suppose.
Telling in your close : "General American English, to me, sounds boring and bland anyway."
Sounds "boring to you, eh" ?? Well perhaps like me, you speak another language fluently...but somehow I sort of doubt that you might...but no matter.
I believe standard American English is a good thing, and aberrations or bastardizations of our common language as American citizens, is an insult to us all. Language is our fundamental glue that holds the fabric of our great nation together friend. The correct usage of a commonly understood and used language is essential for our society to function in high capacity. That concept is neither "boring" OR "bland".
I'LL MAKE A CORRECTION TO THE RECORD : IN ONE OF YOUR PREVIOUS POSTS YOU STATED THE FOLLOWING ABOUT YOURSELF:
"I'm black, so I'd want to go somewhere where I'm not the only black guy in the room. I should add to this that I really like looking like a native. It opens a lot of doors and gives you a unique, raw experience (like it did for me in Brazil)
I'm also gay. That might complicate things in the region that made the word "machismo "
Frankly I understand your retort a bit better now....really I do.
Cheers ! LOL
I hope you do, because if you spent half as much time reading and researching what you speak of, as you do vomiting nonsense, this thread might have actually gone somewhere!
I speak Brazilian Portuguese fluently, and have live in Brazil for a year. Currently, I am attempting to study French. So don't doubt that I am not fluent in other language, because I am.
My deeming you insane does not invalidate your ideas. Your own writing and immature mindset do more damage to you than me, an anonymous poster on C-D, ever will.
The fact that you brought up the fact that I am gay as some smoking gun reason to shun my ideas prove that. Also, the list (that YOU brought up) clearly stated that I speak fluent Portuguese, yet you still didn't think I spoke another language. I'm assuming reading isn't one of our strong points...
You corrected yourself, yes, but the fact that you responded without first preparing yourself for the discussion speaks volumes.
And, please, DO tell me what Standard American English is. I am a young male that has lived all over the east coast (and Chicago). I have NEVER heard ANY American speak "perfect" American English. It's impossible, as there is no Language Body governing the way we speak. There is such a thing as "good" French, or Korean, or Turkish. English, however, was saved from such inhibitive nonsense, making it a CURRENT, LIVING language.
In fact, if you listen to most American youth these days, you will find that all races are starting to implement traditionally "black" ways of speaking, including rhythms, phrases, and sentence structures. In my opinion, it's very indicative of the breaking down of racial segregation and the beginning of a truly AMERICAN accent that will include a little of everyone (i.e. I also hear people of my generation saying "Hola,""Amigo,""Gracias," and "Konichiwa").
What you think of as "good" American english is most definitely on its way out, as will the form that the populace will speak soon. It's the fluid nature of our beautiful (and FREE) language.
The one thing that always puzzled me with Al Sharpton is that even though he is a New York City native he sounds like he's from the Mississippi Delta or somewhere in the deep south.
He's also of an older generation. The further back you go, the more AAVE sounds Southern and the less regionalized it has become. It's not a static dialect, and is developing regional pronunciations. Perhaps about a hundred years ago, there was close to a standard pronunciation for words. The regional pronunciations were developed in a process called accommodation by which local pronunciations are incorporated into the accent. For example, the black community in Philadelphia is much more likely to say the R in water (or say wooder), despite AAVE being known as a non-rhotic dialect. Similarly, in Chicago, aspects of local pronunciation has been incorporated. This is an accelerating trend, so someone of Sharpton's generation sounds more "Southern" than a Millennial.
Back when linguists finally realized that AAVE was a dialect (i.e. there are consistent grammatical rules) and not "improper" English (about the '60s or '70s), they started describing it based on the differences from "White" American English. In doing so, they overgeneralized. They said that AAVE was consistent no matter what the region, because it differed in a consistent way. Even in the '60s, regional pronunciations were developing. Now, linguists are starting to pay more attention to the subdivisions within the African American community.
This is all my attempt to repeat what I was told by a friend of mine who is studying linguistics at the PhD program at UC Davis. If there's a problem here, I'll take it up with him.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sean1the1
It depends... The average White Person that I come in contact with on a daily basis would say I dont have it, but as soon as get around people who do speak it its only natural for me to return to my Natural dialect. I think there is nothing wrong with ''talking Black'' It makes us more original. I must say the Black people who try their hardest to talk like ''Little White Girls'' Does annoy me...
That's a classic example of code switching. Everyone does it to a degree. No one talks to their friends, parents, and teachers in exactly the same way. There are at least minor variations in how someone talks (I've noticed I make my voice a lot lower if I'm only talking to men vs if I'm talking to women). The easiest way to hear code switching is to listen to someone who is bilingual. "Spanglish" is essentially the language of code switching. You are essentially fluent in two dialects of American English and you can switch back and forth between them depending on the situation.
There's nothing wrong with "talking Black." I don't think there should be anything wrong with "talking White," though. It all depends on context. You should check out the article I posted a little while back on the Chicago "blaccent." There are some insights on the cultural sensitivities of this that I could not possibly relate to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gwillyfromphilly
Even Hillary Clinton's failed attempt? lol.
It's a lot like Mayor Bloomberg trying to speak Spanish. There are White people who can speak in AAVE, but they almost always grew up with Black friends who spoke it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nella925
^^Please explain to me where the 'white' detroit accent formed from?? Does it have east coast tones?? I'm just trying to figure out why one is considered the 'standard' while the other is considered 'different' even though they both are from the same region. I still don't get the southern sounding connection.
The White Detroit accent has connections to New Englanders migrating west. The accent morphed from what is spoken in Boston, through upstate New York, until it established itself as the "Northern" accent in a wide area of the Great Lakes. I don't know if immigrant groups (likely German) played a role in shaping it or if other factors did. The "White" accent is considered standard because (1) it was established first (though not as strong) and (2) linguists tend to be Euro (and in this case White)-centric. Also, society has deemed the White accent to be standard. Like it or not, it's pretty much impossible to challenge that convention. We can try, though.
I'm not a linguist, so I don't want to screw up my description of the Southern connection. Off the top of my head, AAVE tends to be non-rhotic and tends to have the pin-pen merger. There are a few others, but that's the easiest for me to remember.
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