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What about the African Americans who live in the Pacific Northwest. In cities like Seattle, WA and Portland, OR. Aren't their accents just as non-southern as black accents in the Northeast?
I don't see what's so confusing. African Americans are American, such as the children of immigrants, who were born here. Black Americans, on the other hand, came here through slavery and have been here for hundreds of years.
My parents came here from Ghana. I was born in the United States and have no ties to the south. So, I am asking the other poster if he has never met an African American whose parents are from abroad. If he's referring to black Americans, that makes more sense.
What about the African Americans who live in the Pacific Northwest. In cities like Seattle, WA and Portland, OR. Aren't their accents just as non-southern as black accents in the Northeast?
True blacks in the Northwest from San Francisco up to Seattle have differenet accents. They seem to be more cut off from the southern accent then any other AA.
Your question was confusing because African Americans are American. They wouldn't have come from abroad. The scenario described above is about two Africans moving to America. You are mixing up race and ethnicity. They are two different constructs.
The reverse migration of black Americans to the south has been happening since the 80s. A lot of young people moved south to attend college, stayed there and now have families there. Also, as older people retired, they moved south. This explains why ppl are traveling down I-95 for the holidays.
When I was growing up, we spent our holidays in Queens. I am a 5th generation New Yorker on my mom's side. My dad was born in Virginia but moved here at age two. Neither he nor his parents had southern accents.
African Americans are just as American as apple pie. I wish I had ancestral ties to this country. Im only a first generation American with ancestral ties to three continents.
Last edited by Bronxguyanese; 02-20-2011 at 05:55 PM..
African Americans are just as American as apple pie. I wish I had ancestral ties to this country. Im only a first generation American with ancestral ties to three continents.
If you go to almost every major city in the US whether it's in the midwest, west, or southeast, the blacks all have a southern twang to their accent. However, in NYC, the blacks have no hint of the southern accent. The funny thing is that a lot of blacks in NYC are descendants of southern migrants, but there seems to be no trace of the southern accent passed down from earlier generations.
I honestly think you either want to let the world know how ignorant you are or you're just letting your closet racism hang out to air. The truth is you know diddly about Black Americans other than what you hear or see in the media. The "southern twang" is a general accepted form of speech below the Mason - Dixon Line for blacks and whites alike, but elsewhere, nothing really happening. You claim you've been out West? Well if you ever travelled to LA, San Francisco, San Deigo, or Long Beach you would know that "black" denizens of these urban enclaves don't speak in a "southern twang." Have you been to the Midwest: Oklahoma, Nebraska or Colorado? You might be surprised to hear how "blacks" speak. One last thing,KKK stupid, the way a person articulates his/or herself is generally a reflection of their education or lack thereof.
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