I think it's quite unfortunate that we would ever have to speak 'ebonicallly' if that is not how we usually speak. I too am a professional and carry myself in that way. However, some of my clients are ghetto to the fullest. They will call my manager sometimes and ask to work with someone else who can understand them better...:confused: So, I can't understand you because I use proper English? You'd rather speak to someone who curses when they speak and doesn't enunciate clearly? If I was really pressed to keep those clients, I'm sure I could throw some slang into my conversations, but it's just not that serious to me. Our people...

I guess I am in the minority (no pun intended) but I do think that I can tell an African American's voice from other ethnicities, and not because of slang or language patterns. There is something about the actual sound of the voice...I can't describe it.

I can also do this with some Asian Americans....I dunno.

You too?
 

I can say that this is sometimes the case for me as well. Just something about the voice itself...the person doesn't have to speak a lick of slang, ebonics, etc.

Interesting.. ;)

I myself have become immune to the whole "don't sound black thing". I still get a kick out of the reaction when I first meet someone after we have been conversing on the phone - they suddenly realize that they have been talking to a black person all this time! *lol*

I sometime use slang because sometimes it is the only word(s) that can be used to describe a situation or how I'm feeling at that time! :p

"You talk white"
 

Ah, the story of my life. Growing up, it made me self-conscious around black folx. I could never "code switch" without sounding as if I was trying too hard, so that wasn't an option for me. I just had to stick it out and be subjected to ridicule at my Black church (the only segment of my life where I encountered Blacks other than family) all throughout high school and even my first year in college... then I found AKA. :D Now, consistently speaking Standard English is just a part of who I am. If you don't like it, keep steppin'.

Like Prayerfull and Kitten03, I am more disturbed about the reactions of other blacks than whites. As the only black person in just about every sector of my life until Senior year of high school, I knew white people were ignorant. I expected more of my Black peers.

Funny, and Steeltrap, I'm sure, has encountered this (as well as many others on this forum), but writing Standard English can sometimes have the same effect as speaking Standard English. A person who receives something in writing that's written in Standard English, and may even have a nice prose style to it ;), will give that piece of writing far more credence than a letter riddled with spelling, grammar and syntax errors - especially errors ebonics speakers tend to make. I tried to impress upon my freshman writers this semester how important and persuasive written communication can be. You may say that this amounts to hiding behind the written word, but, honestly, I have found that taking care of issues in writing can be far more effective than trying to confront them in person. Once people see me, they form their opinion before I even open my mouth. I get a much more positive reaction and results if I correspond in writing or even on the telephone. Racism is alive and well.

To Honeykiss and Dardenr: yes, I have found the same thing, but, since I rarely ask, "Are you black?" there may be instances where I actually don't know I'm talking to someone black and hang up the phone never having discovered the truth. Anyway, I think it may be something in cadence or even tone. I dunno. But, just like we usually know our own by looks, even when white people would swear up and down they're white, we can also pick-up voice subtleties that "others" are blissfully unaware of.

Re: "You talk white"
 

Soror Choo-Choo, excellent post, especially during the first part. I do speak standard English and I wear that badge with pride.

What I meant was that I can code switch when necessary; the way I talk with my girlfriends is not always the same as when I am at work or when I am around family.

I get tired of people saying I speak well. What they mean is that I speak well for a BLACK girl. :rolleyes: I speak well because Momma dont play that in her house.

That's why I make sure that my daughter learns how to speak properly. When she says something that is grammatically incorrect, I ask her if that's the proper way to say it, and immediately she corrects herself. I feel proud when people tell me that she speaks so well, but then again, if she is in school and is receiving training at home, how else is she supposed to speak????

I co-sign with nikki1920. That's how I do it as well. Still, my mama will "put the smack down" if I go overboard (her pet-peeve was when my sister and I would say "we ain't got none" instead of "we don't have any", LOL).

I also grew up going to school where I was in the minority (Chicago 'burbs) and speaking "correctly" was what was expected. It wasn't until I moved South that my classmates would make fun of me; not just because of my "northern" accent but also because I didn't use slang or speak "bad" English. They also hated on me because I was a 6th grader taking 7th grade classes at the time, but that's another thread :p

I don't want to make this very long. I agree with everything that was mentioned previously, so I don't repeat any points :D

I tend to get more grief from my own people than from white people about how I speak. It's because of what someone else stated. Even when speaking proper English, you can still tell because of the voice.

A friend of mine (SGRho shout out!:)) has a very interesting voice. People think she's a white person or a child when she talks on the phone. When we were undergrads, she communicated with her roommate-to-be over the phone. When they arrived at the dorm, her roomie saw her in the room unpacking and said "Can I help you?" with much attitude! She acted like she was disgusted to be roommates with a black girl.

This is so sad....
 

I tend to get it more from my own family members.

I hear it all from..."you think you all that cause you went to school", to "All cause you sound white don't make it so."

They assume that just because I aspire to do great things that I want to be white or that I'm uppity. I don't even think I talk as proper as some people I know but to them I sound offensive.

I can usually tell, also. Most Black folks speak from the gut or chest whereas most white folks speak very nasally.

mccoyred, I think you hit it. I could never put my finger on exactly how I know, but I think you're right. Ah, mystery solved. :)