Quote:
Originally posted by MIDWESTDIVA:
Hello ladies. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I have a new topic on my mind this afternoon.
I spent most of my childhood in the suburbs with other Black and White children. I also read a lot of books as a child. Because I read a lot and had parents that were big on education, I always had a large vocabulary and always spoke English correctly.
Later on when my mother bought a house in an inner city neighborhood, I began to hear many comments about my grammar usage. Such as "You talk like a white girl" or the more polite "You talk so proper." I also have many friends who have always lived in the inner city in all Black neighborhoods that speak very well and they have heard these comments as well.
As an adult, I don't have any kind of identity issues or anything like that. I know that I am an educated Black woman that speaks like an educated Black woman. But my question is this, why is using proper grammar considered to be "White" and using improper grammar and slang considered to be "Black"?
[This message has been edited by MIDWESTDIVA (edited November 24, 2000).]
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First I'd like to apologize for hittin' the button a few times too many.
Secondly, there is merit in what you say about locale, and people being a product of their environment in terms of language. But should that include intonation, and behavior?