On my soapbox: As a young child, I had a similar experience as MidwestDiva. I went to school with mostly white and Asian children, and came home to an all-African American (Black, back then) neighborhood. Eventually, I learned to be what I call "bilingual". I have excellent diction and love that folks can't tell to which ethnicity I belong, particularly over the phone. It's interesting to see people's reactions (I work in the high-tech sector) when meeting me in person. I can also throw-down some serious "Ebonics" as well, and have taught a co-worker to say the word "sto'", instead of "store, " for example.
Seriously, I don't think how you speak is an indicator of your cultural awareness. I've seen people who can flow some Ebonics be so filled with self-loathing and self-destructive behavior--and "valley girls" who can embrace the triumphs and struggles of being an American of African descent.
To answer your original question-people's natural instinct is to find ways to categorize others--it's easier. Therefore, if we can categorize folks with flawless diction as "acting white", then we can presumably make some judgements and assumptions on them based upon this fact. While it is fine to be able to speak "Ebonics", just like it's fine to be able to speak French, German or Swahili, it is just as important to use the proper grammar of whatever is language in which you profess proficiency. The challenge is that many of our young folks (and many older) don't know how to switch from Ebonics to American English as necessary. Therefore, we're sometimes overlooked for positions just like people with thick accents from their native tongues for positions that require speaking. I will never forget how to say "birfday" (there is a direct correlation between us pronouncing "th" as "f" and some African dialects, by the way) or "git" or "I'm fixina" (or "finna", depending on region). That is an important part of my culture as an American of African descent. However, I'm also aware that my family has been in the US for at least six generations (forced, segregated and second-class citizen a given)...certainly, one would assume that I would have mastered the American English language by now.
Off the soapbox.
Shela
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Finer Womanhood: the "Cat's Meow" Since 1920
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