Speaking "Proper English"
By: Rafeeat Bishi
Me and a lot of black people I noticed who spoke by definition, Standard American English, would be considered "white" by our peers. Their reasoning would be because we did not speak like "common Black people". By definition, that is African-American Vernacular English, or AAVE, and it is a recognized dialect of English. It varies regionally in places like the South and the Midwest, or even in different cities, like Philly, New York or Baltimore.I'm not a native speaker of AAVE because my parents didn't grow up speaking it, since they're Nigerian. We have our own form of English dialect separate from the native language. But there have been times where I've picked it up after being in certain surroundings.
You can't speak a color because language isn't bound by race. So how can all people of one race sound alike? Especially if we come from different places?
When I'm at a place where I'm not surrounded by people who look like me, I'll be more likely to adapt to that situation and speak differently. I think it's very harmful for all people, including Black people, to employ that stereotype.
Whiteness should not be equated with properness (is that a word). Just because something is Western or European, does not mean its higher mannered. Proximity to Whiteness is too often seen as the goal and positive.
A lot of people also equate speaking "white" with intelligence. I'll sometimes see Black people make claims against AAVE, saying things like "don't speak to me in Ebonics, I speak proper English. I'm educated"
Using different words or terms must mean you're not smart? Make it make sense.
That statement can be so irritating. So many people speak AAVE because it's simply what they're around. Speaking a different dialect, whether or not it's grammatically "correct" does not make someone more or less intelligent. In fact, Those who speak AAVE and/or have the ability to code-switch apparently have higher brain functions. Bilingualism is never a negative.
When I'm talking to my sister, or with other Black peers, or my African friends at the mosque, it sometimes can seem as if I'm a different person. I still hold my same sentiments, I just convey them differently. And speaking one or the other doesn't make me any less intelligent or any less Black.Here's a few links:
https://www.languagejones.com/blog-1/2014/6/8/what-is-aave
https://bilingualkidspot.com/2018/04/04/code-switching-sophisticated-linguistic-tool/
On top of that, I also know that black people get judged for “not being black enough because they talk white.” It’s like they’re forced to fit into a binary, but get ridiculed no matter what they decide to do. It’s a losing game, and I lowkey think that the people who enforce this ideology really just want to silence everyone that doesn’t fit their standards.
ReplyDeleteYeah those who don't fit into to the mold they want are ridiculed. I have ideas as to why that is but a blog post isn't a place for that.
DeleteInteresting... I feel like this definitely relates to Rachel Jeantel's case. It's not fair that despite her importance in Trayvon Martin's case, she was ridiculed for the way she spoke. I also agree with Cassandra, black people can never catch a break. It's sad that even within the black community, fingers are pointed towards those who speak "too white". It's attributing to the system!!
ReplyDeleteYes it is an attribute to the system! If we want to progress as a whole we can't continue to put people in boxes. Ostracizing Rachel for the way she spoke didn't do any good, and if she spoke in a different way she probably would've been judged too.
DeleteSo many valid points are made in this post and in the comments here. I think it's also worth exploring why it's so "triggering," to use that term, to hear people speaking something other than AAVE. We've discussed this in class somewhat, but you see it when folks have an accent (the Apu documentary), and when people speak a different language in class (the teacher who yells at students for speaking Spanish), and when people practice religions that are outside of the American mainstream. Sometimes folks get very angry ("This is America! Conform or leave!") and it's interesting to consider why that is. What is it about diversity of opinions, beliefs, expression, and cultural practices that angers people?
ReplyDelete